The trust which runs Andover hospital is expanding its mental health support for patients with specialist clinicians being placed on wards.

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) is expanding its mental health services, providing specialist support and care to patients with mental health needs across the trust’s hospitals through new expert roles, extended services and outreach programmes. It follows the trust’s creation of a lead nurse for mental health last year, which is currently Adam Smith.

He said: “We are seeing an increased need for robust mental health services following the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented our communities over the last almost 18 months – and this is certainly not going away. Our priority is to provide the best possible care to our patients – this includes their physical recovery as well as their mental health needs.

“In a general acute hospital setting, patients may find themselves in situations that may feel stressful or scary and this may exacerbate mental health issues. It’s vital that we can support our patients in this aspect to ensure they are receiving the very best comprehensive care possible - whether it’s in our emergency departments, or on our wards.”

As part of the scheme, two specialist mental health practitioners have been appointed by HHFT, with two additional posts planned in August. These roles are for mental health professionals with extensive experience who can support the lead nurse for mental health in the delivery of clinical support to ward teams across the trust’s hospitals.

A Hampshire Liaison Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service has also been established in the emergency departments this month, which will carry out key assessments and care planning for children and young people that attend hospital for urgent or unscheduled care.

Adam said: “The Hampshire Liaison CAMHS service will strive for early assessment and intervention for child and young people, ensuring more relevant and most appropriate support for patients and keeping them out of an acute hospital setting where appropriate– improving our continuity of care and ensuring the right services are available at the right time.

“Our emergency departments are also supported by youth workers through an outreach programme run by No Limits, a charity that supports children and young people in Hampshire through a range of issues including housing, debt, mental health and substance misuse.

“In addition to all of the expansion of mental health services at HHFT, our collaborative relationship with the charitable sector through enables us to ensure we are providing full-range care to our patients in our community and our emergency departments.”