Ground-breaking rehab pilot set to benefit people with a serious mental illness | News and events

Improved support for people in Norfolk with a serious mental illness will be provided by a new team from April .

The 22-strong Rehabilitation Team will provide wrap-around support for people with treatment-resistant psychosis.

The team includes occupational therapists, specialist nurses, social workers, a pharmacist, psychologist, and psychiatrist, as well as specialist support workers and a legal advisor .

They will develop personalised care plans and support people to get help with finances, housing and legal issues and other services provided in the community .

The £1.25m pilot will run for a year from a hub in Norwich, and will serve the city, south Norfolk and north Norfolk. The team will help around 90 people at any one time.

The aim is to make sure people receive effective rehabilitation to stabilise their condition or help them recover . Enabling them to live as independently as possible.

Dr Ardyn Ross, Mental Health Clinical Lead NHS Norfolk and Waveney CCG, said: “We are prioritising investment into mental health services across Norfolk and Waveney. This is an innovative initiative which will help people to recover better in their own communities .

“People have needs and life experiences which contribute to their mental wellbeing and this pilot is a great example of holistic thinking . Bringing partners together from all areas of health and care to work together around an individual, helping them to recover more quickly with long term results . We know that supporting people in their own homes and communities helps them to live well and improve their mental health and wellbeing .”

Vicky Russ, Norfolk and Waveney Transformation Programmes Lead with NSFT, said: “We're excited about this pilot, which we hope will make a huge difference to the quality of life of people with a serious mental illness .

“Around 280 people a year are readmitted to our hospitals. Staying on our wards for an average of 40 days at a potential annual cost of £6.2m. With many, admitted to our units several times a year.

“We spoke to people with a serious mental illness at length to ask what we could do to support them better. Their main concerns were continuity of care, access to community support, and joint working between agencies . Our Rehabilitation Team has been created as a direct result of this feedback.

“We are looking forward to launching this pilot in April and tracking its success over the next 12 months."