Referrals are made via community CAMHS teams.
The Centre treats young people with acute and severe forms of mental illness. These include major mood disorders, psychosis, complex neuropsychiatric disorders, eating disorders, severe obsessive compulsive disorders and borderline personality disorders.
In addition to admissions for assessment and treatment of acutely unwell young people presenting with a broad range of symptoms, we also offer five clearly defined care pathways. These are:
1. Psychosis and Bipolar Disorder including patients with severely disturbed behaviour, requiring consideration of complex pharmacological issues, or initiation of Clozapine.
2. Eating Disorders We offer tube feeding, have paediatric nurses on the staff and treat young people detained under the Mental Health Act.
3. Complex Neuropsychiatric Disorders including young people with Learning Disability and Autism presenting with possible emerging psychiatric disorders in the context of severely challenging behaviours who may also require admission to our Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).
4. Young people with Borderline Personality Disorder with severely challenging or high risk behaviours, who may also require admission to our PICU.
Our service provides care for young people who present with severe or complex mental health difficulties. Some young people may already be known to community CAMHS but may require an inpatient admission to provide more intensive assessment and treatment.
We provide a holistic approach to assessment and treatment. We have an extensive multidisciplinary team including doctors, nurses, OTs, psychologists, family therapists, art and drama therapists, social workers, a fitness instructor, a dietician and education. Each young person will receive a comprehensive assessment, leading to a bespoke individual care and treatment plan. We work closely with other agencies such as community CAMHS, Social Care, Education, Youth Offending Teams, General Hospitals and adult services.
We work with a recovery model whereby we involve young people and their carers and families from the outset in the care they receive. The length of admission can vary depending on the young person’s needs. Adolescence is a time of considerable developments in a young person’s life and we aim to reintegrate them back to their families and schools as soon as possible.
Interventions
We offer a broad range of interventions including:
• Highly specialised Psychiatric assessments and treatment
• Specialised psychology assessments and individual therapy including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mentalisation, Occupational Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Art and Drama Therapy
• A rich therapeutic group programme comprising of sessions on psychoeducation, healthy lifestyle, social skills, creative activities, sports and leisure activities
• Systemic and Family Therapy and parenting support
• On-site education managed by Newham Education and providing an extensive range of subjects to suit a variety of abilities. Our teaching staff liaise closely with each young person’s own school or college with the aim of successfully reintegrating the young person back into education in the community by the time of discharge
• Effective liaison, discharge and aftercare planning in collaboration with the community teams starting from the point of admission
There are 3 Consultant Psychiatrists in the service. Each young person is allocated a Consultant Psychiatrist who will meet with the young person and family on admission and will lead on reviewing their care during admission.
There are Consultant Clinics twice weekly where young people have the opportunity to speak with their consultant and discuss their care plans.