Steve (26-year-old male) believes he suffers from low mood and depression, following consultation with his GP. He has been advised to go through the self-referral route on the trust website and completes the required forms.
Caseloads
Steve is contacted by Jenny, a nurse assessor, who confirms the information he provided and provides an opportunity to elaborate on some of his answers. She makes comprehensive notes, and provisionally assigns Steve to the Depression/anxiety team. Steve also consents to share his data with his GP and other services that may need it for treatment purposes.
Treatment commencement
As Jenny provisionally assigns Steve to a treatment group. This grouping is double-checked by a supervisor, Tara, who will reassign if needed or confirm the grouping. In Steve's case she confirmed the assignment.
Treatment completion
The Supervisor will have assigned Steve to the appropriate team and marked his case with the appropriate urgency required. The Mental health nurses work in a top-down fashion, within their competency, and work through a list of patients sorted by referral date and urgency.
Steve's Case is picked up within 4 weeks by Martin, a mental health nurse that specialises in depression and anxiety. Martin will have gone through Steve's notes and will talk him through the psychological therapy and agree on a plan of action. Following each appointment, Martin will update Steve's record with notes and an HoNOS outcome.
Following some successful sessions with Steve, to reinforce CBT, Steve reports an increase in mood and believes the strategies he has learned will be useful in the future. Steve is discharged with advice on what steps to take should he need further help.