The team behind the NHS Ayrshire & Arran Mental Health Unscheduled Care Assessment Hub have been recognised for their positive impact, being named among the finalists at this year’s Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland Nurse of the Year Awards in the Mental Health category.
The nurse-led hub was established in September 2024 following a pilot and is the first of its kind in Scotland. Based at Woodland View in Irvine, it hosts a patient-focused therapeutic space to support the delivery of compassionate care to patients with acute mental illness. The Mental Health Unscheduled Care service provides 24-hour access to mental health assessment and interventions and can accommodate up to five patients within a therapeutic environment for up to 72 hours.
Since being established 18 months ago, the service has successfully:
- Reduced the number of unscheduled admissions to acute adult inpatient mental health beds;
- Brought community and inpatient services closer together to help create a smoother patient journey;
- Reduced the waiting time for planned adult acute admissions, and
- Reduced the number of initial assessments being carried out in acute wards – releasing resource for treatment.
North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Director Caroline Cameron said:
“We are extremely proud of the hard work by the team delivering our Mental Health Unscheduled Care Assessment Hub. They are making a real difference to patient care and having a positive impact on our communities in Ayrshire, which is recognised in their achievement of being named as a finalist at these national awards.
“In its first year, the Hub managed 256 admissions, with three quarters of patients returning directly to the community without requiring an acute bed. This success is also being acknowledged by patients and carers who are reporting highly positive experiences with the Hub, where they value timely assessments, direct staff contact and feeling listened to – making the service truly patient-centred.
“My congratulations go to everyone involved in the Hub for this achievement and I wish them every success for the RCN Scotland Nurse of the Year Awards taking place in April.”
NHS Ayrshire & Arran Nurse Director Jennifer Wilson added:
“This is fantastic news and well deserved – many congratulations to the team, which is an example of excellence in nurse-led care.”