Evaluation of Alternatives to Admission

The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the professional medical body responsible for supporting psychiatrists throughout their careers. They also help providers, users and commissioners of mental health services to assess and improve the care they provide through the College Centre for Quality Improvement (CCQI).

They work to secure the best outcomes for people with mental illness, learning difficulties and developmental disorders by promoting excellent mental health services, training outstanding psychiatrists, promoting quality and research, setting standards and being the voice of psychiatry. The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the only existing professional body in the United Kingdom and have been working in collaboration with NHS Joint Commissioning Committee (and previously National Collaborative Commissioning Unit) on the Dyfodol Programme on behalf of Welsh Government.

The programme supports the enhancement of secondary care mental health services and delivery of optimal care for people in Wales with serious and enduring mental illness. The programme provides Health Boards with Spotlight Reports to enable them to design and deliver effective and efficient services, whilst reducing inequities and variation.

It also enables the Welsh Government and national partners to acquire valuable insights to plan and commission effectively. This contract is to provide an evaluation of the Alternatives to Admission 2 year pilot project by the end of 2025/26; outlining the challenges, successes and lessons learned about new models of support, care and treatment for young people, and derive a set of principles and considerations to inform their future development.