Young Person's Home Treatment Team at North East London NHS Foundation Trust

Background and aims

The North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) introduced the young people home treatment team (YPHTT) due to closures of the trust’s tier 4 child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) Brookside unit. The Brookside inpatient unit closed for refurbishment but was reopened after 3 months. The YPHTT was developed as part of a service model review at this time as part of a transformation project of the whole inpatient and crisis service offered by Brookside.

The NELFT aimed to offer 24 hour crisis provision, increasing scope for positive risk taking, and to treat young people in the least restrictive environment possible.

Solution

The YPHTT was created to work alongside the Brookside inpatient wards, and allowed Brookside to offer tier 4 CAMHS provision in homes, therefore acting as a bridge between inpatient services and community services. 

The YPHTT covers four London boroughs and is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The service acts to prevent inpatient admission and can facilitate early discharge of young people back into the community.

Outcomes and benefits

Since the YPHTT opened in 2016, outcomes were:

• Reductions to inpatient admissions
• Earlier discharge for young people with functional difficulties
• Reductions in average length of stay
• A reduction of hospital admissions for young people with emotional dysregulation and self-harm

Additional information

You can find out more about the YPHTT by accessing the NHS Improvement mental health case study page.