To receive a verbal update from Angela Morris.

The Deputy Director of Health and Adult Social Care gave a presentation to Members on Mental Health Services. She informed Members that mental health problems represented the biggest single cause of disability in the UK, and that one in four adults experience a diagnosable condition each year. She said that in the Royal Borough 2,350 people are projected to have dementia by 2020 and 19,000 are projected to have a mental health problem.

The Deputy Director of Health and Adult Social Care informed Members that this was a designated year for mental health services and it was a priority area for the Council. Prevention and early intervention, allowing 24 hour access to services, challenging stigmatism and emphasising recovery rates were all considered priorities. The Deputy Director of Health and Adult Social Care also outlined the services currently available to clients.

The Deputy Director of Health and Adult Social Care reminded Members that the Community Mental Health Team and the Older People’s Mental Health Team, which was provided jointly by the Council and the BHFT, provided a multidisciplinary service that aimed to support people with ongoing and serious mental ill health and enable them to lead as fulfilling a life as possible. The Deputy Director of Health and Adult Social Care said that under the integrated care programme service users would be given agreed care and risk management plans and a named care coordinator. The Deputy Director of Health and Adult Social Care outlined the makeup of the integrated team. Susanna Yeomans outlined to Members the services that were provided, and stated that staff were trained to consider a patient’s mental health and social care needs together.

Susanna Yeomans said there had been five GP-led Crisis referrals within the Royal Borough in January and February, all of which had been attended to within the four hour target time. She said there had also been a 100 per cent success rate in responding to Urgent referrals within 24 hours. In February the Early Intervention Psychosis service had referred 90 per cent of clients for treatment within the two week target timeframe. The Memory Clinic was assessing 90 per cent of its clients within six weeks, ahead of the target of 70 per cent.

Susanna Yeomans informed Members that assessments for clients seeking Employment and Support Allowance could be very stressful for some service users, which then had a detrimental impact on their presentation at the assessment. She said that social workers could be provided for clients attending assessments as some of them involved travelling significant distances, leading to an increase in anxiety levels. Support was also provided for clients to assist them filling out application forms for ESA.

Members were informed that two case studies had been provided in the agenda to give them an idea of the services provided and the impacts on users.

Cllr Jones asked who was responsible for triaging patients and determining if they should be considered, for example, a Crisis or Urgent referral. Susanna Yeomans said that individual GPs were tasked with making the determinations and assessments, as there were no set guidelines on what constituted a Crisis. The triage for patients identified as being a Crisis or Urgent referral was then carried out within the CPE. The Deputy Director of Health and Adult Social Care said that staff were being trained so they would know which patients might require a full assessment or a visit from a specialist.

Cllr Jones asked what support there was to support clients through the ESA application process. Susanna Yeomans said that the Trust operated a Crisis Resolution Service across Berkshire, which would make clients aware of additional services that would be available to them. The Deputy Director of Health and Adult Social Care suggested that the Council’s Ways Into Work programme could be highlighted to clients.

Cllr Lenton queried the statistic that one in four adults would be diagnosed with a mental health disorder each year, and asked if there was a further breakdown of information relating to age and severity of condition. Susanna Yeomans said the data had been calculated over a number of years. She said the figures included cases of severe mental health illness that the Trust’s service teams would have had presented to them, but they also included more common conditions such as anxiety, depression and stress-related disorders. She said that the majority of cases would be managed through Primary Care.

Cllr Jones asked for clarification on the transition process for clients moving from Children’s Services to Adult Services. Susanna Yeomans said there had been greater training in place to identify which clients would be suited to a transition and then beginning the process earlier, during the client’s teenage years. She said that the clients’ families would have a greater involvement in the process in order to prepare for the transition and ensure that they have a greater amount of support. The Deputy Director of Health and Adult Social Care said that the service had been reviewed around a year and a half ago and additional support and a more careful assessment of users' needs was now included. However it was hoped that services could be expanded even further. Susanna Yeomans said that additional investment in specialist services – such as early intervention and home treatment – had been received over the last year, which had been welcomed.

Cllr Airey asked for clarification on assessing health and safety risks. The Deputy Director of Health and Adult Social Care said there were statutory guidelines that would be consulted as part of making any assessment. She said that statutory forum groups provided advice on these matters. Susanna Yeomans said there was good local representation on many of these forums, including NAPA, which had close links to the police and other partner agencies that could provide support. She said that there was a clear emphasis on ensuring people with mental ill health were treated with the same degree of respect and urgency as a patient with a physical health condition.

Cllr Lenton asked for confirmation that targets in relation to response times were being met. Susanna Yeomans said the targets had been met for Crisis and Urgent responses. Cllr Lenton asked for full details relating to response times to be included in future reports.