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The Minister of State for Care and Support was inspired following a recent visit to early intervention in psychosis services in Lancashire.

Norman Lamb visited the Early Intervention Service in Accrington to talk to families and service users who have benefitted from the service and the work they do. The service has three teams covering the whole of Lancashire and specialises in working with individuals aged 14 to 35 at risk of, or currently experiencing, first episode psychosis.

Norman Lamb, Minister of State for Care and Support said:
“Improving mental health care for children and young people is a priority for me. It was fantastic to see the work of Lancashire’s Early Intervention Service (EIS) and to meet the people who are benefiting from this specialist care.

“We know that most lifelong mental health problems can start to take hold by the age of 14 and that early interventions can help people manage their condition or recover completely. This is why we are investing more than £450 million to improve access to treatment and why I want to see a fairer society where equal care is provided for mental and physical health problems.”

Chrissy is a carer and speaks of her experience with the service:
“The Early Intervention Service has been incredible for us and got us out of a horrible dark hole from the point where our daughter has been suicidal but coming through this process has enabled her to go to work, she is getting married and turned her life around. The service has been a massive security blanket for us.

“Mental health is not a 9-5 illness, we have been able to phone at weekend and they have helped me to get my head around what is going on. For a very bright person to be hearing and seeing things we have come across prejudice from our own family. It feels like being diagnosed with cancer or a terminal illness would be more acceptable. The service has helped my daughter to gain self-respect, live with her illness, take ownership of it and have a future. I am eternally grateful to the staff in the service who have been inspirational and a great support. This has been a journey that we would never want to be on but we have got through it.

“It was great to meet Norman Lamb, he really listened and does care. He is passionate about getting the message out there that mental illness should not be a stigma that people have to carry around.”

Dr Warren Larkin, Clinical Director for Children and Families Services and Consultant Clinical Psychologist with the EIS service at Lancashire Care said:
“It was a real pleasure to welcome the Care and Support Minister into our service. His continued personal interest and support for what we do means a great deal to our staff and service users and his kind words have made a lasting impression.”

Dr Chris Clayton, Clinical Chief Officer at Blackburn with Darwen Clinical Commissioning Group said:
“As the lead commissioners for mental health across Lancashire acting on behalf of all the CCGs in Lancashire, we have been a strong advocate of early intervention services in mental health, particularly psychosis, and improving patients’ access to psychological therapies.

“We are therefore delighted to commission this service from Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, and particularly thrilled that the minister has taken such a keen interest in visiting the service.”

The Early Intervention Service (EIS) is one of only two psychosis services in the country to be selected by the Department of Health as a Demonstration Site for Increasing access to Psychological Therapies in Severe Mental Illness (IAPT SMI). The project was recently awarded additional funding which will allow the service to continue to demonstrate excellence in the care of people experiencing psychosis and to share their innovative best practice in increasing access to therapies for people experiencing psychosis and their families.
– See more at: http://www.lancashirecare.nhs.uk/communications/Latest-News/News-Articles.php?id=280#sthash.f6FeE4qm.dpuf