Record number of people helped by Suffolk mental health response vehicle
Pictured left to right is Steve Janet, Coral and Louise who were awarded a clinical excellence award by East of England Ambulance Service Trust for their work with the Suffolk mental health joint response vehicle.
Four healthcare workers have been awarded a clinical excellence award by the East of England Ambulance Service for their ongoing dedication to supporting those in a mental health crisis in Suffolk.
The Suffolk mental health joint response vehicle (MHJRV) was introduced following a successful pilot in March 2023. It is joint venture between the area's mental health service provider Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT), the East of Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST), and commissioned by NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB).
By working together, the purpose-designed electric vehicle allows the team to rapidly respond to crisis mental health calls received by EEAST's 999 control room and provide person-centred and specialist care. The team also provides telephone support to ambulance crews at the scene of a mental health emergency, improving specialist care for crises across the county.
March 2025 saw the team - NSFT senior mental health practitioners Janet and Coral, and EEAST emergency medical technicians Steve and Louise - make contact with 117 people. This marked the highest number of patients since the scheme started.
Coral said: "I feel really proud to be working as part of the MHRV and providing people the right care and support in their own home without the additional stressors of needing to attend a busy accident and emergency department.
"I have really enjoyed being part of the MHRV since it started as a pilot project and seeing it develop into the service it is now. It has been a privilege to work collaboratively with the East of England Ambulance Service to provide the care and support that I feel is really needed."
Pictured above are NSFT senior mental health practitioners Janet and Coral.
In 2024, the scheme resulted in avoiding 830 hospital admissions, meaning that those patients were able to be safely cared for out of the hospital setting. Prior to the scheme, these patients would have been conveyed by ambulance to an emergency department which is often not the correct place for a patient presenting in a mental health crisis.
Community matron Julie Robinson manages the Suffolk MHJRV on behalf of NSFT. She said: "It is a privilege to be involved in the managing of the service and for the team's commitment, skills and knowledge to be recognised. Their dedication ultimately means patients accessing the service receive exceptional care in the right place by the right people at the right time."
Andrew Benson, operational lead for the service at EEAST, said: "At EEAST, we are immensely proud of the clinicians working on the MHRV and how the scheme continues to benefit our patients. This month, the MHRV team have been awarded a clinical excellence award for their ongoing dedication in providing the best possible care, which we feel is very well deserved.
"We are looking forward to continuing the collaborative work with NSFT and our commissioners at the ICB so that we can continue our goal of delivering high quality care to patients in mental health crisis."
Richard Watson, deputy chief executive at NHS Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board, said: "The mental health support vehicle is such a good example of what can be achieved when different organisations work together for the benefit of patients, and we are pleased it has been able to reach and support so many individuals who need help.
"We are very grateful to the vehicle's brilliant staff and thank them for all the good work they are doing, and their award is well deserved. Our ICB will continue to prioritise good mental health support and will work with patients and partners to achieve that."
NSFT also operates a MHJRV in Norfolk and Waveney with EEAST, which is funded by Norfolk and Waveney ICB.
If you need urgent help for your mental health, please call 111 and select the mental health option to speak to the 24-hour urgent mental health helpline.
Photos: Suffolk mental health joint response vehicle PR.zip [zip] 2MB