Service Innovation Bulletin
Mental Health Trust Archive
- The Asperger Team
- The Perinatal Mental Health Project
- Free Spirits (CAMHS) Service
- Supplementary Prescribing in Mental Health
The Asperger Team
Mersey Care NHS Trust
This service is provided by a multi-disciplinary community team and is available to individuals who are at least 18 years of age and have a diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome.
The service is hosted by the learning disabilities directorate within the Trust, however, it is provided across mental health, social care, voluntary agencies and statutory services.
The team offers a diagnostic service and health and social care interventions designed around specific individual need. Clients have access to psychiatry, psychology, social work, speech and language therapy and nursing professionals within their local area. The Asperger team operates within a managed network involving health, the local authority and voluntary agencies.
The Perinatal Mental Health Project
Bolton, Salford and Trafford Mental Health NHS Trust.
The service is a partnership between Salford SureStart, Bolton, Salford and Trafford Mental Health NHS Trust and Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The service was developed to tackle the high levels of postnatal depression in the Salford area. The peripatetic team provides a specialist, priority service to women in SureStart areas who are depressed, or at high risk of developing depression antenatally or postnatally. A Mental Health Worker initially offers the women an individual assessment, following which a wide range of services may be offered such as psychological therapies, support groups and access to community or voluntary agencies.
The partnerships involved in this multi-professional, multi-agency service foster high levels of shared learning and integrated care, providing rapid access to services for perinatal women.
This unique service won joint first prize in the North West NHS Innovation Awards 2006 managed by TrusTECH
(in the Service Innovation Category).
Free Spirits (CAMHS) Service
Chorley and South Ribble PCT
The Free Spirits scheme is an initiative set up by a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Team, working in partnership with a local leisure centre. Young people (7 to 16 years of age) can be referred by the CAMHS Team to initially have 1:1 sports and activity sessions with a fitness instructor, which lasts for 6 weeks. The young person then moves on to other activities within the leisure centre, either as an individual or as part of a group activity.
There is an emphasis to assist young people to engage in activities in the wider community. The scheme aims to improve emotional and psychological well being, self esteem, self image, physical health and reduce the stigma of mental health in young people. The scheme began with young people with emotional and well being issues, the subsequent success has lead to the scheme developing the initiative further to include young people with learning disabilities and obesity problems.
Supplementary Prescribing in Mental Health
Manchester Mental Health and Social Care NHS Trust
A positive example of supplementary prescribing in mental health. Nurses that have obtained the NMC-recognised supplementary prescribing qualification receive further local training, to become supplementary prescribers working under the supervision of an independent prescriber (consultant). Within the parameters of a care plan, the supplementary prescribers can review, change and add additional medications.
As a result of the service patients can have their medication reviewed and changed relatively quickly rather than waiting to see their consultant. It is expected that this should reduce the rates of non-compliance, negative symptoms and side effects.
As prescribing issues are dealt with promptly, this service should also result in a reduced requirement for acute interventions (other benefits include professional development for nurses and a reduction in workload for doctors).