Bedford North CMHT

Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs) are made up of a psychiatrist, psychologists, community psychiatric nurses, social workers, occupational therapists and support staff.

The teams provide mental health care and treatment for those adults with more complex and enduring mental health needs, who can benefit from specialist support.

The treatment may take place in your own home, in one of our community locations or at outpatient clinics; but we also work closely with colleagues in acute and crisis services.

Wherever possible we aim to provide short-term interventions of between 3 months and two years. In that time we would aim to support patients to understand their mental disorder, recognise the signs and symptoms that might indicate deteriorating mental health and learn how to maintain their mental wellbeing.

We always strive to enable patients to manage their mental health independently and to achieve a personal recovery.

To do this we may provide treatment in the form of medication, talking therapies or social interventions. We work alongside a range of community resources in the public, private and voluntary sector and always try to work in partnership with patients and their families or carers to identify personal goals.

The CMHT also includes Assertive Outreach support for adults with severe and enduring mental health problems, who have difficulty engaging with services, have repeat admissions to hospital and often have additional issues such as substance abuse, social isolation and homelessness. This client group is often at high risk of exploitation, self-neglect, self- injurious behaviour, and occasionally of aggression to others.

The key aims of the CMHT are to:

• Improve engagement with a range of community services including leisure and vocational services in order to promote positive relationships with patients and carers
• Promote stability within the lives of patients and their carers
• Promote social functioning and quality of life for patients by working to keep people at home, hence promoting the principles of recovery and social inclusion
• Offer meaningful engagement with patients and promote recovery
• Give advice on the management of mental health problems by other professionals; in particular advice to GPs
• Provide treatment and care for those who can benefit from specialist support
• Provide treatment and care for those with more complex and enduring needs
• Safeguard vulnerable adults and children from all forms of abuse and to preserve the rights and choices of individuals to take positive risks.