Continuing Needs Teams
Description of the service
The four Continuing Needs Teams in Sheffield provide a service for people with mental health problems of a psychotic nature such as Schizophrenia and Bi-polar Disorder. The Continuing Needs Teams provide specialist advice to GP's, offer assessment and, where appropriate treatment packages. The treatment may include medication, specialist advice, social care interventions, support and/or therapy. Patients may be allocated a lead professional worker or care co-ordinator who will work with them to support them with their mental health problems under the Care Programme approach. A care plan will be developed with the patient and detail the service to be provided and this will be reviewed regularly.
Appointments will be offered at a community mental health centre or in the patient's home. The service is provided by a range of professionals including Psychiatrists (doctors who specialise in mental health), Community Mental Health Nurses, Social Workers, Psychologists, Art Psychotherapists, Community Support Workers, and Occupational Therapists.
People with a recurrent or severe and enduring mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bi-polar affective disorder (manic depression) have complex needs which may require the continuing care of specialist mental health services working effectively with other agencies. In most circumstances the Continuing Needs Service will carry out this work with service users and their families.
Where is the service located?
West CNS: Wardsend Road
South West CNS: Argyll House
South East CNS: Eastglade Centre
North CNS: Northlands Community Health Centre
How is the service accessed?
The service is mostly accessed by a referral from a GP or other clinical teams within Sheffield Health and Social Care Trust. Referrals may also come from other health or social care professionals, housing voluntary sector, families and self referral.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: What if I experience a crisis with my mental health?
Answer: Workers are identified within each Community Mental Health Team to assist you should you experience a crisis with your mental health, and can be accessed by telephoning your local Community Mental Health Team Monday-Friday 9-5. Outside of these hours you would need to contact switchboard on 2716310 who will be able to redirect you. For further information please click here.
Question: What is a Community Mental Health Team?
Answer: Many people with mental health problems are treated by their GP. For more serious or complex mental health problems your GP may refer you to a mental health team. Each team has several types of workers with different knowledge and skills who understand how the others work and will understand how to tackle problems together.
Question: Who are the team?
Answer: Mental health workers can be from a number of professional backgrounds. All share a number of important skills, but can also use their more specialist professional skills when needed. These professions include;
- Psychiatrist: a medical doctor with special training in mental illnesses and emotional problems.
- Community Mental Health Nurse (CMHN): CMHN's visit client's in their own homes, at the team base or GP surgeries and can help to talk through problems and give practical advice and support.
- Social Worker: like other members of the team, social workers help people talk through problems, give practical advice and emotional support.
- Occupational Therapist (OT): Occupational therapists help people get back to doing the practical things of everyday life such as help with education or work, either in a one to one environment or with other people in groups.
- Clinical Psychologist: work with clients to deliver psychological treatments, this may be for a number of sessions to talk through how you are thinking and feeling.
- Approved Mental Health Professional: this may be a Social Worker but can be any other member of the CMHT. They have had training to assess if someone needs to be taken to hospital using the Mental Health Act. This will need the agreement of 2 independent doctors.
Question: How does the team work?
Answer: The team will have a base where they can see clients but will also work in a range of other places.
All team members will understand the distress that goes with mental illness and can offer psychological support, encouragement and practical help.
Staff discuss how best to help their clients at regular team meetings. This means that if your care co-ordinator is away there will always be someone around who knows about you and has a picture of your difficulties and strengths.
Care co-ordinator - will discuss any plans with you and make sure you have a 'care plan' about how you are going to be helped.
Care Plan - The different parts of your treatment are written down in a care plan which will include the problem, what needs to be done to help you recover, who needs to be doing what and your views.
If you need to see the team for a while you may be put on the Care Programme Approach (CPA). There are regular meetings with everyone who is involved in your care plan. You should be invited to this meeting but you don't have to come if it makes you anxious.
Question: What about Confidentiality?
Answer: Members of a CMHT have to keep your information confidential in the same way as other doctors and health care staff. CMHT members work within the requirements of data protection law.
Question: Can relatives and friends become involved?
Answer: Families are often concerned and want to help but often need support and encouragement. Teams may provide information for families or hold support groups. A CMHT may want a family involved but are bound by confidentiality so will ask your permission before giving information to your family.
Question: Is my GP involved?
Answer: Community mental health teams and GPs should work closely together. After CMHT staff have seen you they will send a letter to your GP advising them of their assessment of your needs and what they suggest should be done.
Contact details
Wardsend Road
45 Wardsend Rd North,
Sheffield
S6 1LX
Tel: 0114 2716100
South West CNS
Argyll House
9 Williamson Road
Sheffield
S11 9AR
0114 2718654
South East CNS
Eastglade Centre
1 Eastglade Crescent
Sheffield
S12 4QN
0114 2716451
North CNS
Northlands Community Health Centre
Southey Hill
Sheffield
S5 8DE
0114 2716217
This page was last updated on 19th November 2012
