Lucy Schonegevel, Associate Director for Policy and Practice, said:

“High Intensity Network (HIN), who developed the Serenity Integrated Mentoring (SIM), state that the model supports “high-intensity users” of emergency services “who struggle with complex trauma and behavioural disorders” in order to reduce “intensive demand on police, ambulance, A&E departments, and mental health crisis teams”.

In recent weeks we have met with the StopSIM campaign group and heard about people’s experience of the SIM model.

Through our engagement we have heard significant concerns that reinforce our view that there is a lack of evidence that the SIM model meets three core principles outlined in our previous statement:

• That no one is ever denied access to life-saving treatment.
• That people need access to the appropriate personalised and trauma-informed care for their needs, delivered by appropriate health and social care professionals.
• That all models of care are genuinely co-produced with people with lived experience.

Further to this concern and amidst rising needs due to the pandemic and pressure on mental health services, we welcome and support the NHS England/Improvement Clinical Director for Mental Health Tim Kendall’s statement that NICE guidelines for self-harm and borderline personality disorder are followed.

We’re pleased that all mental health trusts where SIM or a similar model are being provided have now been asked to review the model and call for trusts to work in partnership with service users and experts by experience to co-produce their reviews. There must be a transparent process for people to be able to feed into the reviews and their results published.”