Since 2015, our staff have been using telepsychiatry to deliver mental health services from a distance, so that our Emergency Department Psychiatric Service in Oxford provides assessment of all patients presenting with psychiatric issues to the Emergency Departments at the John Radcliffe and Horton Hospitals.

Find out more about our telepsychiatry service:

And what our staff and patients have to say about it:

In 2017, Oxford Health was also one of just seven NHS trusts delivering mental healthcare to be named a Global Digital Exemplar, for its innovative use of technology to care for people who use mental health services. Other ways we are using technology include:

• electronic patient notes available via iPad from anywhere at any time
• signposting to online wellbeing and mental health therapies
• using and recommending apps such as True Colours to support patients’ self-management and recovery.

We aim to continue to develop technology to improve patient care, access to information and find ways to cure and treat conditions and diseases. Developments in the use of digital technology include:

• Patients, families and their loved ones will be able to remotely access their personal health record to review their care plans, progress and research preferences.
• The most up to date electronic patient notes will be available to clinicians across the NHS trust and partner organisations.
• More people will be offered physical and virtual treatments in their own home with virtual treatments available via online therapeutic resources validated by formal research studies.
• In partnership with the University of Oxford the trust will develop a platform for online therapeutic interventions which patients will be able to access from anywhere via their own devices.