Description
Project activities are realized in line with the ongoing reform of Psychiatric care in the Czech Republic. The main objective of the project is to support the development of a local comprehensive system of community care for people suffering from long-term mental illnesses with a major emphasis on linking social and health services in ways that respond to the needs of the target group most effectively. Within the implementation of project activities, the applicant will focus on creating and practical piloting of establishment of multidisciplinary team. The main outputs of the project consist of creating a multidisciplinary (MD) outreach team that responds to the needs of the TG and makes the care provided to them more effective; developing an adequate methodology for creation of such teams and interconnection of social and health services at the community level; and creating local partnerships that connect the people concerned across governmental and non-governmental institutions, healthcare and social services providers, state subsidies providers and other community services. The target group of the project are long-term mentally ill adults living in Prague.
Summary of project results
In 2012, Ministry of Health initiated the Reform of psychiatric care clearly indicating the need to change the care, especially its shift from institutional inpatient treatment to more personalised care in the natural environment of patients, i.e. transfer to community-based services, or creating of a new pillar: Mental Health Centre (CDZ). The reform is a part of an on-going process of social services transformation and it reflects the EU trends. One of the essential requirements for successful implementation of this process is to effectively connect social and healthcare services on the community level within CDZ. Such model has not been tried out yet in the Czech Republic. The main objective of this project was to support the development of a local comprehensive system of community care for people suffering from long-term mental illnesses (in one particular part of Prague), with a major emphasis on linking social and health services in ways that respond to the needs of the target group most effectively. This goal has been to high degree fulfilled. The main results of the project are: - Multidisciplinary (MD) team that responds to the needs of the target group and makes the care provided to them more effective. - Methodology for creation of such teams and interconnection of social and health services at the community level. - A manual “Basic principles of care in Mental Health Centre” We created local partnerships that connected the people concerned across governmental and NGO institutions, healthcare and social services providers, and other community services. Implementation of MD care allowed the team to offer adequately intensive and flexible care and, in case of worsening of the client’s state of health, also cooperation with the client on daily basis. The main benefit is implementation of the care system eliminating the risks of hospitalization; the client can stay in home care even during deterioration of his/her health. If hospitalization is really necessary it is possible to make the stay shorter owing to the intensive support of MD team and the client returns home soon. The project realization thus substantially contributed to the overall improvement of quality of life of the people with serious mental health issues who are the target of MD team care. The planned number of 90 clients was exceeded, altogether 147 clients were helped. In 2015 a psychiatric office was opened in MD team scope.
Summary of bilateral results