The Primary Care Mental Health Team will offer help to people experiencing mild to moderate common mental health problems, where the condition impacts on the person’s life in such a manner that it affects their ability to manage their lives (sleeping; looking after others, going to work or college; managing the home), or their physical health or sense of well being is impaired.
Criteria for accepting people on for Primary Care Mental Health services
- Where people’s Mental Health difficulties have not recovered following a period of watchful waiting by their GP.
- The presence of mild to moderate Mental Health problems with moderate risk of harm to self or others, that require intervention from a Mental Health professional
- Mental Health problems may include depression, anxiety, phobias, anger management problems, OCD, stress related to recent trauma, bereavement, eating disorders and self-harm.
- Tameside and Glossop registered resident.
- Aged 16 and over.
Criteria for excluding people from Primary Care Mental Health services
People who experience severe and enduring mental health problems will require referral to the Specialist Mental Health Services. For example: severe psychiatric problems requiring urgent action or ongoing psychiatric problems leading to serious loss of function. The single point of entry for secondary care mental health services (Access and Liaison Team) is 0161 331 5324
The following services can be accessed from the Primary Care Mental Health Team’s Access point
- Gateway Worker
- Mental Health Worker
- Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
- Counselling
- Computerised Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Depression and Anxiety (Beating the Blues and Fear Fighter)
Gateway Workers will manage this new single point of entry, with the aim of guiding people to the most appropriate help.
Referrals to the Primary Care Mental Health Team (including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) and Counselling Services will be managed by the Integrated Referral Scheme with the aim of improving the quality of access to Mental Health Services for people in the community served by primary care.
Gateway Workers, who are experienced Mental Health Practitioners, will manage the Access Point. They will provide community triage, to enable and strengthen people’s access to the most convenient and appropriate help.
Matching the needs of people to the most appropriate service will be facilitated by the implementation of the Stepped Care Model (NICE Guidelines 2004).
All referrals must initially be made by the GP so please visit your GP if you would like to access help from the Primary Care Mental Health Services, and the GP can refer you or a friend or relative to the service.
All of the listed services are provided within either GP surgeries or health centres.
If more information is needed about the service, or if advice is needed about how to access referral to the service please contact Jane Thorpe, Project Manager on 0161 351 3040