NHS staff are celebrating after beating a national target for mental health patients.

Repeat attendances of patients with a mental health condition at the county’s A&E departments have dropped by 50 per cent in the first year, with a further 47 per cent reduction in year two.

Staff from the Mental Health Liaison Team from Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust say they have achieved this by working better with other organisations.

They believe the reduction is due to a new process for sharing care plans with organisations the patient is likely to come into contact with - such as Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, West Midlands Ambulance Trust, Police, and GPs.

They also ensure that any patient who attends A&E three or more times a month will receive a multi-agency care plan.

Overall, the reduction in visits has been seen at Worcestershire Royal, in Worcester, and the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch.

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The Mental Health Liaison Team supports patients who attend A&E with an underlying mental health condition and helps them to access the appropriate care and services for their needs.

Sally Burgess, from the team said: “The team has worked extremely hard and their tenacity and commitment is evidenced by the quality service that they have developed for a complex cohort of patients.

“We aim to continue with this work to ensure all patients who access the A&E departments at a time of crisis can receive the support they need.”

The national target is to reduce frequent attenders visiting A&E for mental health related visits by 20 per cent.

According to NHS England, one in four adults and one in ten children nationwide experience mental illness at some point in their lives.