What is crisis resolution?
Crisis resolution means responding rapidly to and supporting adults who are experiencing a severe mental health problem which might lead to admission to a psychiatric hospital. Crisis resolution services offer home care and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as an alternative to hospital treatment.

What is the main aim of a crisis resolution service?
The objective is to help individuals manage and resolve their crisis without going to hospital. If, however, the person presents a severe risk, hospital treatment may be necessary. Crisis resolution services control who can and cannot access hospital beds in order to prevent unnecessary admissions.

Why the interest now?
The NHS plan published in July 2000 called for the creation of 335 crisis resolution teams in England over the next three years to offer an immediate response to mental health crises. £300m has been made available to establish these mental health teams by 2003-2004.

How do people in crisis get help?
Clients can be referred directly to a crisis team by GPs, accident and emergency ward staff, families and friends. Clients who have been treated in the past may also refer themselves. An unusual aspect of crisis resolution is that the service may accept clients from other mental health teams that cannot provide the same level of intensive support.

How do staff help clients?
When called out to see someone, staff - usually a psychiatrist and nurse or social worker - initially assess the factors involved in the crisis. These include housing, money and the client's social situation. A crisis management plan is drawn up. Various interventions will be used to help control the most acute symptoms and reduce the likelihood of relapse. Typically these will involve giving and monitoring the taking of medication along with help with the other issues.

How do crisis teams help to empower service users?
Preventive crisis work involves educating the service user in how to improve and maintain good mental health. This approach involves helping users and their families understand the factors that precipitate mental illness and how they can help themselves before a relapse occurs.

Does crisis resolution work?
Research shows that users prefer crisis services to hospitals and that the crisis services lead to fewer hospital admissions, reduced bed use and shorter admissions when these do occur. There is also a lower level of staff burnout compared with inpatient services. Crisis teams have drastically reduced the use of expensive hospital beds, proving their worth.