Mental health services

Standard Care

You will get this, if:

• your assessment shows that you need some support from mental health services;
• but do not have complex needs.

CPA or Standard Care

Whether you are on CPA or Standard Care, you will have:

• an assessment of your health and social care needs (Needs Assessment);
• a copy of a written Care Plan or Statement of Care;
• a review of your care at least every year;
• the option of a Carer's Assessment for your carer;
• a named Care Co-ordinator who will keep in touch with you;
• the offer of a Personalised Budget, subject to some legal restrictions.

Your Care Co-ordinator

This is usually a nurse, social worker or Occupational Therapist (OT), but can sometimes be a Psychologist or Psychiatrist.

Their job is to make sure your Care and Support Plan is carried out and will:

• be trained in delivering mental health services;
• and have the authority to access the services you need as agreed in your Care and Support Plan.

They may not be the person you have the most contact with, but they will know what support you get. They will:

• be the most appropriate person for you;
• work with you to enable a good understanding of you and your needs.

They will also:

• make sure your cultural, language, disability and advocacy needs are met;
• show respect for you as a person and treat you with dignity;
• look at all your needs and offer you information on choices you can make about your care and support. This is to promote your control of the process where possible;
• keep in touch with you and make sure you are involved in planning your care;
• liaise with your family and other professionals who give you support (with your permission);
• make sure you understand your Care and Support Plan and who is involved in your care;
• discuss other ways of meeting your social care needs through personalised budgets;
• (where possible) involve you in the process to identify your care co-ordinator.

Your Care Plan

This states the services and support you need and who is responsible for providing them. It can also be described as a Support Plan. It is a written record of the actions and plans agreed with your Care Co-ordinator. The plan covers your:

• mental health;
• physical health;
• social circumstances (like housing, employment, friends and family);
• future plans, hopes, dreams and aspirations;
• Contingency Plan and Crisis Plan.

Your Care Plan will also consider risk. This means risks that affect you and/or ways in which you may pose a risk to other people. Your Care Plan will look at the least restrictive ways to reduce these risks. You may prefer to talk about “Safety” rather than “Risk”

You will be offered a copy of the plan and asked to sign it. Your Care Co-ordinator will also sign it. This is to show that you have agreed the care arrangements set out in the Care Plan.

Care plans will be regularly reviewed at meetings with everyone involved in your care. You can attend these, but do not have to. Every effort will be made to make sure that meetings are:

• carried out in the least stressful and most supportive way;
• at a time and place convenient to you.

You have the right to:

• be told in advance where and when the review meeting will be;
• have a friend and/or advocate attend with you or on your behalf;
• ask for a review meeting yourself at any time, if there is a change in your circumstances.

Reviews will be held at least every twelve months.

Your involvement in your Care and Support Plan

The relationship between you and your Care Co-ordinator will work best when it is a partnership, which is important.

You (and if you want, your carers) will have the chance to be involved in all the CPA stages. If you do not want to be involved, your plan can be written for you. A copy will then be sent to you.

If you wish, your family, friends, carers and advocate can be involved in Care Planning meetings. Even if you ask that they are not involved in the planning, carers have a right to know certain details. This can be when your plan directly affects them. It can be useful for carers to have a clear plan that includes who they can contact in a crisis.

Vita offer a range of short-term psychological therapies to NHS patients in Calderdale.

These are for those aged 18-years and over, who live and are registered with a GP in Calderdale.

For more details, please visit: Vita - Calderdale.

Contact

• Phone: 0333 0153 494.
• Enquiry form: Vita - Contact us.

This is for people with mental health problems that also have complex needs. Having a mental illness can make it difficult to cope with everyday situations, like:

• employment;
• accommodation;
• parenting;
• physical health;
• sexuality;
• risks around self harm/harm to others;
• vulnerability;
• financial difficulties;
• child protection;
• alcohol/drug misuse;
• Mental Health Act requirements;
• cognition (difficulties with memory/understanding);
• issues with ethnicity/culture;
• issues with child care;
• living with a Learning Disability;
• issues around getting involved with mental health services and accessing support.

We call these complex needs. If mental illness makes it difficult to manage in some of these areas you may need extra support. CPA will give the extra help you may need to manage these things.

Some people like to write down exactly how they want to be treated if they have difficulties in the future. This is called an Advanced Decision/Statement and:

• is about treatments that you do not want to have;
• they are written when you are well;
• can be included as part of your Care Programme Approach (CPA)/Standard Care.

Please tell your Care Co-ordinator if you want to make an Advanced Decision/Statement or if you already have one.

Your plan will include contingency and crisis plans, like:

• what to do when things are not going well;
• who to contact when this happens;
• what will happen if you choose not to keep an appointment.

If you get Standard Care, your plan can be in the form of a letter. This is also given to your GP and known as a clinicians' letter or statement of care.

Who gets to see all this information

All information is managed in accordance with:

• the Data Protection Act 2018;
• and local Health and Social Care guidelines on confidentiality.

What happens to your information is explained in a leaflet called 'Confidentiality and your information'. To get one:

• phone: 0800 587 2108;
• or visit: South West Yorkshire Mental Health Trust.

All health and social care professionals directly involved in your care have access to the information on your Care Plan. CPA forms will also usually be sent to your GP and to your main carer (if you agree). You have the right to disagree and this decision will normally be upheld.

At times, a worker can feel that some information is very important and should be shared with other relevant people. This can be when there:

• are risk issues;
• is a need for other professionals to be aware of the information.

Other CPA information, like your Needs Assessment, can also be shared within Mental Health Services. Other agencies may need to see assessments before they can decide whether to offer someone a place within their service. You should be made aware that this information is being shared. You may also be involved in completing the forms.

If you have concerns about your information being shared after reading the leaflet, please talk to your Care Co-ordinator. Information will not be shared without your knowledge and consent except in exceptional circumstances.

Carers

Your Care Co-ordinator will be aware of who your main carers are and the important role they play. Your carers have a right to get support and information from Mental Health Services. This right must be balanced with your right to confidentiality, as the service user.

If your carer gives substantial and regular support for you, they can be supported by:

• an assessment of their care needs, which is reviewed at least once a year;
• a carers' written Care and Support Plan, which shows the support they will get;
• being involved in the development of your Care Plan and can attend reviews. (We will usually get your consent before any information is passed to your carer);
• being advised of who to contact in a crisis and what the contingency plan is. (A contingency plan aims to stop a crisis situation from happening. A crisis plan outlines what will happen if a situation turns into an actual crisis).

Your rights

You have the right to:

• have someone suitably skilled and experienced to co-ordinate your care;
• be fully involved in all aspects of your care and have a copy of your plan or statement of care;
• bring an advocate and/or friend and/or carer to support you, taking part in all meetings and reviews;
• have access to your health care records including any assessment and care planning documentation;
• request another opinion on any aspect of your care;
• complain if you are not satisfied with any aspect of your care;
• access information about your diagnosis and medication;
• refuse your consent to proposed sharing of your information. (This can limit your treatment options);
• have your information protected in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018.