Team workload and patient outcomes in secondary mental health care: an analysis of anonymised electronic health records using CRIS

NHS mental health services are currently under great strain. More people are seeking help, but there are not enough staff to meet the demand. As a result, clinical teams often carry very heavy caseloads. This can lead to stress and burnout among healthcare workers, and it may also affect the care that patients receive.

In this study, we will use anonymised patient records from South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, held in the CRIS database, to see whether teams with higher workloads have different patient outcomes. We will look at measures such as hospital admissions, how long patients remain with a service, and whether they receive care from more than one service at the same time.

Our goal is to understand whether there is a link between team workload and the quality and continuity of patient care. The findings could help identify practical ways to manage workloads and support patient safety and staff wellbeing