Network Table

Abstract

Network tables: Integrated care for people with severe psychiatric disorders.
 Since 2010 there is the Psy107 initiative in Mental Health Care in Belgium. Aim is to downsize the number of people in Psychiatric Hospitals and to make a shift towards care in the community by organizing Networks of Mental Care and Circuits of Care.
 The result of this shift is that people with severe psychiatric disorders are less hospitalized and for a shorter time. They stay longer in their natural environment. This means that first line professionals and mobile psychiatric teams are confronted with more complex situations and crises. Some show health care avoidance behaviour and are hard to reach. 
 This is where the “Network-tables” come in: on a monthly basis a ‘Network table’ is convened. A group of professionals from the general first line, the specialized second line and residential third line – all with affinity with mental disorders - come together for a multidisciplinary consultation. 
 A first line professional - who is confronted with a complex case or with health care avoidance behavior – can present his case to this ‘Network Table’. The partners round the table all have different specializations and the transdisciplinary approach, the look at the case from different perspectives helps to find solutions that wouldn’t have been found without this collaboration. 
 The aim of these Network Tables is to put the patient/client in the center and formulate some realistic goals. The ambition is to come to specific actions and make clear arrangements about who will be responsible for short term actions and for the continuity of care. It is also possible that the mobile healthcare professional visits the patient/client, for a few times, for making contact and exploring the problems.
 The Network Tables started a year ago. The cases that are presented, come from different first line actors: social housing organization, social workers, jobcoaches… So far the Network tables managed to find solutions for all the cases. 
 All the participants were a bit surprised that working together can make such a big difference in finding solutions. Needless to say that these positive results are a powerful incentive to continue this new initiative.