Alternatives to acute admission

Crisis resolution and home treatment (CRHT) provides intensive support at home for individuals experiencing an acute mental health crisis as an alternative to hospital admission.

CRHT services are central to the functioning of the acute mental healthcare pathway.

CRHT serves three main functions:

• crisis resolution and treatment at home or in the community as an alternative to in-patient care, to reduce both the number and length of hospital admissions and to ease the pressure on in-patient units,
• 24-hour gatekeeping of in-patient beds,
• facilitating early discharge from acute in-patient care to CRHT.

This module begins with a look at alternatives to acute admission in adult general psychiatry. It investigates the following questions:

• why might alternatives be necessary?
• what alternatives are possible?
• when is acute in-patient care still needed?

The module then sets out the main structures and functions of a crisis resolution home treatment team.