The public's experience of mental health services
A lack of access to mental health services and people’s poor experiences are something that we hear about on a regular basis. Whether you live in Harrogate or Hambleton, Scarborough or Selby there seems to be similar challenges in receiving timely, person-centred and quality care.
We wanted to better understand people's experiences so that providers can understand what is needed to make improvements. We have therefore put together a report which talks about this and what work is being done in response.
Read our mental health summary report
"Feeling that you can help shape services by sharing your views as to what is needed in rural areas is a very empowering experience. It helped create some better mental health for me in the process."
Why the report - and why now?
One in four people in England experience a mental health condition and the countries growing, diverse population means support and services must adapt to meet these needs.
That’s why the North Yorkshire and York Mental Health Alliance have worked in partnership with Healthwatch North Yorkshire to better understand the challenges local adults living with mental health illnesses face and how they can be better supported.
Who are the North Yorkshire and York Mental Health Alliance?
They work with charities and the voluntary sector, and are made up of a number of organisations and healthcare providers, including:
- Tees Esk Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust (the mental health & learning disability NHS Trust)
- North Yorkshire Council
- Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership (otherwise known as an 'integrated care System' - a group of organisations that come together to plan and deliver health and care services.
What is the aim of all of this?
We wanted to hear from as many people as possible to hear their experiences - good and bad - so we can see what's working well and what needs to change.
North Yorkshire and York Mental Health Alliance are working on something called the Community Mental Health Transformation Programme, of which our report is part of. Put simply, the programme aims to listen to and work with you, healthcare providers and local organisations and charities to understand your needs and what matters to you.
What you told us
The report demonstrates the difficulties and pressures placed on residents' mental health, and their experience of accessing services for support.
We found:
- A range of views, with a mix of positive and negative experiences. Fundamentally, people felt that services didn’t always cater to individual needs and that a more person-centred approach was needed.
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People lead more complex lives now and have multiple issues that might affect their mental health, from housing and finances to relationships and education.
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People were feeling passed between services and that this can cause more harm than good.
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People can end up on multiple waiting lists and having to repeat their story to several different people.
What people told us is working well
- Many found talking therapies were very helpful
- People praised the quality and effectiveness of support when they were included in decisions about their care and had choice and control over what type of help they received.
- There were positive comments about the kind and caring staff members people have encountered when accessing services.
- The more personal approach of charities and voluntary groups was generally well received.
What do we recommend changes?
- Consider the nature of support by shaping services and treatments to meet need more flexibly
- Optimise the conditions for a person-centred approach
- Ensure support is more easily accessible
- Recognise the role of family, friends and carers
- Address issues around negative staff attitudes
- A Improve crisis support and management across North Yorkshire
- Improve communications across the North Yorkshire system
- Address access issues caused by people relocating and moving areas
- Improve early diagnosis & intervention
What is being done to make things better
£200,000 project to improve mental health support in North Yorkshire
Further detail on the recommendations – and what is being done about them by providers – can be found on page 57 of the full report and page 18 of the summarised report respectively.
What else will be done to improve things?
- 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 lived experience and that care is person centred, which are all expectations highlighted in the Community Mental Health Framework (2019).
Do you want to get involved in North Yorkshire?
To help with the mental health project in your community, you can contribute through different organisations and healthcare providers. Follow the links to find out more:
Tees Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust
Community First North Yorkshire
There is also this volunteer link, which is open for non patients/carers:
Volunteering - Tees Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust (tewv.nhs.uk)
