Mental Health Services
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West Sussex Single Point of Access (SPoA)
Age range: 4-18
Location: West Sussex
Contact:
About the service
The West Sussex Single Point of Access (SPoA) is a dedicated service which provides a simplified single route to access specialist emotional wellbeing and mental health support. The SPoA helps direct you to the right service, eliminating the need to refer to multiple services.
Led by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, the service is delivered in partnership with West Sussex County Council’s Youth Emotional Support Service (YES) and YMCA Dialogue.
Who can refer to SPoA?
Anyone – children, young people, parents, carers, families, GPs and other professionals.
For professionals in a school where Thought-Full (MHST) is available, they should consult with the schools Senior Mental Health Lead to consider Thought-Full in the first instance.
How does it work?
The SPoA consists of a team of clinical and administrative staff. All referrals received are triaged (processed) by SPoA within 72 hours.
Referrals that meet the criteria for SPoA are offered the appropriate treatment and support. This might include advice, intervention work, a patient care plan, or a specialist assessment. In some cases, there may also be input from other services too, such as Healthy child programme or Winston’s Wish.
If your referral does not meet the criteria for SPoA, you will be signposted to other services for support, such as Early Help, Health Visitors and specialist services.
This process helps to ensure that the first appointment you have is with the right service.
What to include in a referral
When making a referral to SPoA, please provide as much information and detail about the issues the young person is currently experiencing. Doing so will allow SPoA to triage the referral much more quickly and effectively.
Please also ensure that you provide your contact details (email and telephone number), as well as contact details for the young person and their parent/carer, so that if further information is required, SPoA can get in touch.
How to access this service
Children, young people, families and other professionals: Go to www.e-wellbeing.co.uk/support and complete the referral form, providing a clear description of the mental health need and the help or advice you are seeking.
GPs: Complete West Sussex SPoA referral form and email to [email protected].
If you are unable to complete the online referral form or have any questions about a referral, please email [email protected].
PLEASE NOTE: SPoA accepts referrals for children and young people from the age of four up to a young person’s 18th birthday. The young person must also be registered with a West Sussex GP (please note. YES will accept referrals for young people who live in West Sussex or go to a West Sussex school).
All Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) and ADHD (neurodevelopmental) referrals need to continue via the current referral pathways. If there is a mental health or emotional wellbeing concern separate to this, the young person can be referred to SPoA. Referrals for young people with eating disorders, including Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa, need to continue directly to Sussex Family Eating Disorder Service (SFEDS).
