This section is for clinical teams questions about IMPARTS. For questions aimed at patients, please click here.

What is IMPARTS?

IMPARTS has been designed to improve the integration of mental and physical healthcare.  This includes routinely screening for common mental health difficulties such as low mood, developing mental health referral pathways, providing training and education, and the development of bespoke self-help materials.  The web-based screening platform enhances collection of any patient-reported outcomes and is designed to be embedded as part of routine care.

Who facilitates the screening?

Identifying people to facilitate the screening is the responsibility of the clinical team, although the IMPARTS team are happy to advise.  Usually screening is done by nurses or healthcare assistants during routine pre-consultation assessments, or by receptionists when patients check-in for their appointments.  Some services also use hospital volunteers which can work well.  Using existing members of staff often lends itself to more reliable screening which is truly embedded in clinical care.

What measures can we use?

As the main aim of IMPARTS is to improve the integration of physical and mental healthcare, we have a core set of measures for anxiety, depression and smoking which are used in all services. You can add additional measures based on the needs of your patient group and service. We already use hundreds of validated measures and can add new measures if needed.

What happens after the patient has completed the measures?

It is the responsibility of the clinicians to check the patient’s responses in EPR during their appointment. Any problems will be flagged, and advice on what to do next is provided. This is not designed to replace clinical judgement but should be used to inform an onward referral. Appropriate mental health referral pathways are developed before screening starts in collaboration with the IMPARTS team, making use of existing resources, or using primary care and community-based mental health services.

What is the role of the IMPARTS team?

The IMPARTS team are here to help with all aspects of implementing the IMPARTS package.  This includes working with you to help identify what measures could be used, setting up the system, providing the iPads, training, and resources.  IMPARTS then provides ongoing support and guidance, including troubleshooting, training sessions in mental health skills and support with data for audit and research purposes.  The clinical team is responsible for the day-to-day management of screening, so it is important that as many team members as possible are involved in the conversation from the start.

I want to start using IMPARTS in my service – what do I do now?

IMPARTS requires a team commitment to be successful, so the first thing you need to do is discuss IMPARTS with your team and make sure everyone is on board.  A member of the IMPARTS team is able come and talk to you and the team about IMPARTS, if you think that would be helpful. 

If you would like to discuss IMPARTS further, contact us at imparts@slam.nhs.uk

Can my patients fill in the IMPARTS questionnaire at home?

At the moment, IMPARTS can only be used in areas which can connect to the secure hospital Wi-Fi network. We are in the process of developing IMPARTS@Home which will enable patients to complete the measures before they arrive in clinic.

I need advice on what measures or referral pathways I could use – can IMPARTS help?

Yes, the IMPARTS team are happy to discuss possible patient or clinician reported outcome measures or support the development of mental health care pathways. We can help identify validated questionnaires or advise on what measures to choose. We can also contact mental health services on your behalf and help to strengthen or build connections with new mental health care resources.

Is IMPARTS a research project?

No – IMPARTS is primarily a clinical tool which aims to improve quality of care by integrating mental and physical healthcare.  The data collected via IMPARTS aids clinical decision-making and ensures that patients receive appropriate onward referral if needed.  IMPARTS also has ethical approval for all data collected via screening to be used for research and audit purposes, facilitating research as a natural extension of patient care. 

Can I use data from my service for clinical audit purposes?

Yes, data collected via IMPARTS can be used for audit purposes.  All you need to do is complete an Audit Data Transfer Form and send it to imparts@slam.nhs.uk

Can I use data from my service for research?

Yes, IMPARTS has blanket ethical approval for IMPARTS data to be used for research purposes, without the need for additional ethical approval. To access data for research, you will need to complete a research application form and send it to imparts@kcl.ac.uk for submission to our patient-led research oversight committee. Once they have reviewed your project (which usually takes a couple of weeks), you will be notified of the decision, and if successful, you will be asked to complete a research data transfer form. When we have received a signed copy of this, your data will be released to you in a pseudonymised format.

Who does the data belong to?

All data collected via IMPARTS belongs to the Trust the patient was seen at. For more information please see our IMPARTS Research Governance Summary.