Islington Community Core Teams comprise NHS, social care and voluntary sector experts. There are three core teams across the borough (North, Central and South), and the service offers comprehensive mental health care and support to adults in the community.

This includes:

• mental health assessment and advice
• physical health assessment and follow-up care
• pharmacological treatment
• psychological therapies
• social care and inclusion
• peer coaching
• psycho-social support, including from voluntary sector providers
• holistic health and wellbeing support.

Using a trauma-informed approach, Islington Community Core Teams co-produce a holistic personal care and support plan with patients. Care is managed by an assigned key worker, who patients can contact during and post-treatment should they require further support.

Useful contacts

GPs should continue to contact clinicians for individual patient matters or clinical advice. See Service Feedback below if you have any service operational issues.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusions

The service will accept referrals for adults (aged 17.5+ at the time of the referral being received to support their transition at the age of 18 into the service) who are a resident of Islington, as well as patients who choose to receive mental health care in Islington, with any type of mental health condition.

This includes but is not exclusive to:

• people who have anxiety and mood-related disorders that are too severe for iCope and primary care, or that require something different or additional to what can be offered via iCope, and/or severe functional impairment is apparent
• people with chronic or severe mental illness for whom specialist services are not appropriate or required who have previously been under the care of intensive services and been discharged or disengaged but there are significant concerns
• people with medically unexplained symptoms in relation to mental and physical health
• people with co-morbid substance misuse and mental illness
• people with brain injury or alcohol-related dementia who would benefit from generic mental health services but not specialised services.

The Core Team may receive referrals where people are registered with an Islington GP but live out of the borough. In those cases, and if the need for care input is indicated, the approach should be informed by the Choice in Mental Health Care Guidance and the patient's needs, and based on a conversation with the patient and the GP.

Exclusions

• memory problems secondary to organic/cognitive impairment
• people with a known or indicated learning disability beyond the scope of mainstream mental health services should be directed to the appropriate borough-based Learning Disabilities Partnership
• referrals for ADHD or autistic spectrum assessment and diagnosis in the absence of another mental health need
• requires a crisis service at the point of referral to the Core Team.

How to Refer

Locations

Islington Mental Health Core Team