Mental Health Services for Older People
Hertfordshire Partnership Trust provides a range of services for older people with mental health needs across most of the county. Older people have similar mental health needs to adults of working age, although some illnesses are more prevalent within older people, such as dementia. Services are, therefore, provided in a different way to those of younger people in order to take account of additional needs brought about through ageing.
The services provided by the Trust aim to:
- Recognise the dignity of individual service users
- Respect the values and diversity of service users and carers and incorporate their views into planning and developing services
- Provide consistently high quality and comprehensive packages of care appropriate to individual needs
- Make sure the best and most effective treatments are widely and consistently available
- Are open to all and respond on the basis of need, not age.
Mental Health Services for Older People (MHSOP) which are provided by the Trust includes social care staff as part of integrated Specialist Mental Health Teams for Older People. All our teams are experienced at working closely with other agencies and organisations to ensure older people receive care which is appropriate and effectively co-ordinated. To assist with this approach, the Trust utilises the Single Assessment Process (SAP) and the Care Programme Approach (CPA) to provide person-focussed care and effective sharing of information between all parties.
All of the staff who work within Mental Health Services for Older People, whether it is in a community setting or an inpatient ward, have specific skills appropriate to this service user group. All services aim to treat older people with dignity and respect and to provide care in an individualised manner based upon assessed needs.
Mental Health Services for Older People liaise closely with services for Adults of Working Age, in order that there is a smooth transition from one service to another for service users who continue to require mental health care as they grow older. People who are over 65 years old presenting with a new illness will be referred straight to Mental Health Services for Older People. MHSOP also provides services for adults of working age with dementia.
Early Memory Diagnosis and Support Service
In January 2011 the Trust launched a new support service for people who think they may have memory problems; it is already available through GPs in St Albans and Dacorum and from April 2011 will also operate in East Hertfordshire.
By the end of September 2011 the new service will be available through GPs in all parts of Hertfordshire
It is known as the Early Memory Diagnosis and Support Service (EMDASS), and takes forward the NHS National Dementia Strategy.
The new service will provide an assessment for people who have concerns about possible memory problems, and support for those who need it.
If you feel you have a problem with your memory on a daily basis, maybe other people have commented on this - or perhaps you know someone who is experiencing difficulties with their memory. This new service will help support people to find out why this could be happening and develop ways to cope with the memory problems.
