Southampton CAMHS
Information about CAMHS in Southampton
Coronavrius (Covid 19) Information
See the latest information and guidance on Coronavirus, read our important visitor guidance and access a range of health and wellbeing resources here
Changes to CAMHS Services during COVID 19
Our Specialist CAMHS Team is supporting the delivery of a community pathway for the delivery of urgent assessments (within 24 hours) of young people who may have previously been directed to Southampton General Hospital. This will be provided 7 days a week and may be accessed by children, young people and families via the 111 service.
Outside of this change the service has been working to resume as much service delivery as possible and as of the 27th May 2020 the CAMHS West Team is open to all referrals which meet our criteria, with one exception.
The service will continue to pause on its acceptance of referrals for ADHD assessments where levels of risk are low. Any referrals the service receives for ADHD assessments will be triaged in the usual way (by contacting the family or referrer if unable to speak with the family). If from triage the risk is assessed as moderate to high then the referral would be accepted in the usual way. If the risks are assessed as low, then the SPA team will provide advice, guidance and, where relevant, signposting to local services and online self-help material. This is standard practice for the team and would have been in place at times when referrals for this level were being brought into the service given the long wait times there are for ADHD assessments.
During this period appointments with the service are being offered via a combination of face to face and through digital platforms. You will be updated by the team on how they are able to most safely offer you a service.
Please see the links below the last two communications from the CAMHS West Team on current service delivery. If you have any queries then please do contact us on our direct dial number, 023 8103 0061, or our team email address [email protected]
CAMHS West Covid Update Letter 9 May 2020
CAMHS West Covid Update Letter 27 May 2020
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
The role of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) West is to provide a comprehensive specialist mental health service to children and young people aged 5-18 years and who are registered with a Southampton City GP. We are here to help children and young people who are struggling with their emotional and mental health and whose difficulties are having a significant impact on their ability to participate in daily activities or keep themselves safe. We are a multi-disciplinary team, which means we come from a range of different professional backgrounds but all work together to best meet the mental health needs of children, young people and their families.
We include:
- Independent Nurse Prescribers
- Nurse Specialists and Mental Health Practitioners
- Child and Adolescent Consultant Psychiatrists
- Child Psychotherapists
- Clinical Child Psychologists
- Cognitive Behaviour Therapists
- Family Therapists
- Art Psychotherapists
- Social Workers
The main base for CAMHS West is The Horizon Centre which is located within the Western Community Hospital site. Our team can be contacted on our direct dial number 023 81030061 or 0300 123 6661. You can also email us at [email protected] For further information, including our referral criteria and referral form please visit Solent NHS Trust website
We accept referrals from anyone to our service, and particularly encourage self-referrals from young people and families. When we receive a referral for a child or a young person our Single Point of Access (SPA) Team will make contact with the family to discuss the referral, gather more information about your needs and any risks that may be present. We will also at this stage ask about your goals for your own health and what it is you would be looking for from a mental health service. This helps us to work collaboratively with you to agree on the best next steps in meeting your needs.
We understand that when you come for your first appointment it can be quite confusing and feel like a lot to navigate. We try to make you feel as comfortable as possible and encourage you to think of questions beforehand that you would like to ask us. Its important to us that you are able to get the information you need. Our friendly reception staff are on hand to answer any questions you might have when you first arrive and the clinician you see will be able to answer any questions you have about your health. The first appointment you have with us will be for an initial assessment. In this appointment we ask you and your parents or carers for your views and thoughts on your behalf, what you might be concerned about and what you have tried before to help. We then think together about your goals and what you want to achieve with the help of a mental health service. This again helps us to think about how we can help and how we would work together, as well as discuss alternatives if we aren't the best service to meet your needs.
If we all agree that CAMHS are the best service to help meet your needs then we will agree how to go about that and what the next steps are. There are different options for different needs and we'll talk you through so that we make the decision together.
Working in partnership with children, young people and families is very important to us and we want you to feel that you can be open and honest with us about your needs and how you feel we can help you. That way we can get the best available plan in place and be able to talk about what is, and is not, possible for our service to help with, and why.
Our team is available 9-5 Monday to Friday. If your call to us isn't urgent then you are able to leave a message which will be picked up the next working day. If you are calling outside of these hours and needing urgent mental health support then please call 111 or visit NHS 111 online to speak to the Mental Health Triage Service. They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for anyone living in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
Autism Service
Who is in the Autism Service?
The team includes dedicated input from children's doctors, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists, Speech and Language Therapists, Clinical Psychologists, Educational Psychologists and a Case Coordinator.
Service, Assessment and Clinics
The service is based at Adelaide Health Centre but the Autism assessments are delivered by professionals at a range of community settings depending on the age and needs of the child or young person. The assessment may include the following Autism Diagnostic Interview (ADI), Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), Speech and Language assessment, Cognitive assessment and School report/observation.
Autism Team Panel
The Panel meets once a month and this is where referrals are discussed and decisions made on whether to assess and what kind of assessment the child or young person needs. The outcome of the panel decision will be relayed to the referrer and parents/carers by the case coordinator.
Referrals
Referrals can be made by post, fax or telephone through the single point of access and can be made by professionals working with children or young people. Children up to 8 years with developmental concerns should be referred to a community children's doctor first. If you suspect the child may have mental health problems a referral to CAMHS should be made.
To make a referral or an enquiry please contact:
0300 123 6661
Contact Details
Child and Adolescent Autism Service
Adelaide Health Centre
Western Community Hospital Campus
William Macleod Way
Southampton
SO16 4XE
Links for Autism Support and information
www.autism.org.uk – National Autistic society
www.autismhampshire.org.uk – Autism Hampshire
www.Cerebra.org.uk – Support for children with brain conditions
www.southamptonmencap.org – MENCAP charity
Contact Details
Adelaide Health Centre
William Macleod Way
Millbrook
Southampton
SO16 4XE
Telephone
0300 123 6661
Out of Hours – 0300 123 6660