SCIE Introduction to...adult mental health services
Common terms
- Approved Mental Health Practitioner (AMHP) - AMHPs are responsible for organising and coordinating – as well as contributing to – Mental Health Act assessments. The AMHP’s role includes arranging assessments alongside two medical practitioners and interviewing the individual service user themselves.
- Assertive outreach services - The aim of these teams is to support people with high levels of need associated with severe and persistent mental health problems, who live in the community.
- Caldicott Guardian - The Caldicott Guardian is a senior healthcare professional in each NHS organisation responsible for safeguarding the confidentiality of patient information.
- Carers - Carers are those family members or adult friends who provide significant physical, social, emotional and/or practical support to the person experiencing a mental health problem. For more information, go to the Princess Royal Trust for Carers website.
- Clinical Psychologist - A mental health professional specialised in the diagnosis and psychological treatment of mental illness. In addition they can undertake a variety of activities including psychological testing, research and teaching.
- Community Mental Health Nurse - A qualified nurse providing a variety of interventions in the community, who may be a service user’s care coordinator.
- Community Mental Health Teams - Teams made up of a variety of professionals providing multidisciplinary mental health interventions in the community.
- Dual diagnosis - Refers to a combination of mental illness with another condition such as alcohol or substance misuse, or learning disability.
- Early intervention services - These teams offer specialist treatments, information and support to people experiencing their first psychotic illness.
- Forensic services - These services specialise in the assessment and treatment of people who are undergoing legal or court proceedings or who have offended.
- Home treatment teams - These teams provide an alternative to psychiatric hospital admission by providing intensive care and support to people who would otherwise need hospital care. They can also be used to reduce the length of time a person spends in hospital.
- Occupational therapists - A mental health professional who works either with an individual or with a group to promote therapies that allow service users to maintain, recover or improve activities of daily living, including an individual’s basic motor functions and reasoning abilities.
- Peri-natal services - These services provide specialist assessment and treatment for women who are pregnant or – for a defined post-birth period – are at risk of, or are experiencing a mental disorder.
- Psychiatrist - A medical doctor with specialist experience and qualifications in mental illness and emotional disorders. Psychiatrists have overall responsibility for the service user’s care and medication. Consultant psychiatrists are responsible for the teaching and development of junior medical staff.
- Psychologist - Someone with expertise in psychological therapies to help people with emotional or psychological problems.
- Psychotherapist - Someone trained in psychotherapy. They can be from any professional background, but should be registered with a professional psychotherapy organisation.
- Safeguarding adults - Safeguarding refers to work that allows an adult ‘who is or may be eligible for community services’ to retain independence, wellbeing and choice, and access their human right to live a life that is free from abuse and neglect. Local authorities must have procedures in place to ensure a multi-agency response to the reporting and investigation of adult abuse to protect ‘adults at risk’.
- Social worker - A professional and academic discipline that aims to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of the individual, family or group they are working with. They can provide interventions both in the community and inpatients wards. They may also be a care coordinator.
- Young carers - A child or young person within the family who gives care and support to a parent, sibling or other family member experiencing a mental health problem that is more than they want or can reasonably manage to give. The level of support and responsibility is inappropriate to the child’s age and development. For more information, go to the Barnardos website.
