Referring to the neighbourhood mental health service

Referrals to the neighbourhood mental health team are accepted from:

• GPs,
• Health, social care or voluntary, community and social enterprise professional
• Local authority services (e.g. housing)
• Police, probation, and criminal justice services
   

Criteria:

• Age: 18+
   
• Consent: Individuals need to give informed consent for their information to be shared. They should understand:
  • Their information will be discussed by health, social care, and voluntary, community and social enterprise partners, to ensure the right support for their needs
  • This joined up approach means their information will not necessarily be held on Pennine Care’s systems 
  • If consent isn’t given, we won’t automatically refuse the referral. Instead, we’ll explore the reasons and consider how best to offer safe and appropriate support
     
•  Level of need: Suitable for people whose needs:
  • Are beyond what primary care can typically manage, BUT
  • Do not require secondary care or highly specialist services
     
• Previous support: Appropriate for individuals who have already tried the following but have not experienced sufficient improvement or need more specialist input:
  • Primary care support
  • Talking therapies services
  • Voluntary, community and social enterprise or community-based services
     
• Diagnosis: A formal diagnosis isn’t required.
   
• Risk level: The person’s needs can be safely managed by our service and there’s no immediate crisis or risk requiring urgent services such as home treatment team.
   
• Suitability: 
  • For people with less intensive, manageable needs - including those who may experience distress or challenges, but who can be effectively supported within the community and primary care settings
  • The service can support individuals with co existing issues, such as substance use, where these can be managed within the service, alongside external partners
  • Psychiatric review is available where clinically indicated, but typically not more than two appointments.
     
• Engagement: People need to be motivated to engage with the support provided. 
  •  If unsure, referrer should make assertive, supportive efforts to explain the offer and address concerns.
  • If the person declines, alternatives and safeguards should be explored to ensure their wellbeing
  • Any additional needs should be identified, and appropriate safeguards put in place to ensure safety and wellbeing. 
     
• Intervention length: Support is usually up to 12 weeks, with flexibility where appropriate.

Exclusion criteria:

To ensure people receive the right care, we:

•  Can’t support people with common mental health conditions without complexity factors
•  Can’t support people with primary problem of acquired or traumatic brain injury where no serious mental illness has been evidenced
• Can’t accept referrals where memory issues are the primary concern. However, we will consider referrals where there are co-existing mental health needs that can be managed within this pathway. 
• Can’t support people whose primary concerns are drug, alcohol, or substance related, which prevent engagement with mental health support. 

To note:

• We can support individuals who are neurodivergent when there are additional mental health needs that can be managed within this pathway.
• We’re not a crisis service; alternative pathways must be pursued if an urgent response is needed (such as home treatment team).
• The service is not intended for individuals solely seeking a diagnosis without an interest in ongoing assessment or support.

Referrals should be sent via email to the relevant borough team as follows (please note - the email addresses below will be live from 30 March 2026. If you need to refer before then, please use the current emails address, or contact the team at the details below).

To make sure people get the right support, the referral form must be used. It includes important information and asks for consent, which helps us understand the person’s needs and work with partners to provide the right support, without delay.

If consent isn’t given, we won’t automatically refuse the referral. Instead, we’ll explore the reasons and consider how best to offer safe and appropriate support.

• Bury referral form (opens in Google Drive). The completed form should be emailed to ​​​​​​pcn-tr.BuryNMHT@nhs.net
   
• Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale referral form (opens in Google Drive). The completed form should be emailed to ​​​​​​
  pcn-tr.HMR-NMHT@nhs.net
   
• Oldham referral form.  The completed form should be emailed to pcn-tr.OldhamNMHT@nhs.net
   
• Stockport referral form (opens in Google Drive). The completed form should be emailed to pcn-tr.StockportNMHT@nhs.net
   
• Tameside and Glossop referral form (opens in Google Drive). The completed form should be emailed to pcn-tr.TamesideNMHT@nhs.net

Referrals are accepted from:

• Statutory services (via neighbourhood mental health team or the multi-disciplinary team)
• Home treatment teams
• Inpatient wards
• Prison / in-reach services
• Consultant psychiatry outpatient clinics
• Internal Pennine Care referrals from early intervention services, treatment support services, perinatal teams