New mental health Central Access Point
The new phone service links callers with triage nurses and clinicians who can assess their needs and advise, support, signpost or refer them directly to the appropriate service. If the caller requires an assessment, they will be referred as appropriate, to a community mental health team, specialist CAMHS practitioners for children and young people, or LPT’s crisis and home treatment team. The team is also supported by a consultant psychiatrist.
As well as providing assessments and early interventions where needed, the service aims to help reduce the pressure on other services, particularly emergency services, by offering a local alternative to NHS111 and the emergency department, for people with urgent mental health needs.
The central access point is available to existing and previous service users and people who have never used LPT services, as well as to carers and health and social care professionals looking for information and advice.
The central access point phone service is not an emergency service. Where people have immediate, serious and life-threatening emergency mental and/or physical health needs, for example if an individual has taken an overdose or is in imminent danger of physical harm, they should attend A & E or call 999.
Information about national, local and online non-urgent mental health support is available on the LPT website.
