Formulations for planned care adult mental health services

During your appointments with your key worker, they will talk to you about your life to understand what has happened and what has contributed to your mental health problems.

This leads to an understanding of different areas of your life that lead to a description of 5Ps (these are explained in the box below). We collect all this information in preparation for a formulation meeting – an initial meeting to discuss your care and recovery.

(note: we also discuss 2 more P’s during formulation: processing difficulties and plan)

We collect this information in preparation for a formulation meeting – an initial meeting to discuss your care and recovery. Formulations help us to:

• Make sense of how your life experiences may be linked to your current difficulties

• Identify factors that may be adding to your difficulties

• Create a plan to support your recovery

We have formulation meetings to decide how we might support you.

Ideally, we like patients to attend their formulation meetings, however, they can still go ahead if you do not want to attend. If you do attend, this will help us to have a shared understanding of what your goals are and what needs to be done to work towards your recovery.

What to expect at a formulation meeting

Where?

Your key worker will let you know where your formulation meeting will take place. If you are unable to get to the building, we can invite you to attend via a video call app called Virtual Visits. If you attend this way, we would appreciate it if you kept your camera on and interacted as you would if you were in the room.

How long will it take?

Formulation meetings take approximately 1 hour; however, you do not need to be present for the whole meeting.

At the start of the formulation meeting, staff from the wider team (see below) will meet so that your key worker can share the information they have gathered from their appointments with you. This allows the team to understand you and your life experience without you having to repeat this information to everyone in the formulation meeting.

Following this, after around 15 minutes, you will be invited into the formulation meeting to share your views on your current difficulties, your goals and what support you would like from the team. You will be asked questions around these so it will be helpful to think about them before the formulation meeting. Your appointment time is when you will be invited into the meeting.

Who will be there?

If you would like a carer, family member or friend to attend the meeting, please let your key worker know.

Your keyworker will be at your formulation meeting, alongside other members of the team who will help to plan your care, such as medical, nursing or psychological staff. Your keyworker will let you know in advance who will be at the meeting.

We understand that attending a meeting with professionals may be daunting. We will do what we can to ensure you feel comfortable. If you would prefer some people to step out of the meeting, that is fine – this is your meeting.

Please talk to your key worker about reasonable adjustments before the formulation. If you want your key worker to do most of the speaking then they can, but it’s important to get your view heard when planning your care.

If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to ask your key worker.

We understand that attending a meeting with professionals may be daunting. We will do what we can to ensure you feel comfortable. Please talk to your key worker about reasonable adjustments before the formulation. If you want your key worker to do most of the speaking then they can, but it is important to get your view heard when planning your care.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask your key worker.