During the first 3 months

Psychosocial and mental health interventions should continue to be reviewed and updated according to specialist advice and current circumstances.

Where support groups and networks have been established, there should be liaison and consultation with these regarding the delivery of services and planning for future support.

If emergency-specific services have been established to meet the psychosocial and mental health needs of the affected populations, care should be taken to ensure the services remain available to all those affected and are integrated with other community, social and mental health services.

Evidence-based interventions should be made available for adults and children who have developed post-traumatic disorders. Guidance on this is available from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and NHS Education for Scotland's Guide to delivering evidence-based psychological therapies in Scotland (the Matrix).

Professional practitioners should offer formal assessments to people who have psychosocial problems that continue or develop a month or more after an emergency. Assessment should consider people's emotional, social, physical and psychological needs and should take place before any specific intervention is offered.

Support and information should be made available to the families and friends of people who develop mental disorders with a view to maintaining and enhancing available psychosocial support, while bearing in mind confidentiality and the wishes of the people who have been affected. These are especially important where children and young people are involved.

General information about possible reactions to traumatic events should be made available to schools in the affected communities and to employers (and in particular to occupational health providers) whose staff may have been affected by the emergency.

Where emergencies have involved extensive damage to homes, property or businesses, there may be delays in the resolution of insurance claims or other pressures. In these circumstances people should be offered support by appropriate agencies in keeping with the principles of psychological first aid.