As part of the Leeds Crisis Care Concordat Action Plan for 2016/17, John Halsall of the Touchstone Community Development Service and Caroline Bamford of Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust compiled some evidence about the experiences and patterns of use of the Leeds crisis care pathways by black and minority ethnic (BME) communities. To do this, John and Caroline reviewed data recorded by the statutory crisis services, and data and reports by Dial House @ Touchstone and by Positive Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (PAFRAS), two third sector organisations.
 

Conclusions:

  • Third sector organisations as well as statutory services are supporting people from black and minority ethnic communities to access help when they reach crisis point.
  • Dial House @ Touchstone, a specific BME crisis service which opened in October 2013, changed their service model and their use of language and recruited staff from minority groups. These changes, and other learning, resulted in a significant increase in the number of clients seen who were from black and minority ethnic communities (BME) communities.
  • We found significant differences in the levels of use of NHS secondary crisis services in Leeds between ethnic groups, summarised in the report.

 
You can read about the findings of the joint study in their report, which you can download at the link below.

  • Access and Experience of Mental Health Crisis Care Services in Leeds by BME communities 2017