Co-production recognises that people who use social care services (and their families) and third sector organisations within community settings have knowledge and experience that can be used to help make services better for services users and those who care for them. This study shares the coproduction that took place in the design of a mixed methods study that aims to understand: the profile and history of service users currently defined as having complex needs; the decision-making processes by clinicians that lead to these individuals entering this complex group; service users and carers experience of service use; and, the associated costs. This study involves a comprehensive evaluation that aims to inform an evidence-based service delivery model for mental health service users with complex needs.

A study stakeholder group, including clinicians, academics, service users, housing associations, health economists, and statisticians was formed from the outset to inform the mixed methods design, combining quantitative (in-depth analysis of patient records and economic evaluation) and qualitative (written medical notes and in-depth interviews with service users, carers, and clinicians) methods. The study included five components: (1) a quantitative description and analysis of the demographic clinical characteristics of the patient group; (2) an economic evaluation of direct medical costs, direct non-medical costs, and indirect costs for each patient; (3) semi-structured interviews about patients and carers experiences; (4) data from components 1-3 was used to co-produce vignettes jointly with the stakeholders group; and, (5) semi-structured interviews about clinical decision-making by clinicians in relation to this patient group by using the vignettes as example case studies.

Coproduction took place at each stage of the study, including the design, development of data collection tools, data analysis and formation of the vignettes required for stage five. The results demonstrated how co-production and multiagency working have been evident throughout the process of designing the study, the continuous engagement throughout the analysis, dissemination and implementation of the findings.

The findings support the application of the core principles of co-production in the design, set-up and implementation of research within an NHS Trust as demonstrable by the acceptability and collaborative working within the study. The study's key outcomes were to: examine the resource use and cost impact associated with alternative care pathways to the NHS and other sectors of the economy (including social care); explore patient health and non-health outcomes associated with alternative care pathways; and, gain an understanding of a complex service user group and how decisions are made in their treatment to inform how services are delivered in the future and made more person-centred and consistent.

The aim was to examine the reasons for advice requests by carers of people who live with dementia (PLWD) that attend the Me2u dementia day centre in order to identify key explanatory themes. We hypothesised that requests were related mainly to coordinating care and clinical issues due to limited post-diagnostic support (PDS) in our area.

The Me2u dementia day centre (Merseyside) cares for PLWD and also supports carers. As part of the service, a 24-hour advice line is included for PLWD and their carers who attend the centre. Locally, there is limited PDS and most carers navigate the health and social care system alone mirroring the findings by the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (NCCMH).

We undertook a retrospective evaluation of 244 advice calls, from 64 carers, between 01/06/2019 and 31/12/2019. We analysed time of call, type of advice, type of dementia, age and whether the advice was for the PLWD or for the carer.

Of the 244 calls, the most common time to call was between 09.00 - 14.00 (n = 168; (68.8%) peak 09.00 - 10.00 (n = 38). Average age of the person about whom the advice was sought was 79.08 years. 91.4% of the advice calls related to PLWD (most common dementia Alzheimer's) and 8.6% to the carer only. The mean number of calls per person was 3.8 (range 1–24).

Advice data were grouped into 9 broad themes namely, related to symptoms/behaviour (32.79%, n = 80), request for Me2u to coordinate care (20.08%, n = 49), general advice (14.75%, n = 36), personal care (9.42%, n = 23), carer only advice (8.60%, n = 21), social issues (6.14%, n = 15), social care (4.50%, n = 11), safeguarding (2.46%, n = 6), non-health and social care issue (1.23%, n = 3).

Reasons for limited/poor PDS given by the NCCMH are; absence of named coordinators of care, over-reliance on families and carers to manage and facilitate appointments, poor recognition and management of comorbidities. This data show that 52.87% of calls were for clinical advice and coordination of care reflecting NCCMH findings. The interventions post-call reduced the impact on providers of urgent care.

These findings provide support for the provision of a [24-hour] advice line as a routine part of post-diagnostic support services, especially in areas that have limited or poor PDS. Commissioners of PDS services in areas that have limited or poor PDS should make this a priority to prevent unplanned admissions to hospital and carer breakdown.

NICE guidelines suggest baseline physical health monitoring be performed prior to commencing antipsychotics, in addition to follow-up monitoring for adverse effects for at least 12 months. ‘Shared Care Guidelines’ were adapted from NICE guidance for local use in North East Lincolnshire. Nevertheless, a local audit published in 2018 reported low compliance with baseline monitoring in community mental health teams (CMHTs) compared to inpatient teams. The parameter most infrequently performed overall was the Glasgow Antipsychotic Side Effect Scale (GASS) questionnaire.

