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Insight team (early interventions in psychosis) for North Kirklees
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About the service
The Kirklees early intervention in psychosis team supports the early identification of psychosis in people aged 14 to 65.
The team offers support for those experiencing a first episode psychosis in ages 14 to 65 and those who may be at risk of psychosis in the ages of 14 to 35.
The team provides psychosocial interventions (treating and preventing a condition using educational and behavioural approaches) to improve the long-term outcomes for people experiencing psychosis. The team support people’s treatment and recovery outside of the mainstream mental health system.
The service aims to:
- Reduce the stigma associated with psychosis and improve professional and general public awareness of the symptoms of early psychosis
- Promoting the need and benefits of an early assessment
- Reduce the period of time people remain undiagnosed and untreated
- Develop meaningful engagement, provide evidence-based interventions, and promote recovery during the early stages of psychosis
- Increase the stability of the lives of the people accessing the service
- Provide a person-centred service that integrates the child, adolescent and adult mental health services and works in partnership with primary care services, family services and youth services
- Work in partnership with other services to ensure that the young people accessing the service have quick and easy pathways into appropriate services
- Provide training, advice, and consultation with other service providers who may be working with this group of service users to help them respond in more efficient ways
- Provide structure and activities to develop life and employment skills
The team can offer earlier and later weekday appointments by request.
Why would someone choose the service?
- We offer a recovery-focused approach to support service users and those close to them to deal with and manage the potentially traumatic experience of psychosis. We support all those affected to maintain hope for the future
- Our practice is guided by national guidance which means that we strive to offer talking therapies as well as any medical interventions. This might involve meeting with the individual or meeting their family to support them and help them to understand their experiences and develop ways to manage their difficulties. Identifying early signs of relapse and developing useful and effective management strategies that will enable independence and support the service user in achieving their life goals
- We have a strong focus on helping people build their confidence to maintain and build on social, educational and employment opportunities, and do this through social, creative and sporting groups. This can include actively supporting people to attend employment or education, or supporting them to arrange volunteer placements
- We have a clear commitment to look after a person’s physical health as well as their mental health and work closely with our GP colleagues to achieve this
Staff you may meet
- Administrative staff provide essential support to doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals. This can be in a variety of different settings, with administrators working as a receptionist in a clinic or a clerk on a ward. They may also be working closely with a consultant as a medical secretary.
- A health care professional trained in delivering cognitive behavioural therapy (talking therapy) as an alternative treatment option.
- There are more than 60 different specialities that doctors work within the NHS. Each is unique but there are many characteristics which are common. Roles range from working in a hospital to being based in the community as a GP.
- A heath care professional who is specially training to prescribe and explore medication options.
- 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.
- A member of the team who has lived experience of recovering from psychosis.
- 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
- Early intervention in psychosis has become established as a preferred model of service for people with emerging psychosis and their families
- We offer a recovery focused approach to support service users and those close to them to deal with and manage the potentially traumatic experience of psychosis. We support all those affected to maintain hope for the future
- The majority of our care coordinators are trained to degree level or above to specifically work with individuals experiencing psychosis and their families. The team members are supported and dedicated to their own continued professional development over and above their professional registration qualification. We use evidenced-based tools and interventions to enhance the support we offer to service users and their families. With these tools come measured outcomes
- As well as offering individual family support, we offer monthly family and friends support. This is in a group setting and enables people to gain information as well as a chance to meet others who care for people having similar experiences
- We are aligning our audit of the impact of our services with national and regional best practice and have dedicated administrative support to manage the data collection so we can provide evidenced-based outcomes outside of the trusts usual reporting systems
- Our practice is guided by national guidance which means that we strive to offer talking therapies as well as any medical interventions. This might involve meeting with the individual or meeting their family to support them and help them to understand their experiences and develop ways to manage their difficulties. Identifying early signs of relapse and developing useful and effective management strategies that will enable independence and support the service user in achieving their life goals
- We have a strong focus on helping people build their confidence to maintain and build on social, educational and employment opportunities, and do this through social, creative and sporting groups. This can include actively supporting people to attend employment or education or supporting them to arrange volunteer placements
- We have a clear commitment to look after a person’s physical health as well as their mental health and work closely with our GP colleagues to achieve this
Support offered
- Assessment: a range of specialist assessments including assessment for an ‘at risk’ mental state, recovery focused and symptom-specific assessments
- Allocation of a care coordinator
- Care plan or care package produced with the service user’s involvement
- Outcome and evidence-based interventions including psychological interventions (methods used to bring about change in an individual) around the person’s psychotic experiences or accompanying anxiety or depression
- Monitoring of medication, concordance (where staff and service user make decisions about medication together) and impact on mental health symptoms
- Physical health monitoring in relation to prescribed medication
- Promotion of self-management
- Health and wellbeing advice and support
- Access to vocational support services (support to return to employment or education)
- Social/leisure activities (football, pool, snooker, swimming, cinema)
- Education/advice and support around substance misuse
- Support for finance management
- Support for tenancy management
- Family interventions
- Carer assessment/ support
- Access to local groups and services
- Evaluation and review of care and treatment
- Risk assessment and management plan
- Crisis and contingency plan
Outcomes
The aim of the insight team is to reduce the duration of untreated psychosis and improve the long-term outcome for people experiencing psychosis. The evidence reflected in research, consistently highlights that the earlier psychosis is treated, the better the prognosis.
We aim to:
- Improve the detection and management of first episode early psychosis in primary (GP services) and secondary (hospital setting) care
- Reduce delays in assessment and treatment. This minimises any potential disability resulting from a psychosis and enhances the chance for immediate and long-term recovery
- Improve outcomes for young people and adults with first episode early psychosis, and their families or carers
- Provide effective evidence-based interventions
- Ensure that care is transferred smoothly and effectively at the end of a treatment period
Referrals accepted from:
A & E, AHPs, Carers/family, CMHTs, Consultants, 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:
The Kirklees insight team is a youth-focused service. We are commissioned across the Kirklees district (Huddersfield and Dewsbury) to provide a service for people aged between 14 and 35 who are experiencing their first episode of psychosis or thought to be at a potential of risk of developing this.
Where a person is over 35 years of age we would be happy to discuss with the referrer on an individual basis if the person would benefit from a youth-focused service.
Referrals for people under 18 years old, self-referrals and carer referrals can be made directly to the duty worker in the team. Referrals for those over 18 should be made to Kirklees single point of access on 01924 284555
All referrals will be assessed within 14 days. The Kirklees insight team does not accept urgent referrals for working-age adults – these are processed via the single point of access team.
Young people (aged 14 – 18years) will be seen within 14 days – however, if a referral for this age group is viewed to be urgent, the referral will be assessed within 4 hours. Referrals for this age group are made directly to the team.
The person should be a resident of the Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area or registered with local GP in Calderdale.
The person is experiencing the first episode of psychosis or the referrer should have a strong suspicion that this is the case, or deemed to have an ‘at risk’ mental state
- People aged between 14 and 35 with the first presentation of psychotic symptoms.
- People aged between 14 and 35 during the first three years of psychotic illness.
It is preferable that the person has not been treated with antipsychotic medication in the last 12 weeks. This is so other treatments can be offered. Evidence suggests that this enhances the recovery process.
Insight will work with individuals who have substance misuse issues, however, the service isn’t suitable for people who only experience brief symptoms of psychosis as a result of substance misuse.