Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) services provide an evidence-based approach to the identification and treatment of patients experiencing a first episode of psychosis (FEP). The NICE access and waiting time standard is that 60% of people experiencing FEP are treated with an approved care package within two weeks of referral. This is defined by allocation of an EIP care coordinator, though the offer of antipsychotics is also important. The aims of this audit were to (1) Collect data on EIP referral to treatment pathways and explore delays (2) Explore the origin of EIP referrals (3) Explore timings of referrals to review with a prescriber (4) Compare two audit periods to assess recommendation efficacy and provide future recommendations to reduce delays.

Two retrospective audits were carried out on patients accepted onto the FEP pathway at EIP Liverpool in May & June 2020 (34 patients) and December 2021 (11 patients).

Data were collected for each patient on time spent at stages of the referral pathway from initial referral to mental health services to first medical review with an EIP clinician. Further data included each patient's first point of contact with mental health services, the referral origin and first contact with a prescriber.

Data were collected using electronic health records. Duplicate referrals and extended inpatient admissions were excluded from prescriber analysis. Initial audit results from 2020 were compared with the re-audit in 2021, assessing for changes in pathway provision and compliance with the NICE standard.

The results found that there was a 43.5% increase in wait time on the EIP referral pathway between the periods audited in 2020 and 2021, from an average of 9.8 to 22.5 days, related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary delays for both periods were referral assessment, care coordinator allocation and prescriber review.

The type of prescriber reviewing remained consistent, with reviews being conducted by a consultant for >50% of patients in both periods.

Between the two audited periods, the average pathway to care time increased to over the NICE standard despite implemented recommendations from the initial audit.

Stages of the referral pathway facing significant delays came from within the service, due to an increase in referrals, an increase in patients experiencing FEP by 50% and a change in the origin of referrals. A framework for improvement is recommended to improve pathways to care and outcomes for patients experiencing FEP within the EIP service.