From sourcing to coordination: Dr Finder goes live across Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes

Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes AMHP services has gone live with Dr Finder, a digital platform from Thalamos designed to support Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs) in sourcing and managing Independent Section 12 doctors for Mental Health Act assessments. 

The launch follows a formal procurement process, undertaken as previous contractual arrangements came to an end and in line with the requirements of the new Procurement Act. In Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes, which became part of the wider NHS Central East ICB on 1 April, this process has also created an opportunity to review existing ways of working and move towards a model that brings greater structure, visibility and responsiveness to the way Section 12 doctors are identified and engaged, helping support more joined-up patient care. 

At its core, Dr Finder is designed to address a familiar operational challenge. When an assessment is required, AMHPs need to identify an appropriately qualified doctor, confirm availability, coordinate logistics and ensure that the assessment can take place without unnecessary delay. In many areas, this process has historically relied on fragmented contact lists, individual relationships, or standalone systems that sit adjacent to wider workflows. 

Dr Finder introduces a more structured approach. Doctors maintain live profiles, including their specialisms, gender, location, and availability, allowing AMHPs to quickly identify suitable clinicians for a given situation. Availability can be synced with existing personal calendars, reducing the need for manual updates and helping ensure that information reflects real-world capacity. 

From the AMHP perspective, assessments can be set up by inputting an estimated time and location, with the platform surfacing the most appropriate doctors based on proximity and suitability. Multiple clinicians can be contacted simultaneously, with AMHPs retaining control over final selection based on the specifics of the case. This shifts the process from sequential outreach to a more responsive, parallel model. 

Once a doctor is engaged, the platform supports coordination through to completion. Doctors receive key details including travel information, patient context and contact information, enabling them to make informed decisions quickly. After the assessment, payment requests can be submitted and verified within the same environment, creating a clear and auditable link between activity and remuneration. 

Better patient care

Taken together, these features represent a move away from isolated tasks towards a more connected workflow. The act of finding a doctor is no longer separate from the broader process of coordinating and completing an assessment. Instead, it becomes part of a continuous, trackable pathway. 

This shift is particularly relevant in the context of this Thalamos procurement. Prior to this, the NHS Bedfordshire, Luton & Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board had been using S12 Solutions Ltd to support the sourcing of Section 12 doctors. The outcome of the open tender process signals a move towards a more integrated, workflow-driven approach, where sourcing, coordination and follow-on activity are more closely aligned. 

Across the UK, there is increasing recognition that improving mental health crisis care is not only about individual decisions, but about how those decisions are supported by the systems around them. The ability to see what is happening, who is involved, and how quickly actions are progressing is becoming a defining factor in how effectively services can respond. 

Dr Finder sits at a critical point within that pathway. It addresses the moment where an assessment moves from intent to action. By introducing structure and visibility at this stage, it creates the conditions for more consistent, timely and informed decision-making 

Over time, this kind of capability also opens up broader possibilities. As systems look to strengthen end-to-end digital workflows across the Mental Health Act, the connection between sourcing clinicians, conducting assessments, completing statutory documentation and managing outcomes becomes increasingly important. Digital tools that can operate at multiple points along that pathway have the potential to reduce fragmentation and provide a clearer, shared understanding of what is happening across organisations. 

Commenting on the launch with Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes AMHP services, Arden Tomison, CEO at Thalamos, said: “Finding and coordinating Section 12 doctors is one of the most operationally demanding parts of the Mental Health Act pathway. It is time critical, it involves multiple parties, and it has a direct impact on how quickly people can be assessed and supported. What we are seeing in this case is a deliberate move to bring more structure and visibility into that process. 

“This is not just about making it easier to find a doctor. It is about strengthening the reliability of the pathway as a whole, so that decisions can be made with greater confidence and assessments can happen when they are needed.” 

Find out more about Dr Finder and how it could benefit your organisation.