The quest for local crisis intervention, support, short-term assessment and treatment continues.
We know that mental health services have been under significant scrutiny recently and the Government have promised to address serious failings and underfunding.
It’s encouraging to see commitment to major review and a Five Year Forward View for Mental Health for the NHS which includes a commitment to better support local crisis provision, it says:
By 2020/21, NHS England should expand Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Teams (CRHTTs) across England to ensure that a 24/7 community-based mental health crisis response is available in all areas and that these teams are adequately resourced to offer intensive home treatment as an alternative to an acute inpatient admission. For children and young people, an equivalent model of care should be developed within this expansion programme.
There isn’t anything much mentioned for learning disability/Autism support but the ‘Getting the right care in the right place’ part of the Transforming Care for People with Learning Disabilities – Next Steps strategy provides this so let’s all hope that these two major pieces of work compliment one another. (I know, I know)
I feel huge frustration that these proposals may take several years to work through when our families actually need help NOW. It seems to me that crisis intervention itself needs crisis intervention to provide help in the very near future as well as planning and improvements for the longer term. Trying to get this moving might be another campaigning issue?
So what do WE want
Put simply families need a range of local support to try and prevent a crisis from developing in the first place. I think families generally do not receive anywhere near enough help and advice while their sons or daughters are living at home, they are just left to get on with it. Mums and dads need to know where they can go for non-judgement and supportive advice, guidance and direct support when they really need it.
We need informed proactive local teams experienced in autistic spectrum disorders, positive behaviour support and challenging behaviour who can provide 24/7 direct rapid intervention and support during a developing crisis who are also knowledgeable about other local teams and community resources.
integrated teams working across children’s mental health (CAMHS), adult mental health and social care must be developed so that everyone is working together. This is really important in order to see the person as a person rather than a piece in a services jigsaw. (We need to focus on the person not the service they fit into).
It’s vital that each local area has adequate respite available and a small number of secure inpatient beds to support short term assessment and treatment. I realise it’s a bit of a shopping list but without investment like this I think we will get nowhere.
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