CATS- Crisis Assessment and Treatment Service
A nurse led team and part of the community mental health services in Dumfries and Galloway. Provides a 24 hour service working everyday of the year.
DGRI (Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary) Liaison
A nurse led team providing assessment, liaison, and advice for people who are currently inpatients in Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary. Provides a 9-5 service working week days.
Both CATS and DGRI Liaison team are nurse led with attached medical staff and consultant psychiatrist input.
We have community psychiatric nurses and senior health care support workers working in the team.
CATS can be contacted via the main Infirmary switchboard on tel: 01387 246246
What We Do
CATS
- Provide urgent psychiatric assessment and home based treatment.
- Offer urgent crisis assessments for people who have or are thought to have a mental illness or mental disorder and who are in crisis and require an urgent same day assessment.
- The urgency is usually due to safety and risk factors including deteriorating mental health and risk to self or others.
- We assess most people in their own homes but can also see people in a variety of other settings including clinic, the police station, Accident and Emergency department, or the Infirmary.
- We provide home based treatment to people which is offered on a short term and intensive basis and used as an alternative to hospital admission.
- We work with people over the age of 16 years. There is a specialist team for younger people- CAMHS-child and adolescent mental health service.
- We cover most of Dumfries and Galloway with the exception of Wigtownshire. There is a separate arrangement for crisis assessment in this area and liaison with the Galloway Hospital in Stranraer which is arranged via the local community mental health team based in Innistaigh in Stranraer.
DGRI Liaison
- Psychiatric assessment, review and advice for people who are inpatients in the DGRI.
Access to mental Health Services
Access to mental health services is made through the GP. The GP will decide which part of mental health services to refer on to depending on urgency, age, location, and type of specialist service needed.
Routine referrals are made to the CMHT – Community Mental Health Team and urgent referrals are made to CATS.
Anyone needing urgent psychiatric input should contact their GP or NHS 24 in the first instance.
People who are currently being seen by mental health services can contact CATS outside of usual service hours if they require urgent input or advice.
CATS can be contacted via the main Infirmary switchboard on tel: 01387 246246
NHS 24 is available outside of usual GP hours and can be contacted on tel: 111