22 January 2024
A Lived Experience Forum that brings people together to help shape local mental health services and support has celebrated its first anniversary.
The Stockton Lived Experience Forum
The Stockton Lived Experience Forum has met regularly since September 2022. It gives local people with lived experience of mental health illness or those who are or have cared for someone with a mental health condition, the opportunity to come together and share their views and opinions on local support. This helps to make a positive difference to the way local mental health services are delivered.
The forum is facilitated by local community organisations Red Balloons and Starfish Health and Wellbeing with the support of Belinda Brooks, Peer Lead at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys (TEWV) NHS Foundation Trust who provide local mental health and learning disability services.
Community Mental Health Transformation
It plays an important part in delivering the local Community Mental Health Transformation programme. The programme looks at how the NHS can work in collaboration with wider organisations and people with lived