Partnership working: SUMH teams in Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland

In 2021 an audit identified 55% of 3804 service users across Turning Point's Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland in treatment as having a mental health treatment need. Across the service, 320 clients (8.4%) were also identified as high-risk based on their existing risk assessment.

This level of cross-over between mental health and substance use should therefore be properly reflected in service provision and integration. In response, the Substance Misuse and Mental Health project (SUMH) was set up by the local service provider in September 2021 for an initial 6-month pilot to seek to test out approaches to better integrate substance misuse and mental health services for this cohort. The project was expanded in April 2022 and continued for a further year.

The SUMH team seeks to address the issue of service users falling between the gaps between substance misuse and mental health services. A dedicated team, embedded within the substance misuse services, deliver substance misuse and mental health interventions in tandem in addition to enabling better links and integration with mental health services improving engagement. The team operates in an integrated way with Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT) Dual Diagnosis services including alongside the Dual Diagnosis Consultant Nurse and LPT Substance Misuse Workers located at the Bradgate Unit.