Early intervention team
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About the service
The early intervention team is a specialist community service that provides high-quality care for individuals aged 14-35 experiencing their first episode of psychosis.
The team works towards helping people to recover and provides a range of care strategies which focus on social inclusion and promoting independence.
Individuals and their carers accessing the service will be supported intensively by the team for up to 3 years.
Why would someone choose the service?
- Service user exit satisfaction questionnaire results are excellent with 100% surveyed reporting high to very high satisfaction levels.
- Our staff will support people to achieve their potential and will always respect their wishes.
- The team will support people in any way needed. We are flexible when needed to make sure people feel in control of their recovery.
Staff you may meet
- There are many people who work behind the scenes to keep services running and you may meet them in hospital or community settings. They include porters, cleaners, plumbers, electricians, decorators receptionists and secretaries who all work to make sure healthcare settings are kept clean, tidy and safe.
- Nurses who choose to specialise in the mental health branch of nursing work with GPs, psychiatrists, psychologists, and others, to help care for patients. Increasingly, care is given in the community, with mental health nurses visiting patients and their families at home, in residential centres, in prisons or in specialist clinics or units.
- Occupational therapy is the assessment and treatment of physical and psychiatric conditions using specific, purposeful activity to prevent disability and promote independent function in all aspects of daily life.
- The NHS employs a wide range of clinical staff, it wouldn’t be possible to list them all on this website! All our clinical staff are skilled, dedicated professionals who adhere to high standards of training and work-place practice.
- Receptionists are the first link for many patients and visitors. They often work on their own or with one or two other receptionists, greeting patients as they arrive and check them in. They might also collect patient notes and ensure that these vital records go to the right healthcare professional. In a clinic, they may make appointments and arrange patient transport.
- Social workers help, support and protect people who are facing difficulties in their lives. They help people to take positive steps to overcome problems and improve their lives. This could involve assessing and reviewing a service user’s situation, building relationships with service users and their families and agreeing what practical support someone needs.
Why a professional should choose the service
- All non-urgent referrals for assessment are seen within 14 calendar days, this meets the regional CQUIN Indicator 2
- Service user satisfaction results are excellent with 100% surveyed reporting high to very high satisfaction levels
- We consistently achieve best practice indicators as set out in Essence of Care – a Department of Health initiative which provides guidance on standards of care which should be delivered to patients
- All of our staff have received training in psychological interventions (PSI). A number of qualified staff are trained up to degree and MSc level in PSI
- The team have continued to deliver an excellent flexible and creative service within budget year on year for the last 10 years
- The team met the requirements of the seven day follow up post which ensures contact, face to face wherever possible, with a service user within 7 days of discharge
The team collect robust clinical outcome data on all cases with higher than average results for nationally and locally set outcome targets being consistently achieved. These included:
- Duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) median is currently 2 months. The Department of Health set 3 months or less as the national target
- 70% (on average) of individuals are referred back to primary care at the end of the 3 years
- Significantly lower levels of suicide and SUI incidents year on year. (National early intervention target is less than 1%, Barnsley early intervention rate is 0.5%).
- Reduction in offending, unsettled housing and substance misuse within the 3 years in service (offending behaviour is 76% reduced from entry to exit for Barnsley early intervention team. 92% are in settled housing on exit from the service).
- Lower rates of admission to hospital and detention under the mental health act. (Those areas without early intervention see rates for admission bed stays at 208 per year, Barnsley results are currently 89 days).
A recent evaluation of the service provided excellent feedback from other external and internal agencies. Comments submitted included:
- “This is a close-knit, hard-working team. Leadership is excellent and supportive”
- “In my experience, all Barnsley early intervention team members that I have had the pleasure of working with have shown care, compassion and warmth to the people they serve. The Trust is lucky to have them in my view”.
Support offered
- Group work (recovery group, art group, carer group and hearing voices group)
- Occupational therapy
- Education/vocational support
- Family work/interventions
- Recreational activity
- Self-care
- Social skills
- Health screening
- Specialist psycho-social interventions
- Relapse prevention
- Confidence building and assertiveness training
- Housing advice and practical support
Outcomes
- Reduce risk of repeated relapse helping to improve long-term prognosis
- Helping service user to recover – as defined by the individual
- Ability to self-care and self-manage mental health needs in the future
- Discharged back into the community to primary care (GP) after 3 years
- Clarification of diagnosis
- Improved physical health including substance use
- Improved functional capacity
- Relapse prevention and future crisis self-management
- Maintained and develop social networks throughout time in service.
Referrals accepted from:
A & E, AHPs, Carers/family, CMHTs, Consultants, Courts, Drug/alcohol agencies, GP staff, GPs, Health visitors, Hospital staff, Housing associations, Local authority staff, Midwives, Other NHS services, Other Trust services, Patients(self-referral), Police, Schools, Single Point of Access team, Voluntary services, Youth centres, Youth Offending Team
Referral criteria:
All new referrals for assessment are allocated during the weekly team meeting held on Tuesdays (unless it is required to be actioned sooner if urgent). Referrals are accepted by telephone, letter and/or fax.
The criteria for accepting referrals is:
- Aged 14-35 years of age.
- Suspicion and/or evidence of psychosis.
- A decline in social functioning.
- Evidence that this is a first episode (experiences associated with psychosis, previously untreated of less than 3 years. Or treated with antipsychotic medication of less than 1 year prior to referral).
- Individuals aged 14 to 35. Those over 35 years of age, but with a clear first episode of psychosis, will be considered if the team has the capacity at the point of referral.
Exclusion criteria:
- History of psychotic experiences for more than 3 years, if untreated.
- History of psychosis for more than 1 year if receiving a service elsewhere/treatment commenced for more than 12 months.
Urgent same day referrals:
These will be accepted by the healthcare professional making the referral. Self and/or carer referrals will be classed as ‘routine’ and seen within 14 days of referring. The majority of referrals, including self-referrals, are normally seen within one week.