The Mental Health and Dementia Clinical Network works with patients, carers, partners in health and social care and the third sector to deliver quality improvements and transformational change in the care provided to people with dementia and mental health conditions throughout the East of England. We do this through using a team of clinical and quality improvement experts using clinical and system leadership, innovation spread and improvement methodology.

Our strategic aims are to:

• Support the implementation of key national drivers of excellent mental health and dementia care such as the ‘Five Year Forward View for Mental Health’
• Support healthcare professionals and purchasers of healthcare to improve access to high quality care for people with dementia and mental health conditions
• Enable healthcare professionals and purchasers of healthcare to improve care for people with dementia and mental health conditions
• Support healthcare professionals and purchasers of healthcare to reduce unwarranted variation in care
• Empower people with mental health conditions and dementia and their carers to manage their own health

Specific project areas include:

• Children and young people’s mental health
• Early intervention in psychosis
• Improving access to psychological therapies
• Perinatal mental health
• Liaison psychiatry
• Dementia
• Crisis and suicide prevention
• ‘No health without mental health’

Key documents for the mental health clinical network are:

• The Five Year Forward View for Mental-Health
• Implementing the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health
• East of England CYP crisis toolkit 2017
• Crisis toolkit flyer

Clinical Director
Dr Caroline Dollery

Head of Network
Helen Hardy

Clinical Lead(s)

• Dr Julia Renton (Early Intervention in Psychosis)
• Dr Hannah Nearney (Early Intervention in Psychosis)
• Jonathan Stanley (Children & Young People Mental Health LA Advisor)
• Dr Angus Brown (Liaison Psychiatry)
• Dr Emma Weisblatt (Liaison Psychiatry)