Core (community) mental health teams

  • We provide specialist assessment and treatment for people aged 18 years and over, who are experiencing severe and long-lasting difficulties with their mental health and wellbeing.

  • How we can help

    How we can help

    Our core (community) mental health teams focus on your early contact with our mental health services to give you the best chance of getting better and supporting your recovery.  

    Our aim is to work together with you to support you with your mental health needs to enable you to return to manageable levels of activity and independence.
  • How to get help

    How to get help

    You will be referred to our service by your GP or another health professional. You will be offered an initial assessment in one of health and wellbeing clinics in Exeter, Torbay or Barnstaple. 

    Ongoing care and support is provided by your local core (community) mental health teams. 

Your assessment

Your assessment will be at one of our health and wellbeing clinics. You will be seen by an experienced mental health worker who will ask you question about the difficulties you are experiencing. They will explore with you the best options to help you and together you will agree you care and treatment plan.

If another organisation is the best route for you to achieve the things you want to in relation to your mental health, your assessor will give you their contact details or make an introduction, a referral, of you to them directly.

Treatment sessions

If your plan includes further treatment you will be referred to your local core (community) mental health team for up to four initial treatment sessions.

These sessions will:

  • Help you understand your mental health difficulties and explain what treatments are available
  • Work together with you (and your carer, if you have one) to plan your care around these treatments. We'll give them a copy of this care plan
  • Think about whether you need any medication
  • Work with you to understand whether there are particular risks for you and how you can manage these in your day-to-day life
  • Help you to recognise any early signs of a relapse and plan ahead in case this happens
  • Consider whether there's anything a social worker can help you with, for example accommodation support, benefits, childcare support
  • Find out whether you have a carer and whether they require any support

There may be some things that are affecting your wellbeing, such as debt or housing problems, which are unable to resolve. In these cases, we'll put you in contact with other organisations who can work with you to overcome these difficulties.

Social care

Our Social Care Team work with the people who use our services and our community mental health teams to provide advice, information and support for:

  • Your assessment of need for social care services
  • Creation of your support plan and personal budget
  • Purchasing your care

They also work with private and voluntary sector providers to monitor the quality of services provided and to develop services.

Assessments

To access adult social care services you will require an assessment of need which will be undertaken, following your referral, by a member of staff in the community mental health team.

Eligibility criteria

We will work with you to meet your needs if your assessment shows that:

  • Your needs arise from, or are related to, a physical or mental impairment or illness
  • As a result of your needs you are unable to achieve two or more specified outcomes in the Care and Support (Eligibility Criteria) Regulations 2014 as a consequence there is, or is likely to be, a significant impact on your wellbeing.

Arranging an assessment

Once you are referred into mental health services you will receive an assessment of your mental health and treatment interventions will be discussed with you. 

As part of this assessment your adult social care needs will also be assessed.  You may be given information and advice to help you build on your own strengths and networks or signposted to local community resources that could support you to meet your needs. 

You may also require direct support which can then be arranged to support you to meet your needs.

Support plan and personal budget

If you are eligible for support we will work with you, and your carer if appropriate, to create a support plan which describes what your needs are and how they can best be met.

When the support plan is agreed we will have a clear idea of the care you need and how much this will cost. A Funding Panel process is in place to agree an actual budget, which then becomes your personal budget. You can choose to manage your personal budget yourself to purchase your care.

Paying for your care

Most people have to pay something towards the cost of their care and support services depending on the outcome of their financial assessment.

If you have to pay for services, charging will apply from the date that you start receiving care.

If you have savings and investments over £23,250 you will have to pay the full cost of any care services you receive.

If you choose not to give us details about your finances you will have to pay the full cost of any care services you receive.

In some circumstances you will not need to have a financial assessment and you won't have to pay towards your care and support.

You will not have to pay if you:

  • Are receiving care and support under Section 117 of the Mental Health Act 2007
  • Are receiving care and support under Continuing Health Care (CHC) funding by the NHS
  • Have needs which can be met by equipment or a minor adaptation, to help you to continue living at home.

Information for carers

You are a carer if you are looking after someone - a family member or friend who is ill, frail, disabled, or has substance misuse problems - and who relies on the help you give them. Visit our Carers and Families section for more information about support and information available for carers and their families.

  1. Recovery and wellbeing
  2. Get help with
  3. Carers and families