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Mental Health Integrated Community Service (MHICS)

We provide specialised mental health support within the community, focussing on recovery and resilience.

We can offer support if you’re an adult living with difficult challenges with your mental health and your life, such as: 

  • You live with a significant mental illness such as Bipolar, Schizophrenia, Psychosis, or OCD
  • You have life events or circumstances that are significantly contributing to poor mental health e.g., financial worries, relationship breakdowns, housing issues
  • You have difficulty engaging with other mental health services 

MHICS isn’t an emergency mental health service. If you need urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 or the Samaritans 116 123. 

MHICS is part of our Community Mental Health Transformation Programme.

Read about our Community Mental Health Transformation Programme

We provide specialised mental health support within the community, focussing on recovery and resilience.

Depending on your needs, we can offer short term one-to-one or group sessions covering a range of different topics.

This may include appointments with specialists, such as:

  • Psychological assessments, that also consider your circumstances and past experiences
  • A care plan to help you to achieve your goals
  • Information, guidance, and support around emotional and physical wellbeing
  • Facilitating access to community resources
  • Bridging and supporting referrals to other services and agencies
  • Brief evidence-based interventions that may prevent the need for secondary care
  • Support and monitoring of medication
  • Access to consultation from a psychiatrist or mental health pharmacist 

If our MHICS assessors do refer you, we will always explain who the specialists are and how they will help you. 

Community Connectors

Our Community Connectors are specialist voluntary sector partners in our service who have expert knowledge of our local area and work together to access the local support that you need right now. These may include:

  • Drug and alcohol support groups
  • Debt and housing support via organisations such as Citizen’s Advice
  • Social networks to combat loneliness and isolation
  • Volunteering opportunities
  • Activities to enhance your wellbeing
  • Employment support from Individual Placement and Support (IPS)

Ask your GP for more information about MHICS.

We also accept referrals from other healthcare professionals including talking therapists and mental health practitioners.

Unfortunately, we currently don’t accept self-referrals. 

When you’re referred to us, we will arrange your first appointment within 4 weeks. We’ll talk with you about your situation and create our care plan steps with you.

If you have any communication needs, we can accommodate you to ensure you feel comfortable and understood. This includes BSL for deaf and hard of hearing people.

MHICS is still in the roll out phase and will be available across all GP surgeries in Berkshire by 2024.

Currently if you are registered with the GPs in East Berkshire listed below, you can be referred to MHICS. 

Braccan

  • Forest Health Group
  • Gainsborough Practice

Bracknell & District

  • Binfield Surgery 
  • Easthampstead Surgery
  • Great Hollands Practice
  • Heath Hill surgery
  • Sandhurst Group Practice
  • The Waterfield Practice

Bracknell Heath Triangle

  • Crown Wood Medical Centre
  • Evergreen Practice
  • Ringmead Medical Group 

Slough LOCC

  • Cippenham Surgery
  • Langley Health Centre 
  • The Chapel Medical Centre
  • The Orchard Surgery

Email SloughMHICSadmin@berkshire.nhs.uk

Windsor

  • Clarence Medical Centre
  • Datchet Health Centre
  • Lee House Surgery
  • Runnymede Medical Practice
  • Sheet Street Surgery
  • South Meadow Surgery 

MHICS is still in the roll out phase and will be available across all GP surgeries in Berkshire by 2024.

Currently if you are registered with the GPs in West Berkshire listed below, you can be referred to MHICS. 

Caversham

  • Balmore Park Surgery
  • Emmer Green Surgery 

Earley

  • Brookside  Familly Practice
  • Wilderness Road Surgery

New Reading

  • Longbarn Lane Surgery
  • Melrose Surgery
  • Russel Street Surgery
  • S R & Shinfield Medical Practice

Reading Central

  • Chatham Street Surgery
  • Grovelands Surgery 
  • London Street Surgery
  • Pembroke Surgery
  • Westwood Road Surgery

Reading West

  • Western Elms Surgery
  • Tilehurst Potteries Surgery 

Tilehurst

  • Tilehurst Village Surgery 

University

  • University Health Centre 

Whitley

  • Abbey Medical Centre
  • Milman Road Surgery
  • Reading Walk in Centre 

Wokingham

North

  • Parkside Surgery
  • Wargrave Surgery
  • Woodley Surgery

South

  • Finchampstead Surgery
  • Swallowfield Surgery

Modality Wokingham

  • Burma Hills
  • Wokingham Medial Centre

Ask your GP for more information about MHICS.

We also accept referrals from other healthcare professionals including talking therapists and mental health practitioners.

Below are contact phone numbers for our Bracknell, Slough, and Windsor, Ascot, and Maidenhead (WAM) services.

MHICS Bracknell

Call 0118 904 2820

MHICS Reading

Call 01189 043 400

MHICS Slough

Call 0118 904 2819

MHICS Windsor, Ascot, and Maidenhead (WAM)

Call 0118 904 2818

MHICS Wokingham

Email MHICSWokingham@berkshire.nhs.uk