Self-refer

See below if you need an audio description of "what to expect at your assessment"

What is my Assessment for?

We ask you to attend an initial assessment so that we can gain an understanding of what your current mental health difficulties are, and the impact that this is having on your health and well-being.

The questions that we ask will provide us with an overview of how things are for you at the moment, so we can then explore whether NHS Talking Therapies is the best place to support you at present, or whether we need to signpost or refer you to another service that can best meet your needs. 

The more information you can give us the better, however, if there is anything you do not feel comfortable sharing, that is ok, just let us know.

What will my Assessment look like?

• Unless you request to see us face-to-face, your initial assessment will take place over the telephone.
• We will introduce ourselves to you and check that your address and GP details are up to date.
• Assessments usually take 45 minutes to an hour; but this can be adjusted if you need it to be.
• If you have not already done so, we will help you to complete the questionnaires that you will have received by email or by post.
• We will ask you some safety and well-being questions so we can make sure that you and the people around you are safe.
• We will also ask you some past history and lifestyle questions, for example, whether you have experienced difficulties with your mental health in the past, and whether you have any health conditions or diagnoses. 
• You will have an opportunity to talk about your main mental health difficulty that you would like support with, and the impact that this is currently having on you.
• We will ask you what you would like to achieve by having treatment. If you are unsure how to answer this question, we can offer you support and guidance.

At the end of the assessment, you will receive advice regarding what will happen next. For example, you may be put on a waiting list for treatment with Talking Therapies or we may advise you to contact another service. Sometimes, we need to discuss treatment options with other members of our Team, or other services within the NHS, if this is the case, we will arrange a call with you for a later date.

Confidentiality

It is our policy to share appropriate information with your doctor. Anything you tell us will remain confidential and will not be shared outside the NHS. The only exception to this is if you give us information that suggests you or someone else is at risk of harm. If we did have to share information we would always try and discuss it with you first. 

What if I am struggling with the assessment?

The therapist that you will be speaking with is trained in doing assessments. However, we understand that talking about your difficulties can be hard. If this happens, please let us know, so that we can support you best. For example:

• Taking a rest break or getting a drink
• Having a family member or friend with you for support
• Asking for information to be delivered in a concise way
• To be sent an email after your assessment summarising what is going to happen next 

You can find further information by looking at our accessibility statement. Please see ‘Our Commitment to making services accessible for all’ at www.talkingtherapies.hwhct.nhs.uk/about-us 

For more information about our buildings and facilities, please use the guides available here: Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust | AccessAble

If you have any questions that have not been answered by this information sheet, or if there is anything that you are unsure of, please do not hesitate to contact us by telephone or email before your assessment. You can find our contact details on your appointment letter.

We look forward to speaking with you soon.

What happens after I am referred?

Once you have referred yourself then you will be contacted on the telephone number on the referral form by one of our administrators who will book you into a screening slot with one of our practitioners, at a time and date convenient to you. If you have been referred by another health professional then this referral is reviewed by one of our duty workers before we contact you to make sure we are the right service for your needs.

What happens during the screening appointment?

The screening appointment will occur over the telephone and last approximately 45 mins. During this time the practitioner will discuss with you your current difficulties, make sure that we are the right service for you, and if so, talk about the treatment approaches that best suit your needs. It helps if you come prepared for your screening appointment by thinking beforehand the main difficulties that you need support with, and your goals for treatment.

What support can the service offer?

If we feel we can support you, your practitioner will talk to you about the most appropriate treatment for you needs and place you on the waiting list for this support. All of our treatment requires you to be collaborative in the process and some require you to complete tasks in between sessions to move closer to your treatment goals.

The following treatment options are available:

What can I do while I am waiting?

There are various self-help resources and other services that you can access whilst you are waiting for your treatment to commence.

• Services to support your wellbeing
• Self help resources
• SilverCloud
• Support for Veterans

What if I feel worse?

The resources and services you can access will hopefully help improve, or at least manage, how you are feeling. However, you may need to return to your GP surgery for a further discussion. If you feel like you need urgent support, or are at crisis point these services can help. 

At Herefordshire and Worcestershire NHS Talking Therapies, we are committed to making our service accessible and pursuing equality within mental health care. We know that some people face barriers when accessing mental health services, and we aim to work with our service users to overcome these barriers:

Accessibility

• Accessibility information for many of our sites and buildings can be accessed via the AccessAble website. The guides include lots of useful information including where to park, getting around the building and the location of accessible toilets.
• Many of our wellbeing and self help support guides have been produced in alternative and accessible formats. These can be accessed via the resource section of the website.
• If you have a communication or information support need please let us know.  We can provide information in a range of different formats, including braille, large text and easy read, and also have an interpreting and translation service available to patients and their carers. More information on this is available on the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust website.

Adaptations

You may feel that certain things are required for you to use our service comfortably. Everyone is different but below we have listed some examples of the adaptations we make on a regular basis:

Things we can do:

• We can provide large font, braille, and easy-read documents
• We can provide a professional interpreter/translator
• You may prefer to work with a clinician of a certain gender and we can provide this
• Sessions can be longer or shorter if needed, and you can have rest breaks
• If you find our sessions contain too much information, then we’ll work with you to make the sessions suit you.

Things you can do

• You may want to record your session to refer back to
• Not use, or reduce eye contact if this is something that you find difficult
• You can bring a family member or friend with you if that is helpful
• You may want to discuss how your cultural background or religion is important to your understanding of your wellbeing
• You can wear glasses if the room is too bright, or wear earplugs or headphones if you need to reduce background noise
• You can use fidget toys, sit on the floor or move about during your session if that helps you to concentrate
• If you have a health passport, you may like to bring one with you, or we can send you one to complete ahead of session.

If you feel any adaptations are necessary, please indicate this when completing your self-referral form at the appropriate point or mention to your GP if they are referring you. This will help us establish any necessary adaptations from your first appointment where possible. We will also ask about barriers in your initial assessment, and we welcome you to discuss it with us then.

Any changes that we make can be reviewed throughout treatment if you feel that there is something else that we need to know.

All of our staff receive training and access to guidance on supporting a diverse range of individuals and helping everyone in a respectful and person-centered way.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Champion

We have an Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Champion, who works closely with the broader Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team to align our work with the Trust values. 

If you have any queries, you can contact them at whcnhs.webelong@nhs.net with the subject line ‘Talking Therapies EDI’.

Learning styles

If you can, we would like you to tell us how you learn best as this will help us to tailor your treatment to your individual needs. For example, you may prefer visual to audio resources or wish to make notes to refer back to. Please speak to the clinicians involved in your care for more information.