Livewell Southwest logo

CAMHS Outreach Team

The CAMHS Outreach Team (COT) can provide the following services:

  • A specialist and intense community response to young people between the ages of 5 and 18 years whose mental health state requires an urgent response. These young people may not be previously known to CAMHS. This can be a 24 hour response or a P2:7 day response according to clinical need and risk.
  • A full psycho-social assessment to children and young people who have presented via Derriford Hospital Emergency Department within 24 hours, once they have been declared medically fit.
  • Acute assessment and treatment in the community of young people between the ages of 5 and 18 years who are currently engaged with the I-TASC team where there is acute clinical escalation that may bring the team to consider a possible inpatient admission to an adolescent psychiatric unit.

The following caveats apply:

  • Children and young people from Devon and Cornwall will be assessed and urgently referred on to the respective CAMHS team from their local area for follow up.
  • Children and young people from Plymouth will be assessed and either followed up by the CAMHS Outreach Team, referred back to I-TASC or signposted to other agencies depending on the assessment outcome.

The team provide risk assessments and management plans, intensive input in the community setting and monitoring of the young person’s mental state and also support the network around the young person. One of the functions of providing intensive support in the community is to prevent hospital admission by educating and supporting the network. This may also include monitoring of medication and liaison with doctors. An additional function of the Outreach Team is to facilitate early discharge from an inpatient unit. CAMHS Outreach Team adopts the principles of Prevention, promoting Resilience and Early Intervention. A Care Programme Approach is used for more complex cases.

Referral criteria:

Children and young people who reside in Plymouth with a Plymouth GP can be referred by any professional, this can be via letter or direct telephone contact (01752 435122). Urgent involvement (within 24 hours) will be agreed if considered appropriate by the clinical team. If the young person is not suitable for involvement with the COT team they will offer consultation with the referrer and may indicate other more appropriate services.

The team will not be able to provide a service for young people who have:

  • Severe behavioural disturbances or conduct disorder, in the absence of a treatable psychiatric disorder
  • Moderate to severe learning difficulties, in the absence of a primary diagnosis of mental health difficulties
  • A primary diagnosis of substance misuse in the absence of severe acute mental health difficulties

 

Contact

CAMHS Outreach Team
8am – 8pm, 7 days a week

Tel: 01752 435122

Useful Links

t

Survey

We would be grateful if you would complete a survey based on your experience of this service. Click here or use this QR code: