1. Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Host Families HPFT’s Host Families Scheme Health and Wellbeing Board: Provider Engagement 11February 2013 John Lavelle-Service Line Lead

2. Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust What is a Host Family? Any family (in conjunction with mental health professionals) that can offer a supportive home environment to a service user in an acute phase of mental ill health as an alternative to acute inpatient care.

3. Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Host families’ key Aims To develop a service that is recovery orientated and offers choices to service users who are experiencing an episode of acute mental ill health. Provide a least restrictive alternative to admission that is person centred, therapeutic, safe and cost effective. Reduce mental heath stigma. Maintain connections with society.

4. Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust What We Did Visited a Host Family Scheme in Lille, France and gained their support in developing the HPFT model. Worked in partnership with key stakeholders; service users, carers and clinicians in developing the scheme. Recruited Host Families and developed a support network for them. Built the confidence of local clinicians in the efficacy of the Host Family scheme. Commissioned an independent evaluation.

5. Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Progress So Far 5 Families have been recruited and inducted. 4 families being recruited. 14 Service users have chosen placements as an alternative to hospital. Early feedback has been excellent. Increased referral rates for Host Family placements as clinicians become confident in the scheme.

6. Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Service Improvement Offers choice to service users experiencing acute mental ill health. Provides a personalised and de-institutional approach to acute mental healthcare. Offers 24 hour support within a safe, community based environment. A cost effective alternative to inpatient care. Delivers good clinical outcomes. Excellent service user feedback.

7. Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Host Families Service User Feedback Dean was asked, what were the benefits of being placed with a host family? “It changed a lot of aspects of my thinking. You don’t think you’ll ever be in that situation [the ward]. All of a sudden you are in this deep big hole, and then when I was in the host family I was above ground. I was happier – talking to someone who will listen to you all the while. I would say that it saved me. … If I had left the ward and gone straight back home I would have deteriorated again, without a shadow of a doubt.”

8. Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Aspirations For The Future Role out the scheme across all of Hertfordshire so that service users will have the choice of a Host Family in their area. Provide a significant alternative to inpatient care that will deliver efficiencies in acute care pathway. Promote this model to other trusts through conferences, posters, publications and winning this award!

9. Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Any Questions or Comments ?