Articles

Quality Assurance for Waiting Lists in Mental Health Access and Triage

Waiting lists can become invisible risk unless providers actively monitor safety and deterioration. This article explains how to apply quality assurance to mental health waiting lists, with operational examples and...

Safeguarding Risk Screening in Mental Health Access and Triage

Safeguarding risk can be missed when triage focuses only on clinical urgency. This article sets out how to build robust safeguarding screening into mental health access and triage, with operational...

Managing Inappropriate Referrals and Demand in Mental Health Triage

High volumes of inappropriate referrals create risk across mental health systems. This article explores how services can manage demand safely and collaboratively, with operational examples and clear commissioner and CQC...

Clinical Decision-Making Quality in Mental Health Access and Triage

Access and triage decisions shape risk, outcomes and system pressure across mental health pathways. This article examines how to ensure consistent, defensible clinical decision-making, with real-world operational examples and clear...

Access and Triage KPIs for Community Mental Health: What to Measure and Why

Access and triage performance cannot be judged by volume alone. This article explains which KPIs matter, how to define them consistently, and how to use data for governance and improvement,...

Waiting List Risk Management in Mental Health Access and Triage

Waiting lists do not remove duty of care or safeguarding responsibility. This article sets out practical, defensible approaches to managing clinical risk while people wait, with operational examples and clear...

Managing High-Risk Referrals in Mental Health Access and Triage

High-risk referrals place immediate responsibility on mental health services, often before assessment or allocation occurs. This article examines how providers manage high-risk referrals safely, consistently and defensibly within access and...

Clinical Triage Models in Community Mental Health Services

Clinical triage determines how risk, urgency and need are assessed at the point of access. This article explores how community mental health services design clinical triage models that are safe,...

Referral Criteria in Mental Health Services: Balancing Access, Risk and Capacity

Referral criteria shape who is accepted, redirected or declined by mental health services. This article explores how providers design referral criteria that protect safety, manage demand, and remain defensible to...

Designing Safe Access Pathways for Community Mental Health Services

Access pathways determine who receives mental health support, how quickly risk is identified, and whether people are diverted safely or excluded. This article examines how community mental health services design...