This study aimed to assess whether compliance with baseline physical health monitoring had improved in line with the previous audit's recommendations. Additionally, it aimed to expand on previous findings by adding compliance data for follow-up physical health checks and produce further recommendations to optimise performance.

A retrospective re-audit was performed in NAViGO Health and Social Care to assess compliance with the guidelines for physical health monitoring when commencing antipsychotics in previously antipsychotic-naïve patients. Patient records were examined for which recommended physical health checks were performed at baseline, and at 1-, 3- and 6- months from commencing antipsychotics.

15 eligible patients were identified to have been commenced on antipsychotics, 8 patients under a CMHT and 7 under an inpatient team. The average overall compliance at baseline for checking 16 parameters was 50%. For the CMHT, compliance was 60%, compared to 38% for the inpatient team. Across both teams, baseline compliance was highest for renal function tests, liver function tests, and blood pressure and pulse (80%). For 1-, 3-, and 6- month checks, overall compliance for checking recommended parameters were 33%, 29% and 29% respectively. GASS monitoring compliance was 7% at baseline, 0% at 1- and 3-months, 7% at 6-months.

The CMHT performed better than the inpatient team at baseline monitoring. This may reflect action on the previous audit's recommendations to increase provision of community ‘Wellbeing Health Improvement Service’ (WHISe) clinics. However, performance of the GASS questionnaire at baseline was consistent with the previous audit, with similar performance at follow-up extending these findings.

In response, the first recommendation is for Quality Improvement Activities to help improve compliance with the ‘Shared Care Guidelines’. This may include CQUINs and further provision of community clinics to improve compliance with both baseline and follow-up checks. Secondly, it is proposed that GASS questionnaires be sent to patients prior to appointments to be completed in advance to avoid further risk of GASS being incomplete.

Migration is an established risk factor for developing a psychotic disorder in countries with a long history of migration. Less is known for countries with only a recent history of migration. This study aimed to determine the risk for developing a psychotic disorder in migrants to the Republic of Ireland.

We included all presentations of first-episode psychosis over 8.5 years to the DETECT Early Intervention for psychosis service in the Republic of Ireland (573 individuals aged 18–65, of whom 22% were first-generation migrants). Psychotic disorder diagnosis relied on SCID. The at-risk population was calculated using census data, and negative binomial regression was used to estimate incidence rate ratios.

The annual crude incidence rate for a first-episode psychotic disorder in the total cohort was 25.62 per 100000 population at risk. Migrants from Africa had a nearly twofold increased risk for developing a psychotic disorder compared to those born in the Republic of Ireland (IRR = 1.83, 95% CI 1.11–3.02, p = 0.02). In contrast, migrants from certain Asian countries had a reduced risk, specifically those from China, India, Philippines, Pakistan, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Hong Kong (aIRR = 0.36, 95% CI 0.16–0.81, p = 0.01).

Further research into the reasons for this inflated risk in specific migrant groups could produce insights into the aetiology of psychotic disorders. This information should also be used, alongside other data on environmental risk factors that can be determined from census data, to predict the incidence of psychotic disorders and thereby resource services appropriately.

The primary aim of this study was to assess the epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) for 9 months following a regional outbreak with this organism. We also aimed to determine the differential positivity rate from different body sites and characterize the longitudinal changes of surveillance test results among CRAB patients.

Observational study.

A 607-bed tertiary-care teaching hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Any patient admitted from postacute care facilities and any patient housed in the same inpatient unit as a positive CRAB patient.

Participants underwent CRAB surveillance cultures from tracheostomy secretions, skin, and stool from December 5, 2018, to September 6, 2019. Cultures were performed using a validated, qualitative culture method, and final bacterial identification was performed using mass spectrometry.

In total, 682 patients were tested for CRAB, of whom 16 (2.3%) were positive. Of the 16 CRAB-positive patients, 14 (87.5%) were residents from postacute care facilities and 11 (68.8%) were African American. Among positive patients, the positivity rates by body site were 38% (6 of 16) for tracheal aspirations, 56% (9 of 16) for skin, and 82% (13 of 16) for stool.

Residents from postacute care facilities were more frequently colonized by CRAB than patients admitted from home. Stool had the highest yield for identification of CRAB.