Working to make mental health services better for you
What has happened as a result of what you told us?
One in four people in England experience a mental health problem, and one in six experience common mental health problems (Source: MIND). North Yorkshire has similar rates of hospital admissions for intentional self-harm compared to the national average. With a sparse population and limited access to services, residents in our smaller communities have told us that they continue to struggle to receive necessary care in the largest county in England.
What you told us
We wanted to better understand people's experiences so that providers can understand what is needed to make improvements. We have put together a report and sent it to those in charge of NHS mental healthcare services to do something about it.
Read our full report on mental health
- People felt that services didn’t always cater to individual needs and that a more person-centred approach was required.
- People felt that they had more complex lives with multiple issues affecting their mental health, from housing and finances to relationships and education.
- People were feeling passed between services and that this was causing more harm than good.
- People were ending up on multiple waiting lists and having to repeat their story to several different people, which was causing additional stress and anxiety.
- Our people have also said that they either feel ignored or are constantly being asked to take part in surveys and give feedback, yet they feel nothing ever comes of it.
The work to make things better for you
There's a long way to go, but action is being taken as a result of your feedback:
- The North Yorkshire & York Mental Health Alliance, who are working on something called a community mental health transformation programme, has produced a commitment plan to action our recommendations and we will be working with them over the next year to see how they have implemented these and document the impact this has made. Read the full report for the commitment plan
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New first contact mental health practitioners have been recruited across North Yorkshire, with plans to hire more throughout 2024 and 2025. These practitioners serve as the initial point of contact for mental health assessments.
- This report’s findings will support the development of the North Yorkshire community mental health transformation programme, currently led by Tees Esk Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust.
- The findings will also help deliver the ambitions of the NHS England Long-Term Plan (2019), including the development of care for adults with a severe mental illness (including people with eating disorders, mental health rehabilitation needs and complex emotional needs, associated with a diagnosis of personality disorder) spanning both community and acute care (where a patient receives active, short-term treatment for a condition). You can read a summary of the NHS England Long-Term Plan.
- It will contribute to North Yorkshire and York Leadership Alliance’s commitment to ensuring mental health services are inclusive, co-produced by people with experience and that care is person-centred, which are all expectations highlighted in the Community Mental Health Framework (2019).
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Community mental health groups in Harrogate, Scarborough, Selby Vale, and Hambleton and Richmondshire have used our report recommendations to plan their work and and where they will spend their money throughout 2024.
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Pilot projects have been launched to support individuals with severe mental illnesses, including a link worker programme and an allotment-based project to boost confidence.
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Specialist roles for adult eating disorders and complex emotional needs have been introduced for early intervention access.
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Mental health hubs will be established in North Yorkshire to provide support to people.
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Tees Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust, who provide mental health services across the county, is expanding services for individuals with eating disorders. This includes new early intervention roles and working with Beat to provide support and training.
- The North Yorkshire & York Mental Health Alliance have used our recommendations to develop new mental health support roles, including peer support and care navigators to help people engage with the support they require, helping to build rapport and supporting individuals to connect with their wider community.
- A £200,000 project to help improve the lives of people with significant mental ill-health has been launched in North Yorkshire.
- Funding worth £5 million will be allocated to North Yorkshire Council, by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, to support the council and its partners to better understanding the capacity and skill issues that are impacting the health of North Yorkshire’s communities.
- University of York did some research, inviting the public to share views on the admin process when it comes to accessing mental health support.
- The Department of Health and Social Care have launched a £10m suicide prevention fund to support activities delivered in England by non-profit organisations.
- Enhanced training opportunities for healthcare professionals working to support people with their mental health.
- Work to keep young people with eating disorders out of hospital and in the community has helped to significantly cut both admissions and re-admissions.
