Community mental health team

Community Mental Health Teams (CMHT) provide assessment, monitoring, support and treatment for the full range of mental health conditions. The treatments offered by a CMHT are evidence-based and supported by NICE Guidance. CMHTs work with people based on their needs rather than requiring a formal diagnosis.

CMHTs provide planned and effective, supportive interventions alongside the service user, their loved ones and other services in line with the goals and needs of the service user. 

CMHTs are needs-led rather than diagnosis-led. This means that the CMHT staff work with the patient or service user to work out what the presenting difficulties are and what has happened to them, and find ways of reducing or eliminating the problem that is affecting the individual's mental health.

CMHTs are for individuals whose needs cannot be met by other services such as NHS Talking Therapies. CMHTs are working towards a 4 week referral to treatment target (RTT); this means that service users have a meaningful assessment and co-produced care plan within this period of time. 

CMHTs provide evidence-based actions or interventions to support recovery and help to minimise symptoms.

CMHTs provide trauma-informed and recovery focused care and treatment. Teams work on the basis that it is likely that anyone accessing the service may have experienced a level of trauma.

CMHTs are collaborative and have a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) model of care. The MDT is made up of core members that work within the CMHT but it can also involve other workers from a wide range of organisations such as adult social care, drug and alcohol services, Accommodation Concern, and MIND. Some external agencies actively participate in MDT meetings.

The nature of more complex mental health needs is that there is a level of risk that CMHT workers try to minimise with the service user. It is important to note that not all risk can be eliminated, as risk is dynamic and can change depending on emotional and environmental factors. Individual service user risk, behaviour and presentation will be explored by the key worker and shared with the MDT to ensure a full consideration of all options for minimising risk. 

CMHTs work with patients and service users to co-produce a recovery plan based on the individual's specific needs. In most cases, patients and service users participate in choices about their care. If service users do not want to access the evidence-based options available from the CMHT, they can choose to explore alternatives within the wider community services.

CMHTs encourage patients and service users to identify and involve any carers, family or friends in their care, as they are key in supporting recovery from mental ill health. With the permission of patients and service users, CMHTs can share information about their care and treatment. Confidentiality will not be a barrier to supporting a carer. Sometimes carers do not realise they have a caring role, they might identify instead as a partner, husband, wife, mother or daughter. If someone helps when a patient or service user is unwell or keeps them well, they could be a identified as a 'carer'. 

All workers should communicate with family and carers to support a person's recovery. They should consider referral for a carers assessment to help them with practical support, or signpost to other services such as accommodation concern to support with housing or financial issues. More support and guidance for carers is available on our carers page. 

The CMHT is for people with mental health needs which cannot be met by their GP, third sector agencies or other NHFT services e.g. NHS Talking Therapies.

People who might require support from CMHT services include:

• People with severe illnesses such as psychosis or bipolar disorder
• People with personality difficulties and emotional needs which impact on their functioning and day-to-day living
• People with common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety which might be complicated by bio-psychosocial factors, who need more care and support than that provided by GP services and NHS Talking Therapies  
• Service users who may present with risks to self and others as a result of their mental health
• People with less complex needs who may require multi-disciplinary involvement.
• People who have co-existing neurodevelopmental conditions such as an ASD or ADHD
• People who have co-existing drug or alcohol-use disorder, and other addiction problems including gambling problems 
• People who require a psychological approach to their care or psychological interventions that cannot be met by NHS Talking Therapies; where there is a psychological need that cannot be met by the CMHT, then consideration will be given to onward referral to more specialist services  
• People with complex needs who are harder to reach and may need an assertive approach to maintain satisfactory health outcomes
• People with mental health needs who are supported under the framework of the Mental Health Act (1983)  
• Service users who are unable to maintain their usual level of function as a result of mental illness, for example, not being able to; work, leave the house, care for dependents, meet daily self-care needs, and where interventions such as those provided by their GP and NHS Talking Therapies and have been used and not been effective 

The CMHT embed a 'no wrong door approach' and may support people with the above presentations to access alternative services (such as third sector, social prescribers).

The CMHT has a variety of different professionals in it including Mental Health Nurses, Medical staff, Psychologists, Assistant Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Peer and Carer Peer Support Workers, Social Workers and Community Support Workers. Each different member of staff has different skills and come together to help each other and to ensure that the service user's needs are met which will improve their outcomes.

Your GP surgery will be in one of our 5 Community Mental Health Teams. Select a Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) box to view all of the GP surgeries in that CMHT.

You can also view a map of the GP surgeries and CMHTs here.