As shared in previous communications, any risk or safeguarding concerns must be submitted via a ticket or email with “Risk Review” in the subject line, or “Urgent Risk Review” if you have had to deal with an immediate risk or serious safety concern. This ensures your request is automatically allocated to the Risk Team for timely review.  Routine clinical queries submitted through MPB, or sent outside of this process, may take up to five working days for a response. Using the correct route helps us avoid delays in providing guidance and ensures clients receive the right support at the right time.

Mandatory Reporting Requirements

To ensure clinical oversight, uphold internal policies and maintain client safety, you must inform VHG via the above risk process if any of the following occur:

• A client makes a suicide attempt while in therapy, including between referral/assessment and initial appointment
• A self-harm incident requiring treatment beyond a GP visit
• A client is actively being supported by another mental health service (e.g: crisis team, CMHT)
• A client becomes an inpatient in a mental health facility, either voluntary or detained under the Mental Health Act
• Any safeguarding concern, including but not limited to, children, risk to/from others, abuse disclosures or concerns about capacity
• Diagnosed and/or active eating disorders

Recommended Reporting

We also encourage you to discuss the following presentations with us so we can support clinical decision making, appropriate service involvement and ensure contract suitability. We have additional screening tools available to help assess severity and guide next steps:

• Disordered eating presentations
• Suspected symptoms of psychosis or mania/hypomania
• Complex presentations that would benefit from a multidisciplinary approach
• Drug or alcohol misuse

Immediate Risk and Urgent Support

If you believe a client is at immediate risk, please follow your own private practice process initially and complete any urgent actions required to maintain safety. This may include:

• Contacting 999 for immediate intervention
• Contacting 111 for crisis support
• Requesting a priority GP review via a phone call
• Completing a collaborative safety plan with the client

Once urgent actions are completed, please inform VHG at your earliest convenience so we can provide further support.

Please note that the Clinical and Risk Team are available Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm (excluding bank holidays). Outside these hours, we ask that you follow your private practice procedures to maintain client safety. If you need to debrief after a difficult session, we are available during office hours and happy to support you.