Community Mental Health Teams (Adult Services)

The CMHT is made up of mental health professionals and support staff including:

• Team Leader
• Consultant psychiatrist(s)/clinical lead
• Non-consultant medical staff
• Community mental health nurses
• Social workers
• Occupational therapist(s)
• Clinical psychologist
• Support workers
• Administrative staff

Aims of the Community Mental Health Team (CMHT)

• To place service users at the centre of their mental health care, ensuring their assessment and intervention is recovery focused and supports the individual to reach their full potential, to live a satisfying, hopeful and contributing life.
• Provide a bio-psychosocial assessment to those with a likely mental illness
• To advise on or provide appropriate treatment and management within available resources
• To promote service user and carer involvement in treatment plans
• To work in partnership with relevant agencies for the benefit for service users and carers.
• At all times provide a quality service

Functions

Many service users treated by the CMHT will be referred back to their GPs following a time limited intervention. Others may be referred on to more appropriate services. The priority is for service users with severe and enduring mental illness. Some however, will remain with the team for ongoing treatment, care and monitoring for longer periods. They will include people needing ongoing specialist care for:

• Severe and persistent mental disorders associated with significant disability, predominantly psychoses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
• Longer term disorders of lesser severity, which are characterised by difficulties in engagement requiring pro-active intervention.
• Disorders requiring skilled or intensive treatments not available in primary care.
• Complex problems of management and engagement such as presented by service users requiring interventions under the Mental Health Order
• Disorders of personality where these can be shown to benefit by continued contact and support.
• CMHT provide assessment for people aged between 18-64 years who are experiencing mental health problems and directs them to appropriate services.

Referrals are via GPs or other mental health service providers

The teams promote service user and carer involvement in treatment plans. They also work in partnership with relevant agencies. There are nine Adult Mental Health Teams covering different areas across the Trust. These teams provide a service from 9 am – 5 pm (Monday to Friday). Other planned activities may take place outside these hours.