Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB with the local authorities have joined forces to launch the recommissioned Mental health wellbeing and recovery support service (MHWRSS) today on World Mental Health Day.
The MHWRSS will see an annual investment of £1 million across the area over the next five years to provide advice, guidance and support for people’s emotional and mental health. The service is open access, meaning that there is no need for an appointment and people can simply pick up the phone to get the ball rolling.
Dan Reynolds, the area manager for charity Mental Health Matters (MHM), said: ‘This year’s theme for World Mental Health Day is to ‘Make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority.’ We know that locally, as we head into the winter months, many people will be experiencing financial adversity which challenges their mental health and wellbeing.
‘We will be doing all we can to make sure that our service in North West Leicestershire, Hinckley and Bosworth is tailored to what local people need and is joined up with other services is key to ensuring that people can maintain their mental wellbeing and resilience.’
MHM is one of the four partners delivering the MHWRSS across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, with each provider allocated to a part of the city and/or county. The other providers are P3, Nottinghamshire Community Housing Association and Life Links.
The service is funded by the NHS and the local authorities in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
John Edwards, Associate Director working on transforming mental health services within the Integrated Care System, said: “This newly commissioned service is very much about providing no wrong door for people who need support with their mental health and wellbeing. Partners are working together to make sure that services are joined up, whether this is the local Crisis Café, the GP practice or the Hospital Discharge Teams employed by local authorities for example, so that it is much easier for people to get the help they need.”
The MHWRSS is available in all parts of the city, county and Rutland. Once people have contacted their provider, they work with a recovery worker to tailor the support to their needs. This can include one-off advice or ongoing, face to face support lasting about eight to 12 sessions. Each of the providers are based in the community and employ recovery workers on the ground to work with people needing support.
The recovery workers are trained to support the person to manage their mental health and the impact it has on different elements of their life. For example, finances, home and daily living needs, engaging in the community, employment), and to develop self-help and coping strategies.
