At-Risk Mental State (ARMS) Service for Newcastle and Gateshead – Advice, support and treatment for young people

The ARMS Service for Newcastle and Gateshead is a service offering advice and support for people who may be having some unusual experiences that are causing them distress or may be experiencing psychological problems.

The ARMS service aims to help people get their life back on track. Sometimes people need a bit of extra help. At ARMS, we can give you information and practical support.

Disturbances in thoughts, feelings and how you see the world can be confusing and distressing. You might experience unusual perceptual sensations (for example seeing or hearing things that other people can’t), be preoccupied with new or unusual ideas, or be feeling suspicious or worried about your safety. You might withdraw from friends and family or have difficulties coping with day-to-day activities because of how you are feeling.

These changes can occur for a number of reasons. They may be related to using drugs or alcohol, or physical illness, or adjusting to new environments or situations. These changes could also be early symptoms of a mental health problem.

Young people between 14 and 25 with a Newcastle or Gateshead GP, who have been experiencing any of the following:

• confused or muddled thinking
• noticing that things and people seem strange and unreal
• being preoccupied with particular ideas or thoughts
• unusual experiences such as seeing or hearing things that others cannot see or hear
• feeling suspicious or paranoid about others

Sometimes, the young people we see also experience some of the following:

• feeling anxious, irritable or depressed
• disturbed patterns of sleeping or eating
• preferring to spend time alone, away from family and friends
• struggling to cope at school, college or work.

The ARMS team is made up of health professionals with a high level of training and experience in working with young people who are going through difficult times.

The team includes two Clinical Psychologists, a Mental Health Nurse and an Assistant Psychologist.

We can see you wherever is most convenient and normally offer appointments between the hours of 9am and 5pm.

We offer:

• a careful and detailed assessment of what you have been experiencing
• a look at all aspects of your life that may be relevant
• a chance to talk with someone to make sense of your unusual sensory experiences
• information about unusual experiences and how other people have coped with similar experiences
• signposting for advice with housing, benefits and finances
• support in getting back to work or study, or in taking up new opportunities
• thoughtful referral or transition to other support or services if this is needed

All the members of the team work to extremely strict rules on confidentiality.

Everything you tell the team will normally be kept confidential and will only be shared among the team working with you. We will also ask you whether you want to receive copies of any letters that we write to your GP and the professionals involved in your care. If you felt it would be helpful for us to work with you alongside your family or carers, we would be happy to do so but we would always agree what information you wanted to be shared with them first.

The only reason we might have to share information beyond this is if we felt there was a significant risk to you or to someone else. If that happened, we might have to share information with other agencies, but we would usually talk to you about this.

If you have any concerns at all about confidentiality, please speak to your care coordinator/lead professional or another member of the team.

If your GP is in Newcastle:
Ravenswood Clinic
Ravenswood Road
Heaton
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE6 5TX

Telephone: 0191 287 6210
Email: [email protected]

If your GP is in Gateshead:
Grassbanks Health Clinic
Leam Lane
Gateshead
NE10 8DX

Telephone: 0191 223 2020
Email: [email protected]

We are available from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Outside of this time, you can leave a message and we will get back to you.

• NHS England (2020), Implementing the Early Intervention in Psychosis Access and Waiting Time Standard- updated commissioning guidance. London: NHS England Publications.
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2016). Implementing the Early Intervention in Psychosis Access and Waiting Time Standard: Guidance. London: NHS England Publications.
• Manchester EDIT Service leaflet – leaflet supplied as a part of CAARMS Train the Trainers programme in 2016

You can talk to a staff member or use the contacts listed below. See other ways to give feedback

Your Voice
You can use this email to tell us what you think about your care. This can be good or bad. You can also ask us to tell you what happens after you send feedback.

Email: [email protected]

Comments and complaints
If something went wrong, please tell us. This will help us improve services.

Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 0191 245 6672
Write to: Complaints Department, Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, St Nicholas Hospital, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE3 3XT.

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
PALS offer a free, confidential service. They can help is you are worried about your care. They support patients, families and carers.

PALS North of Tyne
(for services in Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland and North Cumbria)
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 0800 032 0202

PALS South of Tyne
(for services in Sunderland, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Lotus Ward, Acklam Road Hospital)
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 0800 328 4397

You can get more information about this leaflet from the Patient Information Centre. This includes how the leaflet was made. We can provide this leaflet in other formats. These include Braille, audio, large print, Easy Read, British Sign Language, and other languages.

We welcome your feedback about this leaflet. You can email [email protected]

Published by the Patient Information Centre
2024 Copyright: Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust

Ref: PIC/895/0426 April 2026 V2
Review date 2027

Website: www.cntw.nhs.uk – Telephone: 0191 246 6800

Find us on social media. Search for CNTW.