Services

We offer assessment and treatment for children up to and including 12 years of age, who have a an established or suspected mental health disorder which requires a period of intensive assessment and/or treatment. Referrals will be accepted from Tier 3 CAMHS services.

Our unit works closely with parents or carers to understand their child's needs, the impact of the child’s difficulties on other people around the child, and the effect of those changes upon the family on the child.

Treatment at Acorn Lodge is based around a weekly, five-day model, allowing the child to spend evenings and weekends home. This model is very important for both the child and the family to help minimise the time away from home, and also to undertake interventions within a community setting. Following assessment, children will be offered a six to eight week programme to engage in education and access one to one therapeutic support from nursing staff and multi-disciplinary team colleagues.

The education and clinical teams will provide a package of care which best meets the child’s holistic needs and one that can be continued in the community. Our staff are from a variety of specialist backgrounds, including child psychiatry, clinical psychology, nursing, social work and occupational therapy.

Education is provided on site by specialist teaching staff at the Maudsley and Bethlem Hospital School

From Friday 13 January 2023, the National adult ADHD & ASD outpatient clinic and the National adult ADHD & ASD Psychology Service (NAAAPS) are temporarily closed to new national referrals for an initial period of 6 months. Any referrals sent following this time will not be processed or kept on file. This decision is being reviewed regularly. Unfortunately we do not as yet have a date as to when we will be receiving new ADHD and ASD referrals again. Please contact your local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) for information on local services available.

Please note we remain open to local referrals from Lambeth, Lewisham, Croydon, Southwark (via A&L) and Bromley, Greenwich, Bexley (via Oxleas). We also remain open to new referrals requesting medical reviews and follow ups for patients with an established diagnosis of a genetic disorder associated with an established behavioural phenotype, for example, 22q 11 deletion syndrome.

We continue to experience an extremely high volume of referrals which unfortunately is resulting in delays in processing. We are working as quickly as possible and appreciate your patience during this time.

Please contact your local teams for access to talking therapies and/or mental health support as required. The Autism Act (2009), NHS Long Term Plan (2019) and other policy and best practice documents clearly state that individuals with autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions should be seen within mainstream services, with ‘reasonable adjustments’ made, wherever possible.

Examples of helpful ‘reasonable adjustments’ for autistic individuals receiving talking therapies can be found in the National Autistic Society and MIND guide here

A range of helpful books on offering CBT for ADHD have been published.

Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for ADHD in Adolescents and Adults (2012) by Susan Young and Jessica Bramham

Mastering Your Adult ADHD: A Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Program, Therapist Guide (2 ed.) by Steven A. Safren, Susan E. Sprich, Carol A. Perlman, and Michael W. Otto

If you are struggling to get support you may wish to contact your local Patient Advisory and Liaison Service.

The Croydon Adult Personality Disorder Service is a specialist multidisciplinary psychotherapy service providing psychotherapeutic treatment for people with moderate to severe personality disorder across Tiers 1-3 of the mental health services in Croydon.

We provide consultation, assessment and treatment programme, for patients presenting with emotionally unstable personality disorder (and other associated personality difficulties). The Tier 3 day hospital service is aimed at people who have frequent service contacts, previous unsuccessful treatment of their condition and need a high level of psychiatric and psychotherapy intervention.

To reach this patient group we in-reach to the Croydon inpatient wards to offer consultation, assessment and a pathway to accessing psychotherapeutic treatment for those it would benefit. We aim to help reduce the length of stay in hospital for those who are willing to engage in therapy. For people whose level of risk is too high for a community treatment we can complete assessments to screen for suitability for a Tier 4 personality disorder inpatient treatment.

For these patients we work towards providing an alternative to hospital admission. We can also care co-ordinate the patients in the tier 3 service and specifically focus on supporting the safe transition between services.

In addition, we offer tier 2 level treatments including an intensive outpatient programme and a lower intensity outpatient treatment as well as an open access community based group known as the Sun Project (tier 1).

The Sun Project, (a self-referral, crisis and coping skills group) in central Croydon provides a service that is readily accessible to those previously excluded from psychiatric services or conventional out-patient psychotherapy.

All tiers of our service aim to help people build a life worth living, promote recovery, improve social and interpersonal functioning, and increase the appropriate use of other statutory and voluntary sector services.

All therapy is being delivered via Microsoft Teams at present due to safety restrictions required during the Covid 19 pandemic
 

ART provides nursing, residential and specialist care placements for people, aged 18-65, who have recently moved to independent living.

We provide care co-ordination, specialist assessment and rehabilitation services for people who live in the Borough of Lambeth. Where necessary we also provide clinical care for non-Lambeth residents who have been placed within the borough, as well as social care for people who have moved to more independent, out of borough placements.

Our team includes health and social care professions, including nurses, occupational therapists, psychologists, social workers, support workers and psychiatrists.

We promote the recovery of people who require care and support in a residential setting.

• Suspected or diagnosed ASD, including autism and Asperger's syndrome.
• ASD and additional mental health problems, including obsessive compulsive disorder, psychosis, depression and anxiety.
• Suspected chromosomal abnormalities or single gene disorders, including 22q deletion and fragile X syndrome.
• ASD and behaviour that challenges.
• Other behavioural phenotypes of significant genetic origin.

We offer a one-stop appointment to all outpatients who require diagnostic assessment. This includes feedback on the day, which is particularly useful for those who travel long distances.

Our team includes internationally renowned clinicians. Our staff hold the world's biggest grant for research into autism and have won the NHS Innovation of the Year award. We use person centred approaches, helping patients to improve their coping skills and daily living abilities according to individual need. We work closely with families and local teams to support patients in their local communities.
**We are not currently offering face to face appointments to ensure the safety of patients and staff. Appointments are being offered virtually. For patients who are unable to take part in a virtual appointment, please be assured you will remain on our waiting list until it is safe to resume face to face appointments.**