Eligibility
1. A severe and persistent mental disorder (e.g., schizophrenia, major affective disorders) associated with a high level of disability.
2. A history of high use of inpatient or intensive home-based care (for example, more than two admissions or more than six months inpatient care in the past two years).
3. Difficulty in maintaining lasting and consenting contact with service.
4. Multiple, complex needs including a number of the following:
- History of violence or persistent offending
- Significant risk of persistent self-harm or neglect
- Poor response to previous treatment
- Dual diagnosis of substance misuse and serious mental illness
- Detained under Mental Health Act (1983) on at least one occasion in the past two years
- Unstable accommodation or homelessness
Service users who do not benefit from an Assertive Outreach Team approach include those who have:
- Primary diagnosis of substance misuse problem
- Primary diagnosis of personality disorder
- Moderate or severe learning disability
- Organic brain syndrome
- Needs met by current package of care
Adherence to the above criteria is essential to ensure that those service users in greatest need receive care and the focus of the team does not dissipate to include individuals with less complex needs.