Team members from Holmusk recently attended the European Conference on Mental Health to share results from an evaluation of the implementation of MaST, a clinical decision support tool that is designed to improve mental health caseload management by helping to identify those people at the highest risk of mental health crisis. Holmusk’s Director of Clinical Engagement, Zo Payne, also participated in an expert panel at the conference titled “Resilience in the Time of Change.”

MaST, which is currently implemented in eight NHS Foundation Trusts in the UK, is designed to aid in clinical decision-making and patient prioritization by providing data visualizations of clinically meaningful information that is often buried deep within a patient’s electronic health record. The study evaluated key indicators of quality and safety, comparing these measures as taken before the MaST implementation at Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust and after the implementation.


More Touchpoints with Community Health Service Users

Prior to MaST’s implementation, about 64% of mental health service users were contacted within 48 hours after being discharged from an inpatient setting. After MaST’s implementation, this proportion rose 30 percentage points to 94%.

More Accessible Long-Term Care

The study also measured the proportion of service users who received direct care contacts within 4- and 20-week periods. The period after MaST implementation saw increases for both timeframes. 

“These measures suggest that MaST enabled service providers at Community Health Trusts to better manage their caseloads, which in turn gave them more time to follow up with vulnerable service users,” said Caroline Gadd, Holmusk’s UK Managing Director. “By improving caseload management, MaST will also be able to help enhance quality of care and contribute to better outcomes.”