Closer to home service for teens in crisis

A NEW service has been launched to support young people across Leicestershire suffering a mental health crisis.

The targeted crisis resolution and home treatment service launches this week and has been developed by community health services provider Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT), along with local authorities and care commissioners.

It is hoped the new system will prevent emergency hospital admissions for children and young peo- ple who are experiencing severe mental and emotional distress.

This has been common in the past but not ideal as timely psychiatric liaison from mental health professionals is not always immediately available.

The new service is based at the Agnes Unit on Anstey Lane in Leicester and is aligned with the adult service, running every day from 8am to 10pm. Outside of these hours, referrals will be handled by the trust’s adult crisis team.

Providing a single point of access for referrers, including GPs, health professionals, local authority professionals, schools, the police and the voluntary sector, it offers a commitment for telephone contact to be made with the family within two hours, and an assessment of the child or young person made within four to 24 hours depending on the urgency.

Care will be tailored to individual needs with assessments wherever convenient or a period of intensive home treatment.

Adam Mckeown, head of service for specialist children’s services and learning disability services at LPT, said: “The new team will give children and young people the flexibility they told us they wanted to be supported at home and in the community when experiencing a mental health crisis.”

If a hospital admission is necessary the team will deliver a supportive relapse prevention and recovery care plan to enable early discharge and hopefully prevent a repeat occurrence.