Mental Health Rapid Response Service (MHRRS) for Brighton and Hove

The MHRRS service is able to support adults who are experiencing a crisis with their mental health, who think they are at risk of harming themselves or others.

Examples of urgent mental health problems:

• at high risk of suicide, with specific intention to act
• at high risk to self or others
• significant mental health concerns
• require immediate attention
  
  

The Mental Health Rapid Response Service accepts referrals for adults aged 18 and above, who are currently in Brighton and Hove, with urgent mental health problems requiring assessment.

Referrals can come from anyone concerned about someone experiencing a mental health crisis. It can be made by the individual themselves, their carer, health professionals or the Police. The service is both for individuals known to services and people not known to services.

There are occasions when the MHRRS practitioner will need to refer someone directly to A&E, for example when someone is acutely intoxicated with alcohol or drugs, or when there is a medical issue requiring urgent attention.

The MHRRS team will then contact the Mental Health Liaison Team in A&E to handover relevant information and reasoning for referral.

Call the MHRRS team on 0300 304 0078 - if the line is busy, you will receive an advice message. The member of staff will ask for the name, contact details, GP details and other details of the individual. They will want to know about the current concern and risks to the individual, and they will complete a MHRRS referral form.

Depending on the person's situation, mental health presentation and level of risk, an appointment may be offered for an assessment. Ideally this will be organised to occur within the next four hours. Other factors will be be taken into consideration when planning an assessment, such as whether the person is intoxicated, or if they are a risk to other people.

Currently, due to COVID19, assessments are taking place via video link, or if the staff on duty consider it appropriate, somewhere in the community. MHRRS is staffed by eight practitioners across the whole week and there are between one and three people on each shift. When assessments are taking place this can leave a single person answering the crisis line. Practitioners will use their clinical judgement to decide who takes priority when referrals come in.

At the end of the assessment the practitioner and individual will agree on a safety plan and a care plan. The individual will then be given a paper copy of this to keep with them.

Telephone: 0300 304 0078, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.