| A report was presented to the Housing and Adult Social Care (HASC) Scrutiny Committee in
May 2008, based on research carried out in response to concerns from Councillors that some
people with mental health conditions living in Council tenancies were not receiving adequate
support from statutory services, and that nuisance to neighbours can occur as a result.
Broadly, the findings of the research were as follows:
- There are over 4,000 people with serious mental health problems living successfully with
support in the community;
- In the vast majority of cases people live settled lives, managing their illness well with
occasional relapse and crisis episodes managed effectively by the Community Mental Health
Team (CMHT) and Floating Support services liaising with the District Housing Office (DHO);
- There are a relatively small number of Council tenants with mental health difficulties who struggle
to maintain their tenancies, approximately 2% of the total on the Care Programme Approach.
The report stated that, while agencies generally work together well when a person’s mental
health deteriorates, some professionals do not have sufficient knowledge or training to deal with
complex situations. Estate Officers interviewed during the research reported that they were
sometimes unclear how to proceed or who to contact when a person became disengaged
from services. Moreover, because of the wide range of services in Camden, it is important that
services provide clear and comprehensive information to people who use them.
The research showed that the risk of disturbance to neighbours increases when a person
becomes disengaged from services or stops complying with his or her medication. STR floating
support, which provides a bridge between housing and mental health services, was seen as an
especially good example of an effective service which responds quickly when people become
unwell and minimises disturbance to people around them.
The research identified areas to improve support to people with mental health needs
living in the community:
General
- HASC and Foundation Trust to ensure that information-sharing and confidentiality management
protocols are implemented in order to (a) ensure that tenants with mental health conditions
receive the appropriate services and support and (b) provide support and respite to neighbours
who might be victims of noise or other disturbance;
- Foundation Trust to improve ease of access to advice for the general public and staff from
partner organisations;
- Estate Officers to receive a consistent, relevant level of training in mental health issues, including
‘Mental Health First Aid’ training;
- CMHTs and DHOs to consider regular ‘surgeries’ to manage issues of concern between them
and to improve partnership working;
- The Council and PCT to consider a public health campaign of mental health promotion to
combat stigma and raise awareness about positive mental health and how to maintain it.
- Foundation Trust to review its protocols and arrangements for managing services to people who
have drug and alcohol problems as well as a mental illness to ensure that individuals do not fall
between service gaps.
Escalation policy for people who are not engaging with services
- In testing the “case conference” model used by Street Population Services, Foundation Trust
and Housing to ensure that an escalation process is underpinned by effective interface and
information sharing;
- Foundation Trust and Adult Social Care to produce guidance on mental health for DHOs around
what to do, who to contact, and how to escalate a problem in urgent situations.
New tenants
- As part of the implementation of Introductory Tenancies, Estate Officers to work more closely
with CMHTs and floating support for all new tenants who are known to secondary mental health
services to minimise the risk of a tenancy failing through lack of support.n |
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: Mental Health Situation in Camden, London