As the Older Person’s Clinical Lead with Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, Angela Cornell develops and implements clinical strategies that enhance the care of older patients and ensure high standards of clinical practice and service. She says,
“I’ve worked in Older Persons’ Healthcare for the past 27 years. Historically, there was a gap between primary and secondary care services, which often resulted in people feeling unsupported and at risk of becoming quite unwell before being able to access support. I feel that access to mental health services should be based on need, not age, and with the Open Mental Health philosophy of ‘no wrong door,’ this felt like an ideal opportunity to work with others in shaping what this could look like.”
Primary care is a patient’s first point of contact in the healthcare system; a GP clinic, for example. So, it needs to provide comprehensive medical services that are accessible to everyone, and that focus on prevention, wellness, and the treatment of common illnesses and conditions. Secondary care services are those provided by specialists and hospitals, usually after a referral from a primary care provider. They address more complex health issues that require advanced treatment and expertise.
Angela provides clinical leadership, support, and guidance to other healthcare professionals.
“My role is a dual role across both Open Mental Health and primary care and neighbourhoods. We are working collaboratively to ensure that community services are aware of the Open Mental Health offer. This spans community services such as district nursing, community rehabilitation, and acute and community hospital provisions. Interventions are available from such a wide range of NHS and voluntary, community, faith, and social enterprise stakeholders that keeping abreast of what is available can, at times, be challenging.”
Unique Challenges for Older Adults
Older people can face unique challenges and pressures when dealing with mental ill health. Angela says,
“Barriers to mental health services for older adults are well researched; we are aware that generational beliefs impact the number of older people accessing mental health support as do comorbid conditions and other extrinsic barriers such as transportation, cost and reliance on caregivers.”
A Flexible Approach
A tailored strategy is sometimes needed with older people to help overcome these challenges.
“It’s important that we offer a flexible approach when considering any mental health offer,” Angela says. “However, older people often benefit from face-to-face support delivered in their own environment. A lot of offers are now delivered online or in groups, and whilst this is a valuable resource, there is often a higher prevalence of comorbid medical conditions in older age, which need to inform the delivery of these services.”
Building Trust and Rapport
As generational beliefs or a lack of understanding can impact older peoples’ approach to their mental health, Angela notes the benefits of building trust and rapport.
“It’s really important to have a trauma-informed approach when working with patients towards short- and long-term goals. Having a collaborative, personalised plan of care is key to any intervention from health services. Structured, time-limited interventions will always have a place in mental health care; however, we need to respond to individual needs, so having the skills and flexibility to adapt to this is equally as important.”
Collaborative Care
In her video interview, Angela describes working with an older person who discovered they had a terminal diagnosis.
“This case was an example of healthcare systems working collaboratively to ensure the needs of both patients and family members were met. Involving people who matter in health care delivery, where possible, improves patient experience and outcomes. This is not solely in isolation to older people but people of all ages.”
Angela has found that being a part of OMH helps her work and brings many benefits, including “timely interventions and access to emotional support for all ages.”
She adds, “There is a huge range of resources available under the Open Mental Health offer; key to this has been the collaboration with Experts by Experience who have really informed decision-making from the very beginning.”
How to Contact Open Mental Health
If you or someone you know needs support, call Mindline Somerset anytime, day or night, on 01823 276 892 or freephone 0800 138 1692.
If you need help urgently, Crisis Safe Space is an out-of-hours service for anyone really struggling with their mental health. Instead of going to A&E, making a doctor’s appointment or suffering in silence, you can arrange a one-to-one session with a member of the Crisis Safe Space, who will be willing to listen and able to help. Call the numbers above or book an appointment online.