Dr Emma Tiffin, the Clinical Lead[1] for Mental Health at the NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group has, in the context of a discussion on mental health, stated she is looking at the idea of patient wristbands.
Dr Tiffin, who styles herself a “media medic”, made her rather unclear comments via Twitter on the 21st of November 2015. They say [2][3]:
This is one of our reasons for setting up enhanced primary MH care service…happy to talk anytime – looking at patient wrist band idea for sharing record, overcomes IG issues
Given the context MH almost certainly means “Mental Health”. Perhaps “IG” is a typo for ID?
The idea of wristbands for mentally ill people was raised in Cambridge during the 2015 general election campaign. The discussion prompted the then Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg to say:
The Liberal Democrats have spent many years campaigning for an end to the stigma around mental health.
‘Silly ideas like making people suffering from mental health issues wear wristbands would only increase the discrimination and stigma around mental health, rather than end it.
My View
While some people with various illnesses, or disabilities, may wish to carry or wear something which identifies their illness there shouldn’t be any requirement, or even encouragement, from doctors or others to adopt such a practice.
People should be free to decide what information to share with health professionals and when to share it. I would like to see people given much greater control over records kept about them.
I have previously discussed wristbands, and other identification, for mentally ill people in an interview on BBC Three Counties Radio.
Seeking More Information
There is very little material on which to comment. I will invite Dr Tiffin to explain exactly what she is looking at, with whom, and why, in a comment below.
I will also draw the attention of Clinical Commissioning Group Governing Body member Julian Huppert to this article and as Dr Tiffin is due on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire tomorrow at 2pm I will suggest the presenter of the show, Jeremy Sallis, asks for more information on what is being considered then too.
4 responses to “Cambs CCG Clinical Lead Looking at Wristbands for Mental Health Patients”
The “if patients choose” part is obviously positive – but why offer this patient held record to mental health patients specifically and not those with other illnesses or medical conditions?