Community Mental Health Services

The Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) is a multidisciplinary team based at The Balfour in Kirkwall, offering a community based service to the whole of Orkney.

The full staff compliment is made up of a consultant psychiatrist, psychologist, community mental health nurses, an occupational therapist, who is also a CBT therapist, social workers (with additional Mental Health Officer status), a Clinical Associate in Applied Psychology (CAAP), support workers and admin support staff.

There is also an Operational Manager and a Service Manager. The team provides a community mental health service to people aged 18 years and above.

The team also hosts NHS Orkney’s substance misuse service which is staffed by community mental health nurses and support workers. Information on referral for residential rehabilitation can be found here. 

The team accepts referrals from GP practices, and referrals are considered by team members at a weekly referral meeting.

Members of the CMHT work in partnership with the service user, their family and any carers, where appropriate, to look at the difficulties that they are experiencing, and to assess the effects that the Service User’s mental health needs are having on their life.

It is important to enable the person using the service to identify their strengths and the sources of support that are available to them. We work closely with other statutory and voluntary agencies.

Our highly specialist team, in accordance with national ‘best practice’, has clear referral criteria and follows a ‘recovery’ based ethos.

The team works primarily with people with who have complex, acute and/or enduring mental health needs. Our CAAP practitioner works proactively with people who have a lower intensity of need, and is tasked with developing local capacity within Primary Care services and other sectors to grow and consolidate evidence based support for this Service User group.

Confidentiality is central to our working relationships with service users.

• The Community Mental Health Team can be contacted during office hours (9 am to 5 pm) on 01856 888280. 
• Out of hours contact for the Mental Health Team should be made through NHS 24 –which is 111.
• The CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) can be contacted on 01856 888950.

Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) 

Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in Orkney is dedicated to providing community-based support for children and young people up to 18 years facing severe and enduring mental health conditions. Find out more about the CAMHS Service on the page link below:

Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)