Can you tell us about the Intensive Outreach Support Service?

Bath Mind’s Intensive Outreach Service is a non-clinical service which supports people with intensive mental health symptoms. We enable them to safely return to their own home or accommodation from hospital, and we work with them to prevent escalation of mental health issues.

The service facilitates increased opportunities for independent living, provides appropriate interventions and successful transitions between hospital and community.

We support people with person-centred and trauma-informed intervention for between 6 and 12 weeks. This enables a smooth transition from hospital back into accommodation, or prevention of hospitalisation in the event of a decline in mental health.

The service also aims to assist people in their recovery and support them with their overall wellbeing and quality of life.

Why is it an important service?

Due to the increased demand on mental health services, many individuals experiencing intensive mental health symptoms may find it challenging to access adequate support to facilitate their transition towards coping independently within a reasonable timeframe.

Our team operates 7 days a week 8am till 9pm, and support can be offered up to 5 times a week (depending on the level of support found to be required at the initial assessment and subsequent reviews).

The service also promotes an approach that considers an individual’s unique experience, support needs and goals.

What sorts of challenges do your clients face?

We support people with a wide range of mental health difficulties, including depression, complex emotional needs, psychosis, and self-harm. Often the challenges people face when returning home from a hospital admission include reconnecting with the local community, isolation, and daily routine.

What are some of the successful outcomes you see from clients after they’ve utilised the Intensive Outreach Support service?

Over the course of our support, we observe people’s daily experiences improve by using the tools that our team has taught them (such as distress tolerance, grounding, and anxiety management).

It’s very rewarding to see people’s confidence in the community increase, especially where people have been connected with wellbeing and community groups which they continue to attend after our support has finished.

We’re also able to support people with PIP applications, including completing the application form with them and supporting them during assessments. It’s so impactful to see people being connected with appropriate funding, which often decreases their financial strain and often offers validation of the difficulty of their experiences.

What’s your favourite thing about the service?

My favourite thing is seeing how appreciative of support people are, and how much our support can change their circumstances – even over just 6 weeks. I also love being part of an amazing and supportive team!