A new mental health service to support children and young people living in Richmondshire and Hambleton has been launched.
The new crisis resolution home treatment service, operated by Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, provides specialised community care to children and young people in a mental health crisis.
The service will work in partnership with GP’s, child and adolescent mental health (CAMHS) teams, local authorities and other supporting services to reduce mental health difficulties, limit further deterioration and lessen the likelihood of further risk to young people experiencing mental ill-health.
The service is available to young people under the age of 18 who are in emotional distress or may be displaying high levels of risk taking behaviour or self-harm.
Commenting on the service John Barnard, project lead, said: “We believe that young people should receive the care and treatment they need in surroundings that best meet their needs and they should not be admitted to hospital unless it is clinically necessary to do so.
“The new multi-disciplinary crisis resolution home treatment team will be able to provide a range of tailored treatments and interventions to meet the needs of young people and their families in a community setting.”
Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust was recently one of two sites chosen by NHS England to take on new commissioning powers for children and young people’s tertiary mental health services.
The new crisis resolution home treatment service is part of the trust’s new model of care plan, which aims to deliver inpatient care for children and young people as close to home as possible and wherever possible preventing and avoiding inpatient admissions and reducing the length of admission when it is required.
The trust currently operates crisis services in County Durham and Darlington and Teesside, both of which, it is claimed, have had a significant impact on the care the trust is able to provide for children and young people.
The trust said that the implementation of these services has resulted in a significant reduction in the need for inpatient admissions and this has allowed an extension to the provision of community care for children and young people, meaning more children and young people are supported to stay at home.
By reducing the amount of time people are spending as inpatients, the trust also aims to free up inpatient space for others who might need it and who previously may have had to travel a further distance because of limited availability.
Anyone can refer into the crisis resolution home treatment service, which operates 24 hours a day 7 days a week, by calling 03000 132 000 (option 6).
