Dual Diagnosis

Someone with a ‘dual diagnosis’ has a mental health condition (such as schizophrenia, bi-polar affective disorder, stress, anxiety & depression) alongside a substance dependency (alcohol, street drugs or prescribed medication).

Both problems combine to have a significantly damaging effect upon a person’s life; each condition has symptoms that interfere with a person’s ability to function, self-perception and form relationships with others.

People with a dual diagnosis can often experience other non-medical difficulties: these may include social, legal, housing, welfare and lifestyle matters, which healthcare services can’t always provide support with.

The team currently offers:
• 1:1 support/therapy for mental health and addictions.
• Auricular Acupuncture.
• Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy: 8 weeks course.
• Mindfulness-based Relapse Prevention: 8 weeks course (addictions).
• Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction: 8 weeks course (stress/anxiety).
• The PTSD programme, incorporating EMDR, ACT, CFT and reconsolidation.
• Reversing the Spiral (RTS): A transitional lifestyle change programme.

The team works alongside other mental health, drug/alcohol counselling and related services to provide a more all-round support to those living in supported housing and the community within the Waveney area.

As a direct-access service, the Team welcomes self-referrals (in addition to those made by referring agencies). Referral forms can be requested by telephone (01502) 527214 or via email at ddt@accessct.org.

Social Prescribing

The Trust is currently delivering Leiston Links, a social prescribing service developed with Leiston Together and the East Suffolk Communities Team. The Link Worker is based at Leiston GP practice and linked to the Local Area Coordinator (LAC) for Leiston and Saxmundham funded by SCC and ESP. The project launched in January 2018 and is projected to run through to June 2019.

The scheme utilises the local network of partners as part of Leiston Together to actively examine possibilities of developing new referral pathways with external agencies. We have already linked up with Jobcentre Plus and discussions are ongoing with enabling Adult Community Services (ACS) and Care Navigators to also refer. The Link Worker has made connections with local community groups, in particular for surrounding villages so that patients can be signposted to activities local to them, such as Parkrun, gardening clubs or yoga to help manage stress and anxiety.

In addition, we will provide home visits for follow-up meetings, if the patient has issues accessing transport, and as part of these meetings we make sure the Link Worker helps the patients to identify possible transport options.

The Trust is also a current member of the Social Prescribing Network and have attended the network’s inaugural International Research Conference in Salford, June 2018 which explored common frameworks of non-clinical community interventions.