Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41675134›Full record

ArticleFuture healthcare journal2026

A trust-wide quality improvement programme to reduce out-of-area placements, length of stay and costs across inpatient mental health services.

Sarah McAllister, Marco Aurelio, Philip Baker, Lucy Brewer, Joanna Moore, Edwin Ndlovu, Angharad Rutley, Jamie Stafford, Amar Shah

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Future healthcare journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Sarah McAllisterEast London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.
Marco AurelioEast London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.
Philip BakerEast London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.
Lucy BrewerEast London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.
Joanna MooreEast London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.
Edwin NdlovuEast London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.
Angharad RutleyEast London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.
Jamie StaffordEast London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.
Amar ShahEast London NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: In the UK, rising demand for inpatient mental healthcare and fewer beds has led to persistently high occupancy, delayed admission and increased out-of-area placements. Consequently, only the most complex cases are admitted, contributing to longer lengths of stay. Methods: Between April 2024 and March 2025 East London NHS Foundation Trust ran a trust-wide, large-scale quality improvement programme across all geographical directorates, to eliminate out-of-area placements and reduce length of stay. The programme followed a structured improvement approach; directorates moved stepwise from identifying a quality issue through to implementing change ideas that resulted in improvement through testing. Results: Out-of-area placements reduced 93%, (from 66.5 to 4.6 per week), avoiding £8.5 million in costs. Average length of stay on London adult mental health wards fell by 17.5%, (53 to 43.9 days). Trust-wide bed occupancy decreased from 106% to 92%, and service users clinically ready for discharge reduced by 51%, (111 to 55 per week). Conclusion: Tailored interventions, real-time data, leadership and collaboration drove impact. Future work will focus on sustaining gains and enhancing community alternatives.

Indexed as

FlowInpatientMental healthQuality improvement

Identifiers

PMID41675134
PMCPMC12887397

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.