As local leaders of the NHS, aiming for improved mental wellbeing is one of our top priorities, and we welcome the release of the results of the North West Mental Wellbeing Survey to help us with our aims. The results come at a time when work is already underway to support the mental wellbeing for the population of Tameside and Glossop, helping local people to live healthier, happier and more productive lives.
The survey shows that Tameside and Glossop have lower levels of mental wellbeing than the North West average. Good mental health is every bit as important as physical health, which is why “Mental Health and Wellbeing” is one of our World Class Commissioning Priorities for the current period. Better understanding of people’s mental health will help us to make improvements, so we asked for an enhanced survey among local people in Tameside and Glossop as part of the North West Mental Wellbeing Survey. The information is now being examined by our Public Health Intelligence team and will be used to identify local priorities and strengthen decisions about investing in local services.
We have also invested in the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme to strengthen our ability to support the local population to improve their mental wellbeing with methods other than the use of medication. IAPT investment has paid for new staff in our Primary Care Mental Health Team, who are able to deliver different forms of psychological help, including cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). CBT looks for ways to improve your state of mind, helping to break the cycle of negative thoughts and behaviour which lead to depression and anxiety.
Given the current difficult economic climate, it is now more important than ever to spare a thought for looking after our mental wellbeing. This is everybody’s business, and we are therefore committed to working with all our partners and stakeholders in the interests of local people, including local Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council, Derbyshire County Council, Pennine Care NHS Mental Health Trust, and local mental health charities. We are also developing a new strategy, with a newly appointed public health partnership lead to coordinate the involvement of all these partners, maximising opportunities for all the people of Tameside and Glossop to be involved in efforts to improve mental wellbeing in our area.
Director of Public Health Melanie Sirotkin says “This is an exciting project which helps us understand how local people report their sense of well-being. It will help us understand local people’s mental health needs better so we can respond in a more effective way. We hope that this will in turn help people in the community to lead healthier, happier and more productive lives. ”