Services are provided for two groups of older adults:
• Service users with a functional mental illness such as depression and psychotic illness, where their needs are best met with older peoples specialist services,
• service users with dementia, including Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia and Lewy body disease.
The service will provide assessment, specialist interventions and complex case management for service users who are primarily 65+. Older people with functional mental health problems such as depression and psychotic mental illness, and service users with dementia should be referred to this service for expert assessment, treatment and for periods when:
• there is a history of severe and enduring mental illness,
• there are diagnostic issues that need clarification,
• there is lack of response to initial intervention strategies within primary care,
• distress or risks are particularly severe,
• problems are complex and often multi-agency in nature,
• legal issues require their involvement,
• co-existing physical health concerns.
