Referrals

The experience of Psychosis can be very frightening and often people don’t know where to turn for help.

Why refer to the EI Team?

Referring to the EI Team

We are a specialist team and have experience and expertise in assessment and treatment of people between 14 and 64 with possible psychotic symptoms.

For individuals who meet our criteria we provide a detailed assessment with advice on diagnosis and management. Team members have specialist training in assessment and treatment of psychosis and are able to provide interventions such as cognitive therapy, family work medicines management or specialist support or activity groups.

Who do we see?

Psychosis

  • People aged between 14 and 64 who are, or might be, experiencing psychotic symptoms for the first time, whatever the cause of the symptoms (including those that are drug induced, related to mania or depression or a primary psychotic illness)
  • People who have had psychotic symptoms for some time but have never been treated

Very mild Psychosis-like experiences

These experiences are known as an “At Risk Mental State” (ARMS). That is:

  • People who have mild, or psychotic like symptoms (odd beliefs or behaviour, magical thinking, ideas of reference, paranoid ideation, perceptual disturbances) that come and go over time
  • Those who have transient psychotic symptoms that are intense but last less than a week
  • “Trait plus state” cases, i.e. those who have a family history or vulnerability, coupled with a recent change in mental state
  • We now have a specialised clinical pathway to support young people aged 14–35 who are experiencing a suspected At Risk Mental State. Please see the EDIE section of our website for more information

Referrals

Referrals will be accepted from any source: client, family, professionals and other agencies. A referral form can be downloaded from this website which can then be faxed, posted or emailed to the office. Referrals can also be made over the telephone. The service aims to respond to the referrer within 72 hours confirming receipt of the referral and the process that will be followed in dealing with it.

If the referral is accepted, the assessment will start as soon as possible and ideally within 10 working days. The time taken to complete assessments can vary depending on complexity of the case and the cooperation of the client. Assessments can be carried out in either the client’s own residence or at a suitable venue with a choice of appointment times to suit the needs of individuals.

For individuals who meet our criteria and are accepted onto caseload a care coordinator will be allocated and she/he can provide a very detailed ongoing standardised assessment, and monitor progress for up to three years. The service is resourced to provide intensive treatment; each care coordinator has a small case-load, which means that she/he has more time to devote to each client.

Reasons why we can’t see someone

  • They are not living in the Stoke, Newcastle under Lyme or Staffordshire Moorlands area
  • They are aged under 14 years of age (care for young people is provided by Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)) with close liaison and joint working.
  • They are aged over 64 years (care for this group is provided by the Older Adult Mental Health Services)
  • They have had previous treatment with antipsychotic medication of more than six months duration or they have had more than one episode of psychosis

If you wish to make a referral, download this form, fill it and post or fax it to us.

(PDF, 40KB)

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