The purpose of IHTT is to provide short term intensive community based care as a viable alternative to admission to hospital. This service is targeted at people who are going through a period of crisis and who may otherwise, without the support of IHTT, require to be admitted to a mental health hospital.
In summary, the IHTT will provide:
- Assessment and resolution for people in mental health crisis, where the person is at risk of being admitted to hospital
- Gate-keeping of all possible hospital admissions. Referrals of all individuals being considered for hospital admission are made via IHTT who then assess for intensive home treatment suitability as an alternative
- Support and facilitation to enable early discharge from hospital.
As a member of the team, you will undertake initial assessments of individuals in their own homes to determine the most effective course of action for them. Where people are taken on for the team, you will continue to see them at home as part of the wider multidisciplinary team to:
- Assess changes to mental state
- Encourage structured activity
- Help them to develop and enhance their coping strategies. This will include teaching low intensity psychological techniques to enhance distress tolerance, emotional regulation and mindfulness.
In supporting people at home, and helping them to develop effective coping strategies, you will be helping to reduce service users’ reliance on services and increase their own resilience.
You will be working as part of a multi-disciplinary team which includes medics, nursing staff, occupational therapy and psychology.
IHTT is a 24 hour service, and there is an expectation that you will work core shifts covering days, nights, weekends and public holidays.
