The Ministry of Health is pleased to provide an update on the development of an Adult Mental Health Integrated Care Pathway, one of the universal health coverage initiatives that is currently underway.
Integrated care pathways are multidisciplinary approaches that detail the essential care steps for people with specific needs, in this case, adults experiencing mental health challenges. They cover care provided from beginning to end and define what happens, when, and who is responsible at any stage of the care journey.
For the Adult Mental Health Integrated Care Pathway, to date, over 20 studies, reports and databases have been consulted to inform the development of the current state map. Additionally, over 50 one-on-one interviews have been conducted with mental health service providers, patients and families, and other key stakeholders. More than 40 stakeholders have been engaged to participate in a series of workshops and approximately 350 Community Survey responses have been received.
“The mental health needs of our community continue to grow and have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 Pandemic,” states Minister of Health, the Hon. Kim Wilson, JP MP. “As the Ministry works to implement overall health system reform, this Adult Mental Health Integrated Care Pathway will serve to strengthen the support provided to adults in our community who are struggling with mental health challenges and improve access to essential mental health care services.”
“Collaboration is at the heart of our efforts to implement Universal Health Coverage and initiatives such as the Adult Mental Health Integrated Care Pathway,” Minister Wilson continues. “The Core Working Group for this initiative is a multidisciplinary group that is Chaired by Dr. Anna Neilson-Williams, Chief of Psychiatry at Bermuda Hospitals Board and supported by KPMG.”
“The care pathway mapping process includes one-on-one interviews, stakeholder workshops, meetings with medical professionals, and a community survey. The Community Survey sought feedback on people’s recent experiences accessing and using mental health services, including what kind of support was received and what could be improved in the future. Feedback received from all contributors is being used to inform the development of a map of Bermuda’s current and future mental health landscape that should ultimately strengthen mental health care for our community.”
ABOUT THE BERMUDA HEALTH STRATEGY AND UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE:
The Bermuda Health Strategy 2022 – 2027 (“The Health Strategy” was developed as the next phase of work for the Ministry of Health as it works to achieve the vision of “healthy people in healthy communities”. The Health Strategy provides the frame to shift Bermuda’s health system as it works to implement Universal Health Coverage and shift to a more people-centred approach to healthcare that focuses on delivering better care that meets the needs of individuals and families today and into the future. Bermuda’s Universal Health Coverage programme is a multi-year, multi-phased initiative that seeks to ensure “all people have equitable access to needed informative, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative essential health services, of sufficient quality to be effective, while also ensuring that people do not suffer financial hardship when paying for these services and critical medicines.”