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Draft leaflet version 0.05 – Adult Community Mental Health Service
About the service
Sussex Partnership’s adult community mental health service provides a full range of specialist support and treatment to help people maintain their mental health. It is for everyone over the age of 18 who are experiencing moderate to severe mental health issues, including dementia.
The service:
· Provides quick access to specialist assessment and treatment
· Provides brief interventions, and care coordination for complex issues which supports the recovery journey
· Works flexibly to help people get the service they need in the community and the support they need locally
It acts as a gateway to other services and agencies, working with people to agree treatment plans and to meet their individual needs. This includes access to specialist mental health care for people with other needs including learning disabilities, or those who mis-use substances.
How we work in Brighton & Hove
Within Brighton and Hove the adult community mental health service is provided by the Assessment and Treatment Service (ATS). The ATS has been designed around having a citywide adult mental health service that specifically supports people in Brighton and Hove. The ATS is located across two hub buildings - one the east side of the city and one on the west side.
This means that we can:
· Provide care and support close to people’s homes
· Move swiftly to adapt and respond to people’s changing needs
When a person is referred to the service, they are first assessed by experienced clinicians and therapists from the ATS who develop and agree a treatment plan with the person.
Each person is different. Treatment usually includes a mixture of therapy, medication and support to pick up the pieces of everyday life such as education, employment and leisure activities.
Many people are supported by home visits, and others by appointments at one of the ATS hubs or at one of Sussex Partnership’s local clinics.
Everyone has a named person within the service who helps them keep their treatment plan on track, and brings in experts from other services or community agencies as needed.
People with the most complex needs receive a higher level of support through the Care Programme Approach (CPA). There is a separate leaflet about the CPA and how it works.
The team
The ATS is made up of a team of professionals including:
· Doctors
· Nurses
· Occupational Therapists
· Psychologists
· Social Workers
· Support Time Recovery Workers
· Employment Specialists
Most of these are based in hubs on either the east or west side of the city. They see people at one of the hubs themselves, in Sussex Partnership’s local clinics and in people’s homes.
The team can also call upon specialists working in other parts of Sussex Partnership who are experts in complex mental health conditions such as personality disorders or eating disorders.
Referral and treatment
People are generally referred to the service by their GP. Referrals also come from the Wellbeing Service, social services, local hospitals including emergency departments and other services provided by Sussex Partnership.
Referrals are checked every day within the ATS. Our standard is that all urgent referrals will be seen within four hours, priority referrals will be seen within 5 days, and the majority of people will be seen within 28 days of being referred. People who are known to the service, having received support over several years, and have been discharged and need to come back will be seen within 7 days.
Every person has their own treatment plan. In Sussex Partnership we base treatment plans on Care Pathways. These are frameworks developed and agreed nationally for common mental health conditions. It means people can be sure that that the support we give locally meets national standards and is designed to help them recover.
We always talk to people about how their treatment is going and make sure it is meeting the goals they agreed for themselves. We hold a more formal review at least every six months. We can change people’s treatment and support as necessary to help their recovery.
A complete service
The adult community mental health service is part of a full range of services provided by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
These include services for:
· children and young people
· older people who have mental health conditions such as dementia which are related to age
· people with a learning disability
· people who mis-use substances
· people who are in contact with the justice system
The adult community mental health service also works closely with Sussex Partnership’s inpatient and crisis services so that people can be referred for help quickly in an emergency.
Where to find us in Brighton and Hove
Within the Brighton and Hove the ATS is co-ordinated locally from 2 ATS hub locations. These are:
East ATS Hub
East Assessment & Treatment Service / East Dementia TeamEast Brighton Community Mental Health Centre
Brighton General Hospital
Elm Grove
Brighton
BN2 3EW / East Brighton Community Mental Health Centre
Brighton General Hospital
Elm Grove
Brighton
BN2 3EW
West ATS Hub
West Assessment & Treatment Service / West Dementia TeamMill View Hospital / Hove Polyclinic
Nevill Avenue
Hove
BN3 7HY / Mill View Hospital / Hove Polyclinic
Nevill Avenue
Hove
BN3 7HY
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