Could the EmPATH model help redesign mental healthcare in UK emergency departments?

Mental health presentations represent a significant proportion of attendances to UK emergency departments, but the experiences of patients presenting with mental health issues are reportedly poor. A new model called EmPATH (Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment and Healing) has been developed in the USA as a means of providing more patient-centred care to this vulnerable group, to the benefit of both service users and healthcare systems. It has been shown to provide a safe space for those most in need, shorten emergency department stays and reduce inpatient admissions. This paper introduces the EmPATH model, discusses potential challenges to its implementation in the UK setting and proposes that the principles of EmPATH could be combined with novel research to develop UK-specific solutions.