PEOPLE seeking help for mental health difficulties will be assessed by an expert within three days of referral, York’s mental health provider has said.

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust has said all patients will be called within three days and the urgency of their situation will be assessed.

Gill Boycott, TEWV head of adult mental health services for the Vale of York said: “The new access to mental wellbeing service will make sure that people are spoken to and their needs assessed as quickly as possible so that we can swiftly provide or signpost them to the appropriate support.

“The team will also able to offer short-term help for individuals in the form of six support sessions and if patients require further treatment they will then be referred on to an appropriate mental health team for ongoing care and support without the need for repeated assessment.”

The service aims to significantly improve access to adult mental health services by providing a triage of all routine referrals received through GP’s and healthcare professionals, as well as self-referrals from existing service users.

Where appropriate, comprehensive assessments are carried out by the team and people are then signposted to the most appropriate service.

TEWV said the new triage process will prevent people from having to undergo unnecessary in-depth mental health assessments if not required, allowing them to be quickly signposted elsewhere.

It is hoped that the new service will also reduce waiting times, with people not requiring specialist mental health services being sent on to alternative available support services.