Responsible Service

Adult Health and Social Care

What is the policy/ strategy/ function/ trying to do/ achieve?

The Distress Brief Intervention (DBI) programme is a Scottish Government initiative to support people who are experiencing distress by providing a framework for improved inter-agency coordination, collaboration and cooperation across a wide range of care settings, interventions and community supports.

The Procurement of Distress Brief Intervention-focused services is seeking to ensure that:

The DBI programme has two levels:-

• For adults (those over 16), Level 1 service is provided by trained front-line staff from Police Scotland, Scottish Ambulance Service, A&E departments and Primary Care (GPs and NHS 24). For the children and young people (CYP) i.e. those aged 14 and above in 4 North Lanarkshire schools currently involved in a pilot, the Level 1 service will be provided through the Pupil Support team within the school. Level 1 staff within these organisations are trained to provide a compassionate response to individuals experiencing distress and offer them the opportunity to be referred to a brief (around 14 days), compassionate, community-based problem-solving intervention (DBI Level 2);
• Level 2 staff, on receiving a referral, will attempt to contact the individual within 24 hours and then deliver short-term support to the individual to develop a personalised distress management action plan. If necessary, individuals can be signposted or referred to statutory or non-statutory interventions at the end of the intervention for follow-up support.

Level 2 intervention is provided by specially trained Third-Sector staff. The current providers of these services are Lifelink for North Lanarkshire and Richmond Fellowship Scotland and Lanarkshire Association for Mental Health (LAMH) for South Lanarkshire

It has been agreed by the Lanarkshire Health & Social Care Partnerships, that NLC will procure Level 2 services  on behalf of NHS Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire Council and North Lanarkshire Council (“the funding partners”).

Public Health Scotland (PHS) supports the DBI Programme by providing the data collection and analysis for the assessment and monitoring of the DBI Programme. PHS Analysts/Data Management will collate and summarise the DBI information provided to it by Level 1 services and the Level 2 service provider, and for the DBI Staff training data collection, and produce high-level analysis for sharing with the DBI programme board and other stakeholders.

If this is a budget saving, how will this be achieved?

The Procurement Exercise in itself is not aimed at achieving a budget saving. The Distress Brief Intervention (DBI) program is a Scottish Government initiative aimed at improving responses to individuals in distress. It is designed to provide compassionate, connected, and effective support through a coordinated effort involving multiple agencies and community supports. Since its inception in 2017, the DBI program has established a framework for better inter-agency collaboration and improved care for those experiencing distress. It is hoped that those reporting to emergency services in times of crisis receive timely, compassionate support by those they initially come into contact with and be referred for period of time (14 days) to the DBI provider who will offer compassionate community-based support and interventions, in response to individual need.

In turn, it is hoped that by receiving timeous intervention and individualised support, there would be a reduction in crisis interventions with the individual requiring less crisis support and in turn, this may lead to a reduction in costs to emergency and primary care services.

If this policy is subject to the FSD, what does it suggest about the impact or potential impact on socio-economic disadvantage? (please refer to FSD Interim Guidance).

N/A

Give details of the impact it has on groups and individuals.

The Procurement is aimed at improving the support provided to individuals within Lanarkshire who are experiencing emotional and psychological distress. It is anticipated that the DBI intervention will have positive benefits for those individuals accessing the service, have positive benefits also for those who support the individual within community settings and, that there may be a reduction in those individuals accessing emergency and primary care services in the longer term due to them being provided with support within 24 hours of referral to DBI service.

What actions/measures will be put in place or are planned to mitigate any adverse impact or promote equality?

A tender process was undertaken seeking those wishing to provide a DBI Service across Lanarkshire, this advert was posted on the pages of Public Contracts Scotland. Lifelink were the successful tender. The process took account of those submissions made by each of those who sought to be awarded the tender and included submissions from those who had used the service and how they would score their levels of distress prior to and after, DBI Intervention.

There is ongoing involvement of gathering information from both the DBI Service and also Public Health Scotland.

There will also be quarterly meetings with NHSL, SLC & NLC to discuss funding (as this is provided to NLC, Lead agency, mostly from primary care and GP Practices monies held by NHSL) & KPI.

What is the result/recommendations of the EqIA?

The Procurement of Distress Brief Intervention Services should continue. The Children & Young People service across 4 schools in South Lanarkshire & four schools in North Lanarkshire remains a Pilot Programme until 2026.

There is recognition that there are no negative implications identified through the EqIA.

Outcome:

Lifelink became the agreed provider of DBI throughout Lanarkshire on 01/04/2024 after the Tender process was completed.