Services

• Recovery interventions, fostering independence and autonomy including interventions such as coaching, problem solving, motivational interview, etc.
• Early signs and symptoms recognition and management of symptoms
• Clozapine Initiation
• Psycho-education for Service Users and Carers
• Social support: working with service users to support them with accessing community resources, social and leisure activities
• Monitoring and ensuring physical health needs are addressed
• Appropriate Medication review and management
• Identifying substance use issues and signposting/liaising with relevant services/agencies
• Assistance/signposting to access suitable accommodation
• Signposting regarding information about Direct Payments or Advocacy Services
• Compulsory interventions using the Mental Health Act 1983
• Vocational support/signposting: assistance in accessing agencies that offer training and development opportunities such as college courses
• Carers Assessments if appropriate and support and advice for carers

• Mental illness
• Psychological disorders (same as mainstream psychological services)
• Significant challenging behaviour

The trust provides specialist multidisciplinary mental health services to adults with learning disabilities who present with these difficulties and whose needs cannot be adequately met by Adult Mental Health Services (with support from MHLD). These services are delivered via partnerships with Guys & St Thomas' NHS Trust, Social Services and the four CCGs, and other agencies to enable people to remain in their local communities.

2. Purpose
The B&D CAG aims to ensure that high quality evidence based care is available and accessible to people with a learning disability that have mental health problems and that best possible clinical outcomes are available. We aim to develop and provide a specialist service in line with the draft service model for commissioners of health and social care services 'Supporting people with a learning disability and / or autism who have a mental health condition or display behaviour that challenges' July 2015

Service focus:

• To work with those with the most complex needs who need a specialist MHLD service, and doing this in partnership with the wider MDT, the person and their support network
• Working with other services to make reasonable adjustments by sharing our expertise through consultation, training and education
• Focus on prevention and helping people to stay well in their local community
• Being responsive at times of crisis

3. Responsibilities
Within the wider trust services, the provision of mental health care for people with a learning disability who have a mental illness is a responsibility of all professionals, not the sole responsibility of specialist MHLD teams (Greenlight Toolkit GLTK).

• Service Directors
• Operational Leads
• Professional Groups
• Clinical Teams

Important notice

The Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) will be closed from 2 December 2022 until the end of March 2023 for refubishment work.

During this time period if you need to make a referral please see the national MBU website for the nearest mother and baby unit: www.nhswebbeds.co.uk
 
Alternatively, you can contact the ward manager June Judd if you if you require advice on making a mother and baby unit referral: June.judd@slam.nhs.uk

We specialise in the treatment of antenatal and postnatal illnesses. Our service is for women who develop a mental illness or have a relapse of serious mental illness during pregnancy, and women who have developed postnatal depression, post partum psychosis or have had a relapse of serious mental illness following the birth of their baby.

We support the mother in developing a relationship with her infant in order to reduce the impact of the mother's illness on the child. We offer a holistic treatment programme, and encourage the involvement of fathers or partners in the process. We admit with babies where it is the wish of the mother and it is clinically safe to do so. We are also able to take mothers without their babies, and offer a programme of gradual reintroduction to the mother on the ward. We also have an inpatient parenting assessment service, providing a unique and highly specialised service to local and national authorities across the United Kingdom. We undertake assessment of women or couples and their infant, where there is potential risk or safeguarding issues arising from the parents' mental health problems.

Our team is committed to providing cost-effective, evidence based treatments that reduce risk, establish a relationship between mother and baby, and prepares them for a lasting return to the community. We work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, where there is a perinatal section headed by a world renowned expert psychiatrist, who leads many of our staff in carrying out research of international significance.
 

• Local authority Children's Social Care departments and partner agencies.
• Clinical Commissioning groups and NHS Trusts
• Children's Trusts
• Voluntary organisations
• Health Boards (N Ireland)

Our outcomes include:

• Successful partnership work with over 30 local authorities, voluntary organisations, and health providers since 2008
• Provision of high-quality training and consultation in the UK
• Promoting stability for children and young people with over 90% of children able to remain safely at home.
• Improved parenting skills and mental health for parents
• Reduced offending and at-risk behaviours by young people