NEWS: |
|
|
Well folks, we've been up & running as a service in NE Sheffield for 15 months now. We are actively
working with a team caseload of 25 clients & have been involved in pieces of assessment work for over
75 people (ranging in time from a few hours with some, to 6 months or more with others). A large proportion of our clients have also started to get back involved in training, courses or full-time work. We are running a weekly social recovery group which is attended by many clients also. Not only this, but we have developed & been delivering (with the practice development unit & Trish Neilson) a package of training on relapse prevention & early warning signs for adult mental health services. We have run a programme of sessions with local GPs & have been giving supervision sessions to other trust staff. Gratifyingly, we have also had contact, interest & visits from staff in other trusts around the region, & sometimes further afield too. Team members & a panel of experts & managers, including service users & carers have now put together a detailed & planned proposal for a Sheffield-wide Early Intervention service. The proposal details the suggested implementation of 2 Early Intervention teams, (one each for North & South Sheffield) comprising Dr.s, nurses, social workers, OTs, support workers, psychologists, & which would operate 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week! We have also made a firm commitment to the importance of employing staff with personal experience of mental health problems & of mental health services. All this will cost aprox. one & a half million quid, which sounds a lot until you think about the number of people's lives this could change (& when you think of how much they paid for a new office building for MPs !!!) - not just people with psychosis, but families, friends, employers, DSS, & Sheffield as a whole. Sadly there's no guarantee we'll get all of the money we've asked for & there's not likely to be any money for this until 2003 - but Sheffield will have a GREAT effective service for young people with early psychosis across the city, not just in the North East as at present. We are now starting a process of evaluation & review of what we have done & are doing SO PLEASE LET US HAVE ANY THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS - ANYTHING as we need all the help, criticism & feedback we can get to help us improve the service. Keep in touch. |
