A new national service which will provide comprehensive care and support for challenging mental health patients in their own homes following discharge from hospital is being welcomed by lead clinicians and patient advocates.

Vicky Wadsworth, head of the mental health department at Roebucks solicitors in Blackburn, which acts on behalf of hundreds of patients, said “There is a huge gap in care provision that this service can help fill.

Health service outreach teams are desperately overstretched and cannot provide the sustained intensive treatment and rehabilitation support that many patients require. In some cases, this means that patients cant be moved on into the community and so remain confined in secure facilities unnecessarily.”

Dr Christopher Findlay, a leading community psychiatrist working in Runcorn, said “There are limits to what Community Mental Health Teams can provide. There are also limited inpatient beds. Any service that offers to work alongside established NHS services to provide intensive safe alternatives to inpatient care is to be welcomed, particularly those that are individually tailored and committed to improved outcomes and the safe social inclusion of patients with mental health difficulties. Working alongside and not replacing existing services is an advantage for responsible clinicians who hope to establish a long term relationship through the journey towards recovery.”

The service from Gray Healthcare provides sustained support for people who may or may not have been sectioned under the Mental Health Act but who typically have a history of admission, medication and treatment, discharge and readmission.

The service is designed to build self esteem and independence. Patients will be helped to obtain their own tenancy and will then benefit from appropriate support provided by a multidisciplinary team including psychiatric nursing, occupational therapy and psychological services.

The majority of patients being referred to the new service are those being considered for discharge from hospital by their responsible clinician under a Community Treatment Order (CTO). This means that the Gray Healthcare clinical team will work closely with NHS staff to create a bespoke care, support and treatment package, tailored to meet the needs and safety of the individual.

Jonathan Gray, Chief Executive of Gray Healthcare says “The Mental Health Act requires us to care for people in the least restrictive environment that is possible and our aim is to help those who have suffered mental illness move from a secure hospital/rehabilitation setting into their own homes with the full range of support necessary to do this safely and successfully. Our goal is a safe and sustainable return to living in the community.”

SANE Australia launches a new website itsallright.org to support the half a million Australian teenagers affected by mental illness in their family.

Executive Director of SANE Australia Barbara Hocking says, this is often the untold story of mental illness the impact on teenagers who have a brother, sister or parent with a mental illness such as depression, schizophrenia, bipolar or an anxiety disorder.

These teenagers are a high risk group theyre not only managing the confusion and powerlessness of a family members mental illness but, without support, are also more likely to experience mental illness themselves. This can be a vicious circle that can be difficult to escape. Many may feel they are the only ones this is happening to and that they cannot ask for help.

itsallright.orgaims break this cycle by giving control back to teenagers through information and reassurance. The website centres on the stories of four teenagers, told through online diary entries, who have a family member with a mental illness. The website also provides factsheets and podcasts about mental illness and treatment as well as an online helpline for teenagers to ask their own questions or seek support.

Ms Hocking says, itsallright.org aims to help these teenagers regain control and feel less isolated. The website was built specifically for teenagers and has been designed to help them access the information they want, in a format they want.

A recent study* by the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that one in five Australians had a mental disorder within a oneyear period, leading SANE to estimate that half a million teenagers are managing the impact of the mental illness of a brother, sister or parent every year.

The impact on teenagers with mental illness in the family can be profound often leaving them feeling distressed and isolated. They often experience confusion, loneliness, shame, embarrassment, or guilt. Their home life may be impacted by poverty, periods of homelessness or the hospitalisation for their relative.

Features of itsallright.org

A key feature of the service is the stories of four teenagers with a family member affected by mental illness Sarah, Rani, Jenna and Brett. The characters are based on the reallife experience of teenagers who helped create the site.

An online helpline for teenagers to ask questions about mental illness and related topics

Factsheets on everything from antidepressants to suicide prevention, cannabis and psychosis; family support to treatment and recovery

Podcasts which provide information about the full range of mental health problems and treatment.

* National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing Summary of Results, 2007 (Australian Bureau of Statistics)