Older People's Mental Health Team
The older people’s mental health team provides a specialist community mental health service to people who are struggling with mental health difficulties in later life. The team has community mental health nurses, occupational therapists, psychologists, support workers and medics.
The team offers assessment of mental health problems in later life which usually include psychological, social, and physical components. The team will assess an individual’s needs and build an individualised care plan suited to their current needs. These interventions may include psychosocial interventions to help with the management of anxiety and depression, advice and monitoring around mental health issues, specific therapies for management of later life mental health difficulties, and outpatient reviews. The team works closely with external partners and community resources and may signpost individuals to external and third sector organisations as appropriate.
If you are referred to mental health services from your GP you will initially be seen by a member of staff from the Single Point of Access Team. They will assess your needs and refer you to the Barnsley older people’s mental health team if this is found to be appropriate. Once we’ve received the referral you will be allocated a mental health worker who will work out a plan of care with you to meet your individual needs.
Support offered
- Assessment of mental health
- Psychological interventions
- Risk management
- Anxiety management
- Medication management
- Psycho-social intervention
- Liaison with other services
- Psychiatric medical review
- Outpatients appointments
- Regular reviews
- Environmental assessment
- Capacity assessments
- Education
- Social skills
- Recreational activity
- Recovery work
- Light therapy treatment is offered for those service users who experience seasonal affective disorder
- Hearing device are also offered to improve communication with service users who are hard of hearing
Accessing the service
- Tel: 01226 644770
Base: Wombwell Clinic, Summer Lane, Wombwell, S73 3QH
Hours: Monday- Friday 8.30am-6.30pm
Referral guidelines
Referral criteria:
The Single Point of Access (SPA) team accepts all external referrals to the service and can be accessed via general practitioners. SPA is an integrated team (with an older adult specialist nurse undertaking majority of older adult referrals) within the core pathway and will undertake screening, triage and initial assessments. Appointments will be prioritised on need and initial contact can range between the same day and up to 14 days after the receipt of the referral. Urgent referrals will be triaged and assessed within 72 hours. Following initial assessment the service user will be either:
- Transferred to IHBTT for a crisis (within4 hours) assessment
- Treated within the ageing and needs led core or enhanced pathway
- Signposted to external agencies
- Discharged from secondary mental health services
On receipt of the referral from SPA, it is discussed in our weekly team meeting and allocated to a worker who will make contact and arrange to visit to start negotiating a treatment plan.
Updated: February 2025
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Clinical support group
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Brain and mental health
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Cancer, Palliative Care, Pain and Older People
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Clinical support area
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Service type
- Mental health
- Care of the elderly
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ProviderSouth West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust - Mental Health Services
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Telephone01226 644770
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