Riverside Adolescent Unit

The Riverside inpatient and day service for young people is being managed by Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP) from 1 April 2016 for a period of one year, with expert advice from The Huntercombe Group. Riverside is being managed under a separate contract to the Community Children’s Health Partnership (CCHP), however AWP is working with CCHP to ensure a continued close relationship between the Riverside team and their CCHP colleagues. Barnardo’s is also continuing to support young people and families at Riverside.

An introduction to the Unit

These videos and maps about the Riverside Adolescent Unit were designed, made and filmed by a group of young people admitted to the unit. They talk primarily about Anorexia, but what they say applies to other Eating Disorders too, which can include a range of conditions that can affect someone physically, psychologically and socially.

We hope that these media resources help other young people needing the service to feel reassured about coming. They are designed to help you understand the people and and the kinds of treatment that might be involved if you are referred for an Eating Disorder.

If you have been referred to Riverside it is likely that you will be shown around the unit in real life!

These videos and sound bites cover the pathways you could be taking after referral. If you haven't been referred yet but think you might need to be, please contact your GP.

Inside Riverside

Download: Inside the Riverside Unit - Transcript

When you've watched the film you can click on the different parts of the maps to see some of the rooms and spaces inside Riverside, and hear about what happens in them.

In 2014, Young Minds, a charity seeking to improve mental health care for young people, spoke to adolescents admitted to mental health hospitals. They discovered that young people and their families often felt anxious and confused about what an admission might involve and what the units looked like. So, the Riverside Adolescent Unit, and units across the country, have produced online tours to help demystify our services and make them more welcoming and accessible to the ill and vulnerable young people that need to be admitted for treatment. The Riverside Unit videos were made in partnership with Barnardo's.

Riverside Adolescent Unit

An Overview Of The Riverside Adolescent Unit

Download our leaflet (also designed by young people) for more information about who we are and what we do:

Riverside Unit Booklet AWMHP-Riverside.pdf

The Riverside Adolescent Unit is a dedicated service for young people between the ages of 13 and 18 who need intensive help with a range of severe mental health problems.

Both in-patient care and a day programme is offered, and referrals are received from colleagues in out-patient CAMHS teams as well as emergencies.

The Unit is in a pleasant building surrounded by woodland with good outdoor facilities and space for recreation.

A broad range of treatment options are offered to young people in crisis or difficulty and staff are particularly keen to work very closely with parents and carers and to continue to involve the out-patient team during a young persons stay.

Young people are able to attend school in the 3 well equipped class rooms with dedicated teaching staff.

The day-programme operates 4 days per week and young people can access a wide range of group and individual therapies in a very supportive environment designed to help young people re-build their lives and deal with their difficulties.

A very experienced multi-disciplinary team provides full time nursing cover with trained psychiatric nurses.

The team is led by Dr Geoff Woodin, Consultant Adolescent Psychiatrist and Mr David Abbott Clinical matron/Senior nurse and includes a family therapist, clinical psychologists and other therapists as well as psychiatrists.