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Services > Service Structures

Service Structures

People with mental health problems can have their illnesses managed by:

• GP - will have done some training in psychiatry and will have a basic understanding of common mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and OCD.

• Secondary mental health services & primary care - more complex problems such as psychosis, and severe problems with high risk e.g. serious suicide attempts.

 

Secondary mental health services are referred people from various places:

• GP

• Self referral

• Medical or surgical specialities

• A&E

• Police

• Social services

 

Secondary mental health services work as a multi-disciplinary team:

 

• Social Workers

Often an approved mental health practitioner (AMHP) who is trained as a social worker and has undergone special training to becoming involved in the application of the mental health act.

 

• Recovery Support Workers

Focus directly on the needs of service users, working across boundaries of care, organisation and role. They will provide support, give time to the service user, and thus promote their recovery.

 

• Doctors

Consultant Psychiatrist, Trainee Psychiatrists, GP Trainee, Foundation Year Doctors.

 

• Community Nurses

Nurses who train in mental health and have chosen to work in the community, where they provide therapeutic contact on an outpatient basis and conduct home visit. In comparison to other community staff by their background they can offer more biomedical treatments, such as administering medication and taking physical observations.

 

• Inpatient Nurses

Nurses who train in mental health and have chosen to work on inpatient wards. Their work is based on the ward, with providing therapeutic contact with patient, observing their progress, administering medication, faciliating leave and dealing with any acute disturbances on the unit.

 

• Clinical Psychologists

Offer a range of psychological therapies for patients who have treatmend need which are above the remit of primary care psychology.

 

• Occupational Therapists

Offer assessments and practical interventions based on the goals of the patient and their level of functioning. These may involve practical skills based interventions in group or individual format as well as offering opinions on appropriateness longer term pratical management for chronic difficulties.