Category: Community Mental Health

Community Mental Health

2020 Survey

Care Quality Commission (CQC); 2020.
https://www.cqc.org.uk/publications/surveys/community-mental-health-survey-2020

Findings of this report include people consistently reporting poor experiences of NHS community mental health services, with few positive results. For example, poor experiences were reported for crisis care, accessing care, and involvement.

There are few results where the majority of people reported good experiences of mental health care. However, ‘organising care’ is an area where people were found to be more positive:

-97% of people who have been told who is in charge of organising their care and services said they knew how to contact this person if they had a concern

-91% said the person that organised their care did so ‘very well’ (58%) or ‘quite well’ (33%)

-73% reported that they were ‘always’ treated with dignity and respect (CQC)


Mental health in later life

Minds that matter

This report looks at the life events and circumstances that can affect people’s mental health in later life, including bereavement, loneliness, ill health and caring responsibilities. Focusing mainly on anxiety and depression, the report also describes people’s mixed experiences of seeking support from GPs, therapists and other services. It highlights the common barriers and makes recommendations for what needs to change to improve support for older people and ensure they can live a mentally healthy later life.

To find out more click here.

Mental Health Day

10th October 2020

This year’s theme is; ‘Mental health for all’

Mental health can affect anybody at any time. Mental health day is about showing support for better mental health. Why not take some time today for your own wellbeing.

Mind offers some top tips to improve your mental health and wellbeing:

  • only try what feels comfortable
  • give yourself time to figure out what works for you, going at your own pace
  • take small steps. Pick one or two things that feel achievable at first, before moving on to try other ideas.

So why not get involved:

  • have a virtual tea and chat with a friend
  • talk about your and your family’s wellbeing and create plans to involve everyone’s ideas
  • get moving for mental health
  • celebrate your differences

To read some personal stories about World Mental Health Day click here.

For more ideas or to find out more visit the Mental Health Foundation.

Festival of celebrations

A week celebrating our achievements over the year

Hosted by Chief Executive, Caroline Donovan and her team of directors, the festivals have focused on the improvements made since the CQC inspection and the commitment of staff during this unprecedented year. What soon became clear, was the overwhelming sense of teamwork, commitment and dedication from each and every staff member, both clinical and non-clinical.

Each day celebrated a different network including;

  • Community and well-being
  • Children and young people
  • South Cumbria
  • Mental Health
  • Corporate services

What was evident was how each team adapted to the new way of working, ensuring safety was at the forefront of everything. Even through the pandemic, support has still been offered to patients and families, providing excellent patient care each and every day. Every network has embraced the use of digital software, from attend anywhere to Microsoft Teams, allowing people and patients to stay connected.

Congratulations to all those individuals and teams who were nominated and of course to the winners. To watch the videos click here.

Centre for mental health

Local authorities and public mental health

In order to stay healthy and avoid serious distress we need to place emphasis on our mental wellbeing to prevent mental health problems. What better way to do this, than to work together and collaborate different strategies and initiatives?

Local authorities play a key role in improving mental health in their communities, to bring people together and reduce inequalities. A recent report written with the Local Government Association, argues that people’s mental wellbeing will play a crucial role in every aspect of recovery planning, including schools reopening, workers returning from furlough, people who have been shielding, and in dealing with the economic and housing consequences of coronavirus (Covid-19).

The report highlighted 4 common principles:

  1. Public mental health is everyone’s business
  2. Collaboration
  3. Place-based approaches
  4. Taking a holistic approach

It concludes that a national focus is needed on helping everyone stay mentally well, backed up by funding for councils.

To read the full report click here.

Greenspaces

Compelling evidence shows that access to greenspaces really matters for our health

Now more than ever we are becoming more dependent on outdoor spaces to improve our health and wellbeing. Green environments are associated with reduced levels of depression, anxiety and fatigue and can enhance quality of life for both children and adults.

Access to good quality greenspaces, such as parks, allotments, woodlands and fields varies greatly on where we live. However, evidence suggests that the most economically deprived areas often have less available public greenspace, meaning people in those communities have fewer opportunities to reap the rewards.

The new report from PHE offers policy, practice and research recommendations. Click here to find out more.

The community mental health framework for adults and older adults

NHS England and NHS Improvement, September 2019

The Community Mental Health Framework describes how the Long Term Plan’s vision for a place-based community mental health model can be realised, and how community services should modernise to offer whole-person, whole-population health approaches, aligned with the new Primary Care Networks.

Click here to view the full report.

Community Mental Health Survey 2018

Care Quality Commission, December 2018
Research on the experiences of people receiving community mental health services. It finds that people’s experiences of the care they receive from community-based mental health services have continued to deteriorate. Key concerns are expressed around:

  • access to care,
  • care planning
  • mental health conditions in relation to physical health needs
  • financial advice
  • advice on benefits.

Click here to view the full report.