Agenda item

There is increasing evidence that the overall mental health and wellbeing of communities continues to worsen post covid and that people from disadvantaged backgrounds are the most affected. Data from Hampshire Public Health indicates that approaching 1 in 7 people have depression and over 21% report a high anxiety score in Hampshire. The Policy and Project Advisory Board have agreed to undertake some focused work to understand the current situation in the Borough and existing and planned provision for Mental Health services available for residents. The Board will explore current activity supporting mental wellbeing and the prevention of mental illness.

The Board will also consider whether the Council signing the Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health would be beneficial Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health - GOV.UK. A briefing note providing some background on the Concordat is attached.

It is anticipated that this work will run over 2-3 sessions with this initial session providing a number of inputs to provide Members with detail on mental health and wellbeing support and prevention that is available from the NHS, County Council and projects contained within Rushmoor’s Supporting Communities Strategy. There will also be an introduction to the Concordat and the arguments supporting an increased focus on prevention. Following these presentations, Board Members will be asked to discuss what they have heard and identify areas where they would like to focus at the next session(s).

Once the Board have concluded their review and consideration of the data and evidence they will consider implications and proposed changes for the Council’s Supporting Communities Strategy as a result.

Links to documents to support the first session include:

Hampshire Mental Wellbeing Strategy and Suicide Prevention Plan - PowerPoint Presentation (hants.gov.uk) (copy attached).

Creating Healthier Communities Strategy  - Frimley ICS Strategy - March 2023 (frimleyhealthandcare.org.uk) (copy attached) and Frimley ICS NHS Joint Forward Plan Joint Forward Plan (frimleyhealthandcare.org.uk) (for Mental Health Services see p24) (an extract from the Forward Plan is attached and the full copy can be found via the link).

Rushmoor Supporting Communities Strategy – Supporting Communities Strategy – Update - 2023 (copy attached) and an appendix on achievements and current actions (copy attached).

The Board welcomed Martha Earley, Director - Partnerships and Communities, Frimley Integrated Care Board, who was in attendance to provide information on existing activities and help available to address mental health and wellbeing within the NHS. Karen Edwards, Executive Director and Emma Lamb, Service Manager – Community and Partnerships, were also in attendance to provide information on Council activities aimed at addressing mental health and wellbeing identified in the Supporting Communities Strategy and Action Plan. Additional information on mental health and wellbeing support and prevention from Hampshire County Council (HCC) had also been provided to the Board prior to the meeting.

The purpose of the meeting had been to understand the current situation related to mental health in the Borough including, planned provision for mental health services, current activities aimed at support for, and prevention of, mental wellbeing. Consideration would also be given to the benefits of signing the Government’s Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health and any implication/proposed changes this may have on the Council’s Supporting Communities Strategy.

The Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health was a shared commitment, amongst relevant stakeholders, to prevent mental health problems and promote good mental health. To become a recognised signatory of the Concordat, the Council would need to:

·         agree to the consensus statement, and

·         produce an action plan

The Board were apprised of the activities and commitments within the Frimley ICS Strategy and NHS Joint Forward Plan in which Mental Health had been identified as a priority for 2023/24. It was noted that there were currently a number of offers available for both adults and children to help support and prevent mental health issues.

Following a discussion, it was noted that funding had been identified as a key issue, it was important to ensure that projects/priorities and the related resources could be funded. Other areas for consideration included, sharing best practice across GP surgeries, addressing inequalities, early intervention and taking a holistic view to treating mental health matters.

The Board discussed the information provided within the Hampshire Wellbeing Strategy and Suicide Prevention Plan and requested further information on how the activities in the Plan impacted Rushmoor.

The Board were advised of the working within the Council’s Supporting Communities Strategy aimed at addressing mental health and wellbeing. It was noted that the Team worked closely with health partners and other organisations to help facilitate projects and activities addressing a wide range of mental health and wellbeing needs across the Borough. Projects included, wellness walks, Balance Glide & Ride, blood pressure checks, SEEDL, Talk Mental, gardening projects and tackling obesity.

ACTION:

In summary, the Board agreed that it was important to understand where the Concordat fitted into the work already progressing, within the Borough, to tackle mental health and wellbeing matters and what the benefits of signing it would be for the Council. The matter would be picked up again at the Progress Group at which the next steps would be determined.