Three clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are joining forces to set up mental health hubs across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
The city, county and Rutland councils, and the three local CCGs: Leicester City CCG, West Leicestershire CCG and East Leicestershire and Rutland CCG, will jointly fund the scheme, intended to improve access to mental health services.
Currently the three councils and CCGs, which share a sustainability and transformation plan footprint, all plan and pay separately for mental health services in their area.
Three clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are joining forces to set up mental health hubs across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
The city, county and Rutland councils, and the three local CCGs: Leicester City CCG, West Leicestershire CCG and East Leicestershire and Rutland CCG, will jointly fund the scheme, intended to improve access to mental health services.
Currently the three councils and CCGs, which share a sustainability and transformation plan footprint, all plan and pay separately for mental health services in their area.
These services are provided by organisations in their areas, in addition to the statutory mental health services provided by health and social care.
The total spend on services commissioned from these organisations is around £1.5 million each year.
There is currently no co-ordination of these services across the city and counties, with some working with each other, some doing the same things, with some areas having no services available at all.
In Leicester, the city council is protecting its spend on public health services that support emotional well-being, in spite of national cuts being made to its public health budget.
The proposal, which is out for consultation until December 4, is for one organisation to be responsible for overseeing a range of services in a local area, or “hub”, based on the needs of local people.
The services co-ordinated by the hub would be located in existing community locations across the area that are open to everyone.
The councils and CCGs have worked together to develop the proposals based on views shared with them by patients and the public about issues they currently face in getting access to services.
They have also consulted the organisations, which are currently contracted to provide the services available.
Dr Pete Cannon, GP clinical lead at Leicestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “If you are experiencing mental health illness, or caring for someone who is, then you need a number of services to help with recovery and staying well. At the moment, what’s on offer depends entirely on where you live and what voluntary sector providers in your area are able to offer.
“The changes we are proposing would mean a range of co-ordinated high quality services would be provided in a number of locations across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, giving people better services, closer to home.”
Cllr Rory Palmer, Leicester’s deputy city mayor and chair of the Leicester health and wellbeing board, said: “If councils and health services can pool their funding and resources and work together more effectively, we should be able to provide the support people need in places they know within their local community.
“There is also much more we can do to give people the information and control they need to stay well, instead of putting our main focus on treating ill-health – and that is a key part of these proposals.”
