Thalamos
Concept • product strategy • business analysis • experience mapping • prototyping • UX • UI • consultancy
Brief: design a platform that will allow the digitisation of the Mental Health Act workflow
Key challenges: multiple organisations and entities that are not digitally integrated and currently move paper forms physically between themselves, leading to huge delays and severe negative impacts on patients.
Project summary
Thalamos was formed in 2019 by cousins Arden and Ross Tomison. With psychiatrists in the family they already had an appreciation of the challenges clinicians can face in mental health care, but when two of their friends were sectioned under the Mental Health Act, Arden and Ross realised the impact of this often confusing and convoluted piece of legislation.
There is a large amount of administration involved in detaining someone under the Mental Health Act, as three different professionals usually have to agree that detention is needed. The majority of the paperwork is done on statutory paper forms and siloed in different places. This presents challenges, as joined-up communication between independent doctors, NHS Trusts and Council AMHPs (Approved Mental Health Professionals) can be very difficult to achieve.
Using paper forms also creates risks in terms of potential errors being made when the paperwork is filled in. Detention of a patient could be deemed unlawful if information has been entered incorrectly or in the wrong box, and could result in a tribunal or court case if the Human Rights Act has been breached.
↑ EXPERIENCE MAP KEY
↑ EXPERIENCE MAP: PREDICTED IMPROVEMENTS
Thalamos wanted to ensure that patients receive the best possible care by eliminating these risks and making it easier for mental health professionals from all agencies to communicate.
Whilst working at Mindwave, I first collaborated with Thalamos on a discovery phase, speaking with potential end users and understanding the landscape. We spent time at different NHS trusts, mapping the current experience of patients, clinicians, and admin staff who are involved in the Mental Health detention process, and followed the journey of a paper form, noting particularly the length of time it takes to get from one place to another.
I then worked closely with Thalamos and other subject matter experts to plan an improved patient experience and then design and prototype a digital product that would allow the collaboration of all those involved to complete and submit the correct forms remotely, with in-built validation and error mitigation.
I first came across Mindwave at the PsychTech conference, and what struck me immediately was their user-centered approach to design. I sat in on a working session that Sarah and Elle were hosting and I loved the way they engaged with clinicians. Their passion for healthcare was obvious.