Referral information
Referrals to the service are usually through your GP, who will initiate contact for you if your needs are appropriate to the services offered.
For the service to make a decision on the most appropriate pathway to accommodate your needs, it is essential that you provide as much information as possible to your GP regarding your memory or mental health problems.
The person responsible for making the referral can help you with these details.
This information would usually include:
Your personal details:
Name, address, date of birth, telephone number, other contact details (if available), marital status, next of kin (and contact details), occupation, ethnicity, nationality, religion, family member / carer contact details, names of dependants, first language.
Reason for referral to the mental health services:
Initially this is for you to discuss with your GP.
However, there are some questions you can ask yourself to clarify your personal situation. These could include:
- Why do you feel you have a memory problem?
- Is it something you have noticed yourself, or has a friend / family member noticed?
- How long have you been experiencing this low mood?
- Have you experienced any life events that could have contributed to this?
- How are your memory problems (or other symptoms) affecting your day to day life?
- Have you ever experienced these symptoms before?
- Is there any family history that these symptoms could relate to?
- Are you experiencing any physical illness that could be affecting your mental health?
The above questions are not exhaustive, and might not all be relevant to your current situation. However, all details given can help us to provide a more efficient service.
It could be that your GP notices something that you have not, leading to the referral, particularly if they know you well. This is often described as a 'change in presentation'.
You could also be asked to provide information about any medical history, including any social and psychiatric information which could be relevant to you.
A list of any current medication will also be needed.
Full blood screening (including plasma viscosity; full blood count; urea + electrolytes; liver function test; thyroid function test; lipids; vitamin B12; folate and bone profile) could be requested.
Electrocardiogram (ECG) could be requested.
Doctors signature will be required.
What happens if you are referred to Older Persons Mental Health Services?
OPMHS has a multidisciplinary team (MDT) who will decide a starting point in the service relevant to your particular needs.
This often involves an initial assessment, usually carried out by a community mental health professional ('CMHP'). This could involve some cognitive and mood testing, and a more in depth discussion about your particular problems and needs.
It is possible that after this assessment, other members of the OPMHS Team could become involved in your care; again, this depends upon personal circumstances.
Notes on the above information
The information given here is intended to help provide an efficient referral service to those concerned. Please ask for help from your GP if need be.
The Older Persons Mental Health Team aims to provide a comprehensive, community orientated, evidence based assessment, treatment and support service to older people with mental illness and to their families / carers.
The team provides an Island-wide, multi-disciplinary service to older people experiencing functional and / or organic mental illness. Service users are predominantly over the age of 65; however, service provision is needs-led.
Informed consent must be sought prior to referral. Referrals are prioritised as follows:
High
- severe and enduring mental illness
- dementia or suspected dementia
- complex mental health needs
- complex needs on discharge from In-patient Services
- legislative requirements (e.g. Section 115 of the IOM 1998 Mental Health Act)
- harm to self/others
Medium
- people whose mental health needs cannot be met by Tier 1 and 2 services
Low
- stress
- bereavement
- adjustment reaction
