Our North East and North Cumbria VCSE Engagement Coordinator, Sian attended the launch of Rethink Mental Illness’s report ‘Building Community into the Integrated Care System: A practical guide to developing robust community mental health'. This report follows on from their publication ‘Building Communities That Care’.
The report provides a summary of the significant challenges facing mental health care, a toolkit of practical, workable solutions to common barriers to transformation and explores the role that the VCSE sector can have in pursuing the four core aims and future goals of Integrated Care Systems (ICSs).
Speakers at the event gave an insight into the partners who informed the research, this included NHS providers, Local Authorities and VCSE organisations large and small.
They also raised the current challenges which may be impacting people’s mental health, including economic pressures and pressures across systems. They highlighted that now is the right time to work with VCSE organisations to offer alternative and concurrent routes of support for mental health issues.
Speakers acknowledged that there are some barriers to ways of working between health and care and VCSE organisations, including data sharing and parity of partners. They also noted that the VCSE sector needs to be funded accordingly in order to deliver quality care in communities.
It was raised that by expanding the approach to include the entire community, people discharged from the health and care system and mental health services, can be offered further support, which is accessible in communities, to help them maintain recovery and to prevent crisis. However, it was also highlighted that it would be crucial for providers to be aware of these services and for healthcare providers to improve their relationships and links with communities.
The event also raised the importance of recognising barriers to traditional mental health services for those from minoritised communities, including barriers which prevent patients from receiving or accessing treatment. Further, that we should recognise that the VCSE is often able to provide culturally competent care and more agile or holistic responses to address some wider social determinants. This approach demonstrates the value the VCSE has to people and communities, which in turn allows health and care systems to focus on more acute services.
You can access the full report here.
The NENC VCSE Partnership Programme have a Sub-Group focussed on Mental Health, partnered and facilitated by Everyturn. You can sign up to this Sub-Group via their online form.