Background:
South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust faced increasing pressures in its older adult mental health services. In both inpatient and community settings, patients were experiencing long lengths of stay, discharge delays, and inconsistent care planning. These inefficiencies placed additional strain on clinical teams, reduced capacity for new referrals, and ultimately impacted the timeliness of patient care.
Trust leaders recognised that to improve outcomes and patient experience, they needed to fundamentally rethink how care was coordinated between inpatient wards and community mental health teams. Meridian Productivity was brought in to help deliver that change.
Analysis:
Meridian conducted a three-week diagnostic across the older adult mental health pathway. The review identified significant variation in how care was delivered and managed:
Inpatient beds were occupied for longer than clinically necessary due to delays in discharge planning
Community teams were often overwhelmed or underutilised, depending on how caseloads were distributed
There was minimal oversight of performance metrics, making it difficult for leaders to proactively manage patient flow
Communication between services lacked structure, limiting the ability to coordinate discharges or anticipate demand
These issues not only affected patient experience but also reduced the system’s ability to operate efficiently and meet mental health access targets.
Implementation:
Meridian worked alongside clinical and operational teams to introduce practical, evidence-based solutions.
New planning and scheduling frameworks were implemented to better balance caseloads and anticipate demand
Weekly operational review meetings were introduced, focused on discharge planning, caseload management, and capacity utilisation
Real-time dashboards provided visibility of barriers to discharge, helping staff take action more quickly
Leadership coaching and staff training ensured the new systems were adopted and sustained
The implementation was collaborative, paced to allow for staff input and adaptation, and built around the Trust’s commitment to patient-centred mental health care.
Results:
The impact was both measurable and meaningful. South West Yorkshire Partnership achieved a 20% reduction in the average length of stay for older adult inpatients. This enabled more timely discharges, better flow into community care, and a more responsive mental health system.
The Trust realised £1.56 million in annual cost savings — a return on investment that reflected not just financial benefit, but also improved patient outcomes and staff efficiency. By strengthening coordination across inpatient and community services, the Trust is now better positioned to manage demand and deliver care closer to home.
