Address
163 Durham Road
Stockton-on-Tees
TS19 0AE
Telephone
(Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm)
Out-of-hours contact
If you need out-of-hours support contact your GP or call one of the following teams:
Intensive community liaison team: 01642 368900
Emergency duty team: 08702 402994
Crisis resolution team: 01642 524714
About our service
The community mental health team, CMHT, is an integrated service made up of a number of professionals from health and social care, supported by linked professionals as detailed below.
Referral to the team and first visit
You will be referred to the team for specialist support and treatment in relation to issues around your mental health.
The team will arrange to see you, where possible in advance, at a time and place convenient to you. It is helpful if your main carer is present for this, but if you would rather they weren’t you can refuse your permission. All team members carry photographic identification badges that will be shown on arrival.
Initially, we will visit to complete a screening assessment. We will also discuss your present mental health needs and how we may be able to help. We will also give your carer the opportunity to discuss their own support needs in relation to the support they offer you.
All information provided by you and your carer is considered confidential. On initial contact, we will ask your permission to share this information with the wider care team. This means that your mental health needs can be discussed and met by the most appropriate person. (See leaflet L483 – Your health and social care record).
Carers can request a separate assessment of their own needs. An assessment can be requested at any time by speaking to professionals from the community mental health team or contacting: Stockton’s Sanctuary Supported Living Carers Service, Tel. 0800 917 0204.
Following assessment you will be referred to other agencies as needed and will be given a care plan detailing your support needs.
Community team members you may have contact with
- CMHT team lead – registered mental health nurse (RNMH)
- senior social worker
- advance nurse practitioner
- memory service team
- community mental health nurse
- social worker
- occupational therapist
- support worker
- psychiatrist
- associated members of the medical team
- clinical psychologist.
Assessment
The initial assessment period may take up to six weeks. During this time, a member of the team will visit you at home or a place of your choice and will work with you to:
- complete a comprehensive assessment of your health and social needs
- work with you and your carer to agree appropriate therapy plans and treatment goals aimed at regaining your normal level of activity and wellbeing
- offer psychological support, advice and information
- monitor medication compliance, maintaining contact with your GP as needed
- liaise with other members of the mental health service and social support agencies on your behalf ( if needs are identified during contact)
- provide the opportunity for a confidential assessment for your carer in relation to their support needs – this may include creating a care plan documenting any supportive interventions and offering ongoing support.
The support we provide will depend upon your mental health needs and how you progress until you are well.
What happens after your first assessment by the team?
Your current situation and identified needs will be discussed within the wider multi-disciplinary team and we will consider how to offer you appropriate support.
If we feel we can offer you support we will discuss different options with you and your carer.
A member of the team will co-ordinate a period of further assessment and support.
If a different agency would be more suited to your needs, we will discuss this with you and make the appropriate referral.
You may need ongoing input from the CMHT in relation to your memory or mental health problems. Your care will be delivered based on the latest treatment evidence and care pathways. You will be involved in all stages and decisions about your care and treatment plans. This may include attending:
- the outpatient clinic at Lustrum Vale, Durham Road
- memory clinic venues,
- home visits
- or meeting at a place of your choice.
Ongoing support
The CMHT works with other agencies to offer service users and carers a wide range of support services, training programmes and activities to promote well-being. Information about this will be offered at your initial assessment. We will also advise you of any other opportunities that may arise during review appointments.
Longer term support and discharge
Following the period of assessment, if your mental health needs (or associated issues) have been addressed, you will be discharged back into the care of your GP.
If you require longer term support, a meeting will be held with you, your carer and others involved in your care. Here your treatment and support needs will be discussed.
After this meeting, your care co-ordinator will give you a printed care plan and record of the review. Your care plan will be centred on your individual needs and circumstances and will:
- tell you who is involved in your care
- what they will be doing to help you
- and record useful contact telephone numbers.
Further meetings will be held when necessary (at least once every six months) to ensure you are fully involved in decision making about your care.
We record the outcome of the meeting using the care programme approach (CPA) system. (See leaflet L404 – Care Programme Approach).
When you are well again and no longer need our support, you will be discharged back to your GP’s care.
Please make a note of the contact numbers for our team and remember that you, or your carer (with your permission) can contact the team at any point in the future to discuss changes in your support needs or answer any questions you may have. You can do this even if you have been discharged from the team and we will work with you to address the issue or direct you to the appropriate service.
Contact a team member
You will be given an allocated team member.
You can contact the team by calling 01642 737321, Monday – Friday (9am – 5pm).
Accessing information
We appreciate that sometimes service users and carers can be overwhelmed by information given. To make sure we provide you with the information you need when you need it, we will offer you an information prescription.
You will be able to choose as much or as little information as you want at that time and read it at your leisure. At your next appointment, you can discuss anything you have read that you don’t understand, or discuss other things that you have concerns about.
We also offer a list of:
- All adult social services leaflets on the Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council website.
- Alzheimer’s Society factsheets on the Alzheimer’s Society website.
Please ask if there is anything you do not understand in the information given to you.
Get involved and make a difference
As a service user or carer you are an expert by experience and your views and personal experiences are valuable to help us to shape and improve our services.
(See leaflet L429 How to get involved and make a difference)
Friends and family test
You will be asked to complete the Friends and family test after your appointment with the team. The test is anonymous and asks if you would recommend the team/service to a relative or friend if they needed care or treatment.
L589 V9, 07/12/2023 (Archive: 06/12/2026)
