Cheshire and Mersey Specialist Support Team

This team has been created to

• Provide better access to relevant treatment closer to home and in the community

• Reduce the number of people with a learning disability or Autism having contact with the criminal justice system

• Reduce the number of people with a learning disability or Autism and who have forensic risks living in hospital setting

• Increase capacity to provide effective support for people with learning disabilities or Autism and forensic risks in community settings

• Plan discharge for someone who does need admission to hospital from the point of their admission

The service has five main functions

• To prevent admission to  ecure hospital placements
• To support and facilitate discharge from hospital
• To deliver specialist therapeutic interventions close to where people live in the community
• To offer intensive support and additional capacity to services users, families, and carers during times of need
• To provide training and consultation.

Specialist community forensic team (Learning Disability and Autism) (SCFT LD/A) is part of Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust’s Secure Care Division.

The service has a wide range of health and social care professionals and experts by experience.

You may hear the abbreviation MDT when you speak to us. A multi disciplinary team refers to the groups of specialists such as:

Psychologists

Psychologists will try to work out why you are doing things that are concerning or harmful to you or other people. Psychologists work by talking to you and people who know you so that we can understand what your needs are. We can then suggest what you and others can do to help you get the most out of your life.

Speech and language therapists

Colleagues working in speech and language therapy will work with you to understand your communication differences and how these might be contributing to your current risks or problems. Speech therapists will also work with you, the people around you and your environment so you can communicate your needs as effectively as possible.

Nurses

Nurses work to improve or maintain a patients general wellbeing. They offer support and advice in consultation sessions to reduce barriers for individuals with learning disabilities and/or autism.

Nurses support people with forensic history and those in contact with the criminal justice system. They work collaboratively with services across Greater Manchester to prevent placement breakdown and speed up discharge from hospital in line with the transforming care agenda. They complete specialist assessments that can’t be met by mainstream services. Nurses also facilitate training to support service development and meet the complex needs of people they work with. The nursing team also work closely with support workers to facilitate an intensive support package for those individuals with enhanced needs, for a short period of time.

Occupational therapists

"Occupation" refers to activities such as self-care, work, leisure, and sleep. Occupational Therapists (sometimes known as OTs) work alongside individuals, their family and other services. They will identify strengths and overcome any challenges, by addressing areas such as: motivation, roles and responsibilities, routine, day-to-day skills, making changes to the environment and aspirations – working together towards goals. They will offer advice and consultation sessions or direct intervention, training to care providers, assessments surrounding functional skills baseline, exploring ability to engage with meaningful activities. 

OTs also offer environmental assessment, exploring how sensory processing difficulties may be impacting in day-to-day activities and ways to overcome this. They also contribute to care plans.

Social workers

Social workers will support the service user’s current social worker to make sure they are safe, protected from harm and that their Human Rights are being met. This could involve supporting hospital discharge, supporting the right to make decisions, supporting their right to housing support or access to advocacy.

Support workers

Support workers work with the service user’s existing staff to support every day living and to live more independently by developing life skills. This could involve helping with obtaining cooking, financial or shopping skills or even employment opportunities.