Sheffield Early Intervention Service

Sheffield Early Intervention Service started at the beginning of 2001. It serves the North East sector of Sheffield (population 120,000).

The team comprises one CPN full-time, one Social Worker full-time, Qualified Project Worker 0.6 wte, Clinical Psychologist 0.3 wte, Consultant Psychiatrist 0.1 wte, Specialist Registrar 0.1 wte, Development Worker 0.2 wte. We also have input from a Nurse Tutor from Sheffield University, a Senior House Officer and an Occupational Therapist.

We work 9am -5pm Monday to Friday and within the limits of our resources try to use an assertive outreach approach to work with young people aged 16 and 35 with a year or less history of psychosis or suspected psychosis. The team provides a range of therapeutic interventions including:

• Assertive engagement strategies
• Structured PSI assessment
• Recovery group
• Social support group
• Relapse prevention / minimisation strategies
• Psychoeducation for client and family
• Structured anxiety management
• Support for early (re) entry to vocational services
• Cognitive behavioural strategies for improved symptom management / relaxation / mood
• Medical review

The team was started initially with funding from Sheffield Health Action Zone with support from Community Health Sheffield NHS Trust. However we have now been successful in obtaining a guarantee of continued funding by Community Health Sheffield and have started the process of planning for services across Sheffield which it is envisaged will come on line in 2003.

(North East Sheffield was chosen to pilot the approach in the trust as it is an area of particular social depravation and our aims clearly fit with those of the HAZ - improving equitable uptake of health services, systematically attacking the root causes of ill health and promoting independence, particularly in localities of special need.)

As well as clinical work the team also is spending significant time to provide training and education for 3 main groups:

1. Mental health services staff
2. GP's and primary care services
3. Educational services particularly local schools and colleges.

The team is also currently doing some work with a public relations agency to try to help raise local public awareness of mental health and psychosis particularly. (With some recent interest from local BBC)

We have felt it a particular priority to integrate well with mainstream mental health services - given frequent examples of resistance and friction in other areas. To this end we have ensured that we are based in the same accommodation as the other locality mental health services. We routinely frequently attend meetings of other teams, undertake joint working and offer clinical & other supervision to staff in the wider service.

As well as the personnel resources available, the team have access to a small therapeutic activity budget, an account with the local leisure centre enabling free use for users of the service, some computing facilities available for use of clients.

We are happy to talk to anybody about early psychosis and share our experience of the set up and running of the team and our operational policy.

Steve Day

Northlands Community Health Centre
Southey Hill
Sheffield S5 8BE

Tel: 0114 271 6241

Mobile: 07968087989

Fax: 0114 271 6214

Email: