Pioneering American psychiatrist set to deliver talk on ’emergency rooms’ for mental health patients in Scotland

A PIONEERING American psychiatrist is visiting Scotland this month to explain how “emergency rooms” for mental health patients could transform health care. 

Dr Scott Zeller has spearheaded an innovative approach to cases by creating a series of A&E-style hubs which are dedicated to tackling the most pressing psychiatric cases. 

Now the respected clinician will outline the successes to a gathering of the most esteemed specialists in Scotland at a seminar in Edinburgh on September 30. 

Zeller created what is now known as the EmPATH (Emergency Psychiatry Assessment, Treatment and Healing) model of care in 2012.

Previously known as the Alameda Model, its primary intention is to stabilise patients in behavioural health crises, allowing them to receive appropriate monitoring and support. 

The approach has given rise to around 30 EmPATH units being opened at hospitals across the US.  

Within the units, patients can receive care in a calm, therapeutic setting, rather than hectic emergency departments which are often not well-equipped to deal with such cases. 

Most patients stay for up to two days before being discharged home, instead of being transferred to a psychiatric facility. 

In that time, they can receive psychiatric evaluation, therapy and, if necessary, medication. 

Research has proven that such interventions dramatically reduce patient agitation and aggression, as well as the need for involuntary medication or restraint. 

Zeller is currently vice president for acute psychiatry at the multistate medical partnership Vituity and assistant professor at University of California-Riverside School of Medicine. 

He has become known globally as a leading expert in treating psychiatric emergencies, and was named as Doctor of the Year by the National Council for Behavioural Health in 2015. 

There are currently no facilities of this kind in Scotland or the UK, despite mental health services being stretched to their limits, many with long waiting lists for assessment or treatment. 

Dr Jane Grassie, mental health lead for emergency medicine at NHS Fife, has been instrumental in promoting the EmPATH model in Scotland to other healthcare professionals and the Scottish Government. 

The seminar will be hosted by NHS Fife, Drugs Research Network Scotland and the University of Edinburgh. 

It is due to take place at the university’s Central Campus on September 30.