Mental Health
Local Authority mental health services are part of a combined
mental health trust with health staff known as the South Essex Partnership
University NHS Foundation Trust. The
Trust is the mental health and specialist learning disability NHS
Trust for Bedfordshire, Essex and Luton and provides high
quality mental health services for all ages and specialist learning
disability services for adults.
Staff work in community
mental health teams (opens in new window)
throughout Bedfordshire. They are responsible for supporting people
with mental illness and for assessing the support needs of
carers.
Early intervention
The Early Intervention Team works with people between the ages
of 16 to 35 years who have an incidence of a first psychosis. The
aim is to work closely with GP practices and other referrers such
as colleges to treat people at an early stage to prevent them
developing long-term mental illness.
Assertive outreach
There is an Assertive Outreach Team based in Bedford. The role
of the team is to work with people with long term mental illness
who have need of increased care and support. The team operates 7
days a week.
Crisis resolution
There is a County wide Crisis and Home Treatment Team. The aim
of the team is to offer alternatives to hospital admission to
people in a crisis. The service operates 7 days a week /24 hours a
day.
Community mental health teams
These are multi-disciplinary teams that work both
with people with long-term conditions and those who have shorter
term mental health problems. A range of interventions are supplied
from anxiety management to long term support. The teams link into
primary care and also assist in the discharge of patients from
acute psychiatric units.
Day care services
There is a range of health, social services and
voluntary provision with close links between them. The services
range from 'drop in' to vocational training and services to assist
people into employment.
Secure services
There is a secure service on the Luton and Dunstable
Hospital site known as the Orchard Unit. The presence of this low
secure provision means that this service can be provided locally
for people. There are close links with Community Mental Health
Teams.
Acute inpatient services
Acute beds are provided at 2 locations.
1. At the Weller Wing in Bedford on the South Wing Hospital
site
2. Townsend Court in Dunstable.
What you can expect from mental health services
Staff will carry out an carers assessment to
establish what support you require and give you a care plan.
Support can be offered via Rethink in the form of individual
support , carers group, information or services supplied via the
carers grant .
How we measure standards
Services are monitored by a Partnership Management
Group and the Mental Health Partnership Board, and regulated by the
Care Quality Commission.