Islington Assertive Outreach Team

  • Initial care planning involving identification of specific problems and client goals.

    • Care coordination and CPA
    • Physical health monitoring including smoking cessation
    • Medication management and treatment plans
    • Drug and alcohol support including motivational interviewing and harm minimisation
    • Safeguarding vulnerable adults
    • Relapse prevention – crisis and contingency planning
    • Practical support including housing and benefits/money management and budgeting
    • Appointeeship where appropriate
    • Use of Personal budgets
    • Recovery focussed goals 
    • Specialised treatment interventions e.g. CBT
    • Establishing engagement: weekly, twice weekly visits; 2 person visits where necessary
    • Establishing risk management plans
    • Promotion of social engagement
    • Use of Mental Health Act

    We are a small team of professionals working as Multi-disciplinary and within IAOT model of team approach. 

    • A dedicated full time Consultant psychiatrist with 2 SpRs on rotation
    • A team of experienced mental health nurses
    • A team of social workers
    • A psychologist
    • Occupational Therapist
    • Access to Forensic services
    • Team members have more frequent contacts with service users and respond proactively with home visits and outreach depot administrations
       

  • Borough(s): Islington
  • Email: islingtonaot@candi.nhs.uk
  • Age range treated: 18-65
  • Address:
    The Southwood Smith Centre,  11 Southwood Smith Street,  Islington, London, N1 0YL
  • Phone number: 02033174850
  • Service hours: 9am- 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Conditions treated

  • Schizophrenia
  • Affective Disorders: Bipolar Affective Disorder and Schizoaffective Disorder
     

How to access this service

The team will consider referrals from the following sources:

  • Rehabilitation and Recovery Teams
  • Inpatient wards
  • North London Forensic service
  • Camden and Islington Assessment teams
  • Camden and Islington Early Intervention Service
  • Focus Homeless Outreach Service
  • Accommodation Team

A referral may be taken over the phone or via email.  An initial discussion is welcomed and advice and signposting offered if the referral is deemed inappropriate.

  • New referrals will be presented in the Thursday weekly clinical meeting 
  • If the referral is accepted a worker will be identified to lead on the assessment process
  • Assessments are undertaken by 2 staff – preferably one worker will be a doctor
  • If accepted the client will be allocated a care a keyworker and  a transfer is negotiated.

An average of 4 weeks is our goal. Delays will be communicated and if a longer delay is anticipated, referral will be closed and advise the refer when they can make a fresh referral. 
 

Who is this service for?

With accept patients with a mixture of:

  • A severe and persistent mental disorder (e.g. Schizophrenia, major affective disorders)      
  • A history of high use of inpatient or intensive home based care)
  • Difficulty in maintaining lasting and consenting contacts with services.
  • Multiple, complex needs including a number of the following:
  • History of violence or persistent offending
  • Significant risk of persistent self-harm or neglect
  • Poor response to previous treatment
  • Dual diagnosis of substance misuse and serious mental illness
  • Detention under the Mental Health Act (1983) and possibly subject to CTO on at least one occasion
     

Service manager(s)

Dave Fearon- Head of Service
Curtis Vera- Service Manager
Celestine Buluma- Team Manager
 

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