Working to make mental health services better for you
Mental health is a widespread issue. One in four people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England and one in six people report experiencing a common mental health problem (like anxiety and depression) in any given week in England (Source: MIND).
North Yorkshire has a similar rate of hospital admissions for intentional self-harm (189 per 100,000 population) compared with England (185 per 100,000 population).
With just over 600,000 people scattered across a huge area, only eight of our towns have a population of more than 10,000. In much of the county there are just 76 people per square mile compared with the English average of 430. According to the North Yorkshire Rural Commission, 85% of North Yorkshire is classed as ‘super-sparse’ or very rural. This means most of our residents live in smaller communities – making access to services, isolation and transport key issues for us (see our report on why people in our rural areas are struggling to access the care they need). It's not difficult to see why people feel at breaking point and are struggling to get the care they need in the largest county in England.
What you told us
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 North Yorkshire, there are 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 put together a report and sent it to those in charge of health services to do something about it.
Read our full report on mental health
What is being done about it?
Our people have also told us they feel ignored; that they're constantly being asked to take part in surveys and give feedback, yet nothing changes. We get that this is frustrating. And we know that more needs to be done.
The good news is that 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. See the full report for the commitment plan.
- Community mental health groups for Harrogate, Scarborough, Selby, Hambleton and Richmondshire have used the findings and report recommendations to set their work plans and where they will spend their money in 2024.
- The development of new community mental health hubs is underway across the county in response to our recommendations to help increase access to a range of interventions based on individual needs and with focussing care on a person. These hubs are being developed by the people with mental health conditions and experiences.
- 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.
- Healthwatch will be attending quarterly meetings to discuss progress and, if needed, holding providers accountable.
- Healthwatch North Yorkshire is looking to re-do the exercise in the future on specific communities in North Yorkshire.
What else is happening to make mental health better?
- 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 are conducting some research and 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 for 2023/24 and 2024/25, to support activities delivered in England by non-profit organisations.
