The Northumberland and North Tyneside Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team CRHT is celebrating achieving national accreditation.
The team has been accredited by the Home Treatment Accreditation Scheme (HTAS), an award from the Royal College of Psychiatrists which recognises crisis teams that meet the highest standards.
Part of Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW), the team offers assessment and home treatment for people experiencing a mental health crisis as an alternative to hospital admission.
Based at St George’s Park in Morpeth, the universal crisis team covers all ages from children to older adults. It is made up of a core team of nurses, nurse consultants, psychiatrists and psychologists.
Andrea Tocca, Consultant Psychiatrist within the team, said: “This is a great achievement and shows we provide the highest quality standards. It has been a real morale boost for the team in a year where they have worked so hard.
“Working in a crisis team can be intense and we have had to be creative and innovative to continue delivering our services during the pandemic. There were times we have been short-staffed due to people isolating but we have always provided a face-to-face service for those who needed it. This accreditation is testament to the team’s dedication and hard work and we’re all very proud.”
The team had to go through a thorough process which began in January 2019. At that time, we had to provide to the Royal College Inspectors evidence which looked at all aspects of the service, from how they present options for patients, choices of medicines and treatments, how we process complaints and quality assurance.
The Home Treatment Accreditation Scheme was established to support in the quality improvement of crisis resolution and home treatment teams. its aim is that people who are experiencing a mental health crisis and their families or carers receive high quality care. The team’s accreditation will last for two years.