Social care mental health teams
Mental health social care supports people with mental health difficulties and social care needs. We have the following services in Newham:
- Mental Health Adult Social Care Access Team (MHASCAT)
- Mental Health Neighbourhood Team North
- Mental Health Neighbourhood Team South
- Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHP)
Mental Health Adult Social Care Access Team
The Mental Health Adult Social Care Access Team (MHASCAT) is the single point of access for all new referrals to Adult Mental Health Social Care.
MHASCAT can:
- Provide signposting, information and advice on local mental health services
- Support access to services and resources in the community
- Undertake an initial needs assessment of people with mental health issues and their carers to establish care and support needs and any risks
- Determine people's eligibility for care and support under the Care Act
- Maximise the use of available resources to reduce further dependency on social care support
- Gather information on safeguarding concerns to determine the level of involvement needed
- Facilitate hospital discharge for residents who have mental health difficulties and are referred by Newham Centre for Mental Health
- Reduce deterioration in people's situations, and promote independence, control and wellbeing.
Contacting MHASCAT
To make a referral, contact the Mental Health Adult Social Care Access Team (MHASCAT) by emailing AdultMental.HealthAccess@newham.gov.uk or calling 020 8430 2000 option 2.
Referrals can come from anyone including:
- Self-referrals
- Friends, Family & Carers
- Members of the public
- Organisations including emergency services, charities, voluntary & third sector
- Health Services.
After acceptance of a referral, a worker will be allocated to make contact, where your care needs and support options will be explored. You may be offered an assessment under Care Act 2014 and a plan of support created to meet the individual needs (subject to Care Act criteria).
To access adult mental health social care services, you must:
- Be a resident of Newham or be subject to s117 in Newham
- Have a mental health difficulty
We will look at whether you need help to do daily tasks and if this impacts significantly on your wellbeing.
Daily tasks includes managing and maintaining:
- Nutrition
- Personal hygiene
- Toilet needs
- Being appropriately clothed
- Being able to make use of the home safely
- A habitable home environment
- Family and other personal
- Work, training, education or volunteering
- Using necessary facilities or services in the local community
- Any caring responsibilities the adult has for a child relationships.
Mental Health Enablement Team
The Mental Health Enablement service is a preventative and recovery based service helping to develop and implement an individual’s goals whilst promoting independence, choice and control. We offer intensive support for up to 6 months to enable our residents to take positive steps to maintain good mental health and wellbeing.
This intervention aims to optimise recovery by using a strengths based approach. The team works with individuals in a way that recognises that they are experts in their own lives, will have hopes and aspirations and have a range of strengths and assets. The team works with anyone aged 18 and above with mental health issues and a willingness to engage in support. Referrals come from a variety of services including ELFT, GPs, third sector organisations, self-referrals and carers, and are screened through the MHASCAT duty system.
Mental Health Neighbourhood Teams: North & South
Our Neighbourhood Teams North & South provide a longer term care management service once a commissioned care and support service is implemented, and each provides:
- Support to adults from aged 18 with a functional mental illness. We are an all-age service
- A preventative, recovery and strengths based service offering intensive, hands on long term support to enable our residents to take positive steps to maintain good mental health and wellbeing
- Working alongside someone where they may be already receiving treatment and support for a mental health issue
- Carrying out annual reviews, including people living in mental health placements and aim to support them into more independent accommodation. This includes the ability to provide follow-up support after any accommodation move to ensure the individual’s health and wellbeing is promoted.
- Support to families and carers by completing carers assessments under the Care Act
- Signposting to other local services in the community and alternative sources of support.
Approved Mental Health Professionals Service (AMHPs)
Approved mental health professionals (AMHPs) are trained to implement elements of the Mental Health Act 1983(2007) together with medical practitioners.
AMHPs are responsible for organising, co-ordinating and contributing to Mental Health Act assessments.
It is the AMHP's duty, when two medical recommendations have been made, to decide whether or not to make an application to a named hospital for the detention of the person who has been assessed.
The AMHP Service is managed by LBN and sits within LBN Mental Health Services.