Mental health
The rising need to support people’s emotional wellbeing and mental health is putting pressure on other services such as primary care and emergency services. At the same time people tell us that ways to access care and support are unclear, and routes for people to have their voices heard are complicated and disconnected.
Our mental health priority
We work with the healthcare system to share people’s experiences of mental health support – as well as the impact that wider determinants of health and health inequalities can have on mental health – in order to improve mental health services for local people. As part of our mental health priority we also provide information and advice to help people navigate the complex mental health landscape.
Our ultimate goal is that the population of Surrey know what services are available to help support their mental wellbeing, understand how to access these and are able to do so.
Recent work under this priority
Our recent work under this priority includes:
- Sharing insights to support a drive for better integration of mental and physical health – we were delighted to be asked to participate in the Surrey and Borders Partnership’s (SABP) Mind and Body programme. The vision of the Mind and Body Programme is the better integration of mental and physical health, by using collaborative expertise, resources and creativity. We provided insights around the experience of those with mental health needs in Surrey’s acute hospitals.
- Providing insights on specialist learning disability settings – supported by our volunteers, we have conducted Enter & View visits at 2 services that support people with learning disabilities. Reports are being drafted and given to providers and will be published on our website over the coming months.
- Improving mental health support for those with learning disabilities – we have conducted research to examine access to and experiences of emotional and mental health support for people who have a learning disability. We will be reporting on this research over the coming months; please keep an eye on our website.
Further information
Our reports and bulletins relating to this priority can be found under the mental health category of our reports section on our website.
You can find out more about the mental health support available in Surrey on our mental health support page.