Summary of services
We provide a wide range of mental health services to people experiencing severe mental illness and other mental health problems.
Here is a summary of the services we offer:
When I speak to Community Psychiatric Nurses, Social Workers – all have fantastic relationships with Rethink’s facilities.
Commissioner
Advocacy
Our advocacy services help safeguard the rights of people who are subject to the powers of mental health legislation. We provide more than 30 services which offer support to ensure that views are heard, representation and protection for those who are particularly vulnerable or are unable to make informed decisions
We have a strong track record of delivering advocacy services, allowing issues to be resolved at a local level. We offer both long-term advocacy or help for short-term crisis needs and provide our services in the community, secure hospitals and units and via home visits. We also offer a number of Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA) services.
Read more about our Advocacy services and see an Advocacy case-study about one of our advocacy services to find out more.
Carer support
We offer over 45 specialist services to carers of people experiencing severe mental illness and we run more than 130 groups, which meet regularly to give carers and those with severe mental illness a local support network. We are committed to involving carers in shaping the services we offer.
We offer a range of innovative and high quality services including home visits, respite services, assistance with carer assessments, helplines, information on all aspects of caring and an expert carers’ course – the Carers’ Education and Training Programme.
Read more about our Carer support services and see a Carer support case-study about one of our carer support services to find out more.
Community support
We want a society that includes people experiencing severe mental illness. We provide almost 80 community support services, offering people with severe mental illness the support they need to regain confidence to engage in everyday social and workplace activities. They include:
- community services: one-to-one and small group work providing social contact, practical help, information and advice
- befriending services: one-to-one and focused relationships providing consistent support and opportunities for social involvement
- one-to-one community support: helping individuals live independently
- user involvement services: opportunities for users of mental health services to influence the way they are planned, delivered and monitored locally
Over the last five years we have been transforming our community support services from a traditional buildings based, day services model to an individualised, recovery based and socially inclusive model which provides better outcomes for stakeholders. This change was prompted by emerging government guidance, commissioning requirements and our own direction statement for community services. Instead of a ‘one size fits all’ approach, we actively and explicitly support individuals’ recovery journeys. Staff work with people using services to draw up Individual Recovery Plans based on their goals and aspirations. These are regularly reviewed, and support is varied as requirements change. Staff give positive feedback and, once goals are achieved, discuss discharge from the service with the individual and their care-co-ordinator. Local resources and facilities are accessed using community mapping and, by developing relationships with other community organisations, positive promotion of mental health and a reduction in stigma and discrimination takes place.
Read more about Rethink Community support services and see a Community support case-study about one of our community support services to find out more.
Employment and training
We aim to help people experiencing severe mental illness access employment and retain their jobs, so they are fully included in society.
We provide over 25 employment and training services offering options including supported employment, work preparation schemes, certificated training, links to local employers and
volunteering opportunities, IT training, CV writing and interview skills, mentoring and job retention schemes.
We use a range of employment models, including individual placement and support. We also provide support to employers.
Some of our training services are run as successful small businesses. We also access local businesses, accredited training providers and work in partnership with social firms.
Read more about Rethink Employment and training services and see an Employment and training case-study about one of our employment and training services to find out more.
Helplines
We provide over 10 helpline services, which offer practical and emotional support and signposting to those experiencing severe mental illness, their carers and relatives. They adhere to Telephone Helplines Association quality standards and include:
- large 24/7 services, covering a number of geographical areas
- an Asian Mental Health Helpline
- innovative 24/7 services, some of which are linked to crisis accommodation
All our helpline services are electronically linked to ensure caller access and detailed data retrieval. New services can be added simply and cost-effectively. Helplines are a significant addition to mainstream services, offering a valuable service to callers out of hours.
Read more about Rethink Helpline services and see a Helplines case-study about one of our helplines services to find out more.
Housing
Supported housing helps people experiencing severe mental illness move towards recovery and reintegration within the wider community. We provide over 105 housing related services to people who can live independently but who need some level of support.
Our services, which are of a consistently high standard, include intensive 24 hour supported housing, medium and low level supported housing, individual floating support which provides support to individuals in their homes, and Accommodation Plus which recruits and trains private sector landlords to provide accommodation and support.
We work in partnership with tenants, private landlords and other stakeholders and are accredited with a number of Supporting People authorities.
Read more about Rethink Housing services and see Housing case-studies about two of our housing services to find out more.
Nursing and residential care
We run over 15 nursing and residential care homes offering rehabilitation and support to people experiencing severe and long-term mental illness. We provide responsive needs-led care based on the involvement of individuals in the management of their own condition, and we aim to enable residents to move on to more independent accommodation.
Our homes provide either a stable long-term home life or places for relatively short-term multi-disciplinary assessment and we also offer a service which provides high quality respite breaks in a country hotel setting.
We work jointly with statutory clinical teams, often as part of an integrated health and social care model.
Read more about Rethink Nursing and residential care services and see a Nursing and residential care case study about one of our nursing and residential care services to find out more.
Innovations and new initiatives
Black and minority ethnic services
Rethink is committed to developing ways of working that are culturally sensitive to black and minority ethnic (BME) people who use mental health services.
We are flexible in how we develop and deliver BME services so that they meet local needs. Our BME specific services include housing, carers’ support, a helpline for the Asian community and support groups. Many of our mainstream services also have BME specific workers who can provide bilingual mental health, advocacy or carers’ support services.
Read more about Rethink Black and minority ethnic services and see a Black and minority ethnic services case-study about one of our BME services to find out more.
Advocacy
We aim to deliver innovative and imaginative services that are forward looking, recovery oriented and evidence based, and which promote social inclusion. We are always looking for new and better ways to address old problems, for example we provide: 
