The Community mental health team for homeless people is the statutory mental health NHS services in Birmingham for people who are homeless and experiencing mental health problems.
We are able to provide: assessment and treatment of mental health problems, management of complex psychological and social needs, risk assessment, community nursing support, physical health monitoring, social assessment, access to vocational training and occupational activity and resettlement advice.
We are a city wide service and see people with mental health problems that are sleeping rough, living in squats, hostels or otherwise homeless. This includes patients that are not registered with a GP.
We link in with third sector organisations as part of a larger network of services for homeless people. Our aim is to provide comprehensive psychiatric assessment and support and stable accommodation so that patients can be appropriately referred to a local CMHT or primary care.
Our multidisciplinary team includes a team manager, consultant psychiatrist, physician associate and specialist community psychiatric nurses.
Referrals are accepted from any agency subject to satisfying the referral criteria.
Who uses our service
We provide a service for service users (aged 16+ in Birmingham) who have a mental health problem and are deemed to be homeless. This includes:
- Any hostel, B&B or other housing provision used as first-step accommodation by Birmingham City Council homeless team
- Service users who suffer mental ill health and are rough sleepers
- Service users who suffer mental ill health and live in squats
- Service users who attend the Health Xchange Primary Care service for the homeless
How we can help
The service provides:
- Assessment, diagnosis and treatment of mental health problems
- Assessment and management of complex psychological and social needs
- Risk assessment
- Medication management
- Physical health monitoring
- Resettlement, accommodation support, financial advice, social/practical support
- Psychosocial interventions
- Access to vocational training, occupational activity, employment, relapse prevention
How to access our services
Referrals are accepted from any agency subject to satisfying the referral criteria (homeless, over the age of 16 in Birmingham, with mental health problems).
All referrals are triaged for urgency based on current presentation and any other known risk factors by a clinician and if urgent will be assessed within 48 hours by a member of the team.
For those referrals which after screening are deemed to be non-urgent, a multidisciplinary assessment will be undertaken whenever possible within 14 days.
To make a referral please contact our Single Point of Access on 0121 301 4000 or email spoa@bsmhft.nhs.uk
Contact details
CMHT for Homeless People
Orsborn House
55 Terrace Road
Handsworth
Birmingham
B19 1BP
Tel: 0121 301 1640
