Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust has become the first acute NHS Trust in the UK to digitise its Mental Health Act (MHA) processes.
The Trust has introduced eMHA by Thalamos, a secure digital platform that supports clinicians to complete, share and manage statutory Mental Health Act documentation more safely and efficiently.
The move places Alder Hey alongside Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust and Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, both longstanding regional users of the Thalamos digital workflow. With all three organisations now connected through the same digital approach, children and young people in crisis will experience a more consistent pathway across the region.
Why digitisation matters
Although detentions under the Mental Health Act are relatively rare within Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), they are highly complex moments involving multiple professionals, precise legal documentation and rapid decision making. Traditionally these processes relied on paper forms, handwritten entries and physical transfers of information.
Digitising the pathway supports greater reliability in high-pressure situations. It removes the risks associated with illegible handwriting or misplaced forms and enables the right people to access the right information at the right time. It also creates a single version of the truth across health, local authority and multi-agency teams involved in a young person’s care.
From a regional perspective, Alder Hey’s adoption of eMHA by Thalamos strengthens a shared safety net already used across adult services. By joining the same digital workflow, Alder Hey can collaborate more closely with partner organisations during complex or urgent cases, supporting smoother communication and greater continuity for families.
Alignment with digital ambitions
The introduction of eMHA by Thalamos aligns with Alder Hey’s broader digital strategy. The Trust has been working to integrate digital tools across its acute and community services to improve accessibility, personalisation and safety. The decision to digitise Mental Health Act processes sits naturally within that trajectory, supporting both clinical assurance and operational consistency.
Alder Hey is also one of the few children’s hospitals in the UK where physical and mental health services operate on the same estate. This integrated model supports early identification of need, collaborative working between specialist teams and a more holistic understanding of a young person’s experience. Digitising the administrative and legal processes that sit behind urgent mental health care strengthens that integrated approach.
A thoughtful shift
Thalamos CEO Arden Tomison described Alder Hey’s move as a thoughtful and values-led step forward for children’s services.
“What has impressed us most is the clarity of intent,” he added. “Alder Hey’s focus has always been on improving care for children and young people at the moments that matter most. Digitising Mental Health Act processes is not about convenience or modernisation for its own sake. It is about safety and giving clinicians the tools they need to support families with confidence.”
Tomison also sees Alder Hey’s adoption as part of a growing national movement. Thalamos now supports NHS organisations across England, with increasing uptake among both mental health trusts and integrated care systems.
“The scale of adoption shows the NHS is ready for a more joined up and reliable way of handling this vital aspect of care,” he explained. “Seeing an internationally recognised paediatric hospital join that momentum is a powerful signal of where the sector is heading.”
Chief Client Officer at Thalamos, Zoe Seager, emphasised that successful digitisation must strengthen rather than replace human relationships.
“Improvements that succeed in the NHS more often than not do so because they strengthen relationships, not because they replace them,” she commented. “What stands out about Alder Hey is how deliberately they have approached this. Their teams have been careful, thoughtful and always focused on what matters most to young people. That is how digital change becomes meaningful and enduring.”
Technology that supports, not substitutes
Alder Hey’s introduction of eMHA by Thalamos is part of a wider pattern in which digital tools support, rather than substitute, frontline professionals. The platform provides safeguards that reduce administrative risk and helps ensure statutory processes are followed consistently, but it leaves clinical decision making firmly in the hands of professionals.
This balance between technology and human connection is essential in children’s services, where compassion, communication and trust underpin every aspect of care. The digital MHA workflow sits behind the scenes, enabling clinicians to spend more time with young people and their families rather than correcting paperwork or coordinating documents by hand.
What this means for children and young people
Alder Hey’s adoption of eMHA by Thalamos represents a significant shift in how Mental Health Act processes are managed in paediatric settings. It offers a more reliable, transparent and coordinated approach to crisis care, strengthens regional collaboration and reinforces the Trust’s wider ambition to make care safer, more personalised and more responsive.
“This move shows what is possible when innovation serves a clear goal,” said Tomison. “It is about building the kind of system that children and young people deserve — one that is swifter, simpler and safer.”
Seager added: “Digitisation is not an end point. It is a foundation that supports everything else. With Alder Hey now part of this digital network, the region is stronger and children’s services are better equipped for the future.”
