The older people’s mental health service (OPMHS) was previously known as cognitive impairment and dementia services (CIDS).
We still offer the same services with the addition of provision for older people with severe and enduring mental health difficulties.
OPMHS offer both assessment and treatment, through therapy and medications, as well as support for patients and their families and carers, for a range of mental health conditions including dementia.
We provide assessments to determine if difficulties people are experiencing are due to cognitive impairment resulting factors from factors such as age, anxiety or other health conditions; or if they’re due to underlying dementia.
OPMHS provides treatment and support for older people with complex mental health needs, which may include dementia, with both inpatient services and services delivered by community based teams.
Inpatient services are provided at:
- Jubilee Ward in St Bernard’s Hospital
- Meridian Ward at Hammersmith and Fulham Mental Health Unit
- The Limes.
Community teams provide care across Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Hounslow.
Community teams are organised according to boroughs. Each team has access to services across the Trust to provide integrated care and connect with our crisis service, if needed.
The community team and therapy services work together to support people with mental health needs in their own homes, to prolong a person’s independence and quality of life, as well as providing support to carers and families.
Our inpatient wards provide a safe, comfortable environment for treatment where someone needs more care and supervision than can be provided at home, whether for a short period, or more long term.
The specialist older mental health service (SOAMHS) teams provide assessment and treatment for people over the age of 70, who are experiencing severe and enduring mental health difficulties.
A detailed assessment will first help to understand any factors which may have caused or maintained the person’s difficulties. The team can then recommend a range of therapeutic options tailored to their individual needs.
The teams also provide support to families and those caring for people with dementia and mental health difficulties.
The following typical route to care is offered:
- Initially patients are referred direct to the service via their GP.
- Screening assessments are then carried out to identify the level of risk and required urgency of response. Initial investigations are reviewed, which may include: blood tests, electrocardiogram (ECG), medical and psychiatric history. These are sent with the initial referral to our assessment team.
- A comprehensive initial assessment, including assessment of cognition, functional abilities (including social and occupation functioning), behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), personal history, details of how the person was before they began having any difficulties, and assessment of carer support needs will be done.Following this, we’ll will arrange a brain scan and other tests if needed.
- A test review appointment with a consultant or senior medical practitioner will take place to confirm a diagnosis and to plan treatment. Treatment may be medication, therapeutic or relating to care needs – or a mixture of all of these.
- A follow-up appointment will review how treatment and the care plan are going.
- Support for patient and carer will continue, with regular reviews of any medication, until a patient is stable.
Dementia link workers
Dementia link workers work alongside GPs and the cognitive impairment and dementia service (CIDS) in each borough. They provide regular contact so that people diagnosed with dementia are supported, given information and if needed, referred appropriately.
Team managers allocate a named dementia link worker to each person.
In Ealing, the dementia link workers are based at the offices of Dementia Concern and work alongside dementia advisors. In Hammersmith and Fulham and Hounslow, they are based with the CIDS team and work closely with the local Alzheimer’s Society.
The older people’s mental health service provides assessment and treatment for older people experiencing problems with their mental abilities and memory, who live in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham and Hounslow.
Dementia referrals
The service has sites in Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham and Hounslow, comprising psychiatrists, nurses, occupational therapists, clinical psychologists, nurse prescribers and research staff.
Please use the contact details below based on the borough in which your patient lives.
Ealing
Tel: 020 8483 2646/2647
Fax: 020 8483 2654
Team manager: Rebecca Higgins
Hammersmith and Fulham
Tel: 020 8483 2525
Fax: 020 8483 2575
Team lead: Paul Byron
Hounslow
Tel: 020 8483 1800
Fax: 020 8483 1838
Team lead: Rukhsana Younus
Download the cognitive impairment and dementia referral form
Single Point of Access (SPA) for other older adult mental health referrals
All non-dementia related adult referrals should be made via our Single Point of Access (SPA).
The SPA provide advice and guidance through a triage process, where the urgency of care required for the referral is assessed, so they can be referred onward to the appropriate service or team.
To make a referral, visit the SPA page
Dementia can affect all aspects of a person's life. It has an impact on the person and their family. If you’ve been diagnosed with dementia, or you're caring for someone with the condition, remember that advice and support is available to help you live well.
There are many different types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia and vascular dementia.
When diagnosed early, people can continue to live active and fulfilling lives, often for years. Each of these illnesses lead in time, to symptoms becoming more severe and an ongoing decline of the brain and its abilities.
A detailed assessment helps us to determine the cause of dementia symptoms and the right path to care and support for you or someone you provide care for, with the aim of maintaining independence for as long as possible.
There are dozens of dementia research projects going on around the world, many of which are based in the UK. If you have a diagnosis of dementia or are worried about memory problems, you can help scientists better understand the disease by taking part in research.
If you're a carer for someone with dementia, you can also take part in research.
Find out more about the valuable research we carry out at West London NHS Trust
Sign up to take part in trials on the NHS Join Dementia Research website