A feasibility assessment of Serenity Integrated Mentoring (SIM) implementation in London, England (30 September 2019)

Summary

Serenity Integrated Mentoring (SIM) is a new program being introduced in London aimed at improving coping mechanisms and reducing emergency service use in High Intensity Service Users (HISUs).

In this feasibility study, Anokhina et al. an evaluation of SIM effectiveness was assessed using demographic data. Three SIM boroughs (Greenwich, Camden and Islington) were compared with a non-SIM borough (Enfield) on emergency service use and costs in the 12 months prior to SIM and 9 months after. Qualitative interviews were conducted with SIM practitioners and service users.

They found hat service users did attend A&E less, and were being arrested less, but this was true for both SIM and non-SIM participants. The economic analysis also showed that, at this stage, we cannot see any cost savings to service use yet. These results are something we expected because of the small scale of the study. However, we found that the quality of the data that is recorded by emergency services would allow us to carry out a full-scale study which would give us clearer answers