Interesting Reading Hope for the Future (2003)

In 2003, the Department of Health highlighted the nationwide lack of services for people with personality disorder and published the landmark report, ‘Personality disorder: No longer a diagnosis of exclusion’. As a result, the profile of personality disorder has been raised significantly, and a number of pilot sites were set up around the county try to develop new approaches to personality disorder. In Hertfordshire, we have identified new funding to develop a specialist service and are working with service users, carers and staff to design it from the ground up. To do this, we aim to bring together the most successful ideas from pilot projects up and down the country in order to meet the unique needs of Hertfordshire. The new service will cover the whole of the county and will be accessible to anyone suffering significant difficulties as a result of a personality disorder, whether formally diagnosed or not.
Our plan is to create a team that can work in partnership with existing services across Hertfordshire to improve the treatment and support offered to people with personality disorder and their carers. The team will provide an expert consultation service, assessments and specialist treatment, as well as training in conjunction with service users to improve health and social care services. The overall aimis to improve the experience of people with personality disorders whatever services they come into contact with, ultimately enabling them to manage their conditions and lead a more fulfilling life. Mark Knowles Joint Commissioning Team. Tel: 01707 280676 Email:joint.commissioning@hertscc.gov.uk