NHS Islington...

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Pulse

Who is the service is for?

Pulse is a unique multi-agency centre in Islington, offering a range of services to support young people under the age of 21. Agencies currently offering services from the centre including NHS Islington are Brook Advisory Service, Connexions, Islington Drug and Alcohol Service, Homelessness Prevention Officers, Smoking Cessation, Islington Y Team Counselling Service and LBI Children in Need Team.

What does the service do?

Sexual health: Full range of contraception prescribed including emergency contraception, pregnancy testing, termination of pregnancy counselling and referral, chlamydia and gonorrhoea screening and treatment and support and advice on any concerns of sexual health, sexuality, relationship issues. Consultations may also provide support around other health issues including smoking, drug and alcohol misuse, child protection and safeguarding.

CAMHS: Clinical Psychologist offering assessment and support to young people experiencing emotional and/or behavioural difficulties including depression, anxiety, family relationship difficulties, eating problems, problems at school, bereavement, anger management, self harm.

Connexions: Provide support, advice and guidance on a range of issues including education, training, advocacy, employment, housing and benefits. Specialist personal advisors offer support to pregnant teenagers and teenage parents, and young people with learning difficulties.

Children in Need: Provide links into community services, providing 1:1 advice and support on a range of family issues eg relationship difficulties, both peer and significant adults, drug and alcohol misuse, facitilitating return to education. Provide support to adolescents with mental health issues, prevention of homelessness by way of assessing welfare of young person. Assisting the awareness of a young person  putting themselves at risk and in vulnerable situations.

Smoking Cessation: Support and advice for young people who want to give up smoking. Individual 1-1 support with prescription of Nicotine Replacement Therapy.

Homelessness Prevention: Support, advice and assessment to young people experiencing problems living at home, may be on the verge of homelessness or are homeless.  Assessments completed with young person at Pulse N7 and with parent in the home. Applications completed for temporary and supported accommodation. Family mediation offered where appropriate.

Drug and Alcohol Service: Assessment of substance misuse completed to plan, implement and evaluate care, developing individualised care and discharge plan from initial contact. Treatment goals, co-ordination treatment and identification of care pathways are established with referral to CAMHS worker within team when appropriate.

How do clients access the services?

Anyone can make a referral to Pulse.

Referrals are primarily made through the following routes:

• Self-referral by young people or their families
• Schools
• GPs and other health professionals
• Social Services
• Youth Services
• Police

Relevant web links

• www.islington.gov.uk
• www.connexions-direct.com
• www.fpa.org.uk
• www.maketherightdecision.co.uk
• www.brooklondon.org/
• www.camdenproviderservices.nhs.uk/service/contraception-related-services

 
Pulse focus group

Participation and consultation from young people is vital in the development and evaluation of the service. Representatives of users from across all Pulse services attend the Pulse focus group as well as non-users to gain their feedback.

Objectives of the focus group are:

1. To support young people to develop skills and abilities through their involvement with Pulse.
2. To ensure young people have the opportunity to contribute to service development at Pulse, and that in turn, Pulse is able to benefit from young people's input.
3. To ensure young person involvement into the evaluation of services at Pulse.

Top tips

• Practice safe sex
• Get regular testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

 Downloads

• Pulse N7 Counselling leaflet
• Pulse N7 Pharmacy leaflet
• Pulse N7 Service flyer
• Emergency Contraception