A NEW mental health service has been launched to support children and young people in Hambleton and Richmondshire.

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust has introduced a crisis resolution home treatment service, which aims to provide specialist community care.

The service is available to people under the age of 18 who are in emotional distress or may be displaying high levels of risk taking behaviour or self-harm.

The service will work in partnership with GP’s, child and adolescent mental health (CAMHS) teams, local authorities and other supporting services to care for those in a mental health crisis.

It will help to reduce mental health difficulties, limit further deterioration and reduce the likelihood of further risk to young people experiencing mental ill-health.

This home service initiative is part of the Trust’s new model of care plan, which aims to deliver inpatient care as close to home as possible.

In turn, this will prevent inpatient admissions and reduce the length of admission when it is required.

The Trust also aims to free up inpatient space for others who might need it and who may have had to travel further because of limited availability.

John Barnard, project lead, said: “We believe that young people should receive the care and treatment they need in surroundings that best meet their needs and they should not be admitted to hospital unless it is clinically necessary to do so.

“The new multi-disciplinary crisis resolution home treatment team will be able to provide a range of tailored treatments and interventions to meet the needs of young people and their families in a community setting.”

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust is one of two sites chosen by NHS England to take on new commissioning powers for children and young people’s tertiary mental health services.

The Trust also operates crisis services in County Durham and Darlington and Teesside, both of which have had a significant impact on the care that is able to be provided.

The services have reduced the need for inpatient admissions which has allowed an improvement in community care for children and young people, meaning more people can receive support at home.

Anyone can refer into the crisis resolution home treatment service by calling 03000 132 000 and choosing option 6.

It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.