Early Intervention in Psychosis EIP (North Tyneside and Northumberland) – Information for referrers

  • Who we are

    We are two teams working in Northumberland and North Tyneside offering evidence based therapeutic interventions for up to 3 years to individuals experiencing a first episode of psychosis with an emphasis on community, recovery focussed treatment.

    The services ‘embrace diagnostic uncertainty’ and the presence of psychotic symptoms rather than a formal diagnosis. However the presence of psychotic symptoms does not necessary ensure acceptance to the EIP service. If the Psychotic symptoms are a relatively minor part of a presentation which is dominated by other difficulties then the EIP service may decline to become involved.

  • Who we work with

    • Those aged 14 – 65 years old.
    • No previous in put from an EIP service.
    • No previous use of anti psychotic medication.
    • Symptoms which cannot be explained or attributed to organic causes or drug intoxication (7 day’s free of substances).
    • Symptoms have caused/are causing distress.
    • Symptoms have been present for longer than 7 days.
    • People who have give consent to the referral.
    • Who have a GP which is in either Northumberland or North Tyneside.
  • Experiences meeting criteria for ‘psychosis’

    • Unusual thoughts and non – bizarre ideas which are highly improbable and held with delusional conviction.
    • Auditory, visual and other experiences which others do not experience and that the person believe are true at the time or takes effort to question.
    • Disorganised speech, lack of coherence, unintelligible and / or with significant difficulty following line of thought.
    • Decline in usual functioning in response to psychotic experiences e.g. withdrawal from social situations and relationships, poor motivation to undertake usual routine (negative symptoms).
  • Extended Assessment – period of up to 3 months

    We may offer a period of extended assessment when:

    • It is unclear / uncertain whether the experiences happen within the context of Psychosis.
    • The experiences maybe more suitable for another service.
    • Where other complex presentations may be the main difficulty.
    • When it is unclear if the psychotic experiences occur solely or predominantly during intoxication and / or withdrawal in order to understand the correlation between experiences and drug/alcohol usage or withdrawal.
  • Exclusion for EIP or an extended period of assessment

    • Organic caused psychosis e.g. dementia, delirium, traumatic brain injury, Huntington’s, post seizure hallucinations.
    • A learning disability where the service user would not benefit from an EIP service and it would be more appropriate to receive care through a learning disability service.
    • Long stay in patient/ forensic ward or prison where it is unlikely that they will be in the community during the 3 year period offered by EIP.
    • Where a persons presentation is not thought to be appropriate for the care and treatment within an EIP service despite having psychotic experiences this may include primary difficulties such as suicidality / self harm, difficulties regulating emotions, long standing patterns of mistrust and paranoid / persecutory experiences.

    NICE guidance suggests the appropriate evidence based pathway which enables people to access the right support without delay and therefore achieve the best recovery.

  • What we will do when we receive a referral

    When a referral is received by the team the duty worker will:

    • Review the information available which may include information from a letter or telephone call, accessing electronic patient records if a person is involved in a CNTW service or may have previously had involvement.
    • They may speak to you (the referrer) again to clarify information.
    • Where possible speak to the person referred to gather more information.
    • If referral is suitable for assessment, they will arrange this, if referral is not suitable they will give feedback and recommendations.
  • How to refer

    We are happy to accept letters, emails or telephone calls from anyone (GP, teacher, employer, self, family) who is concerned that a person is experiencing a suspected first episode of psychosis, the person being referred must have consented to the referral and it would be helpful to a brief summary of concerns.

  • Contact details

    North Tyneside EIP Team

    1 Benton View

    Forest Hall

    Newcastle upon Tyne

    NE12 7JJ

    Tel: 0191 6400051

    Email: [email protected]

    and

    Northumberland EIP Team

    Greenacres Centre

    Green Lane

    Ashington

    NE63 8BL

    Tel: 01670 844670

    Email: [email protected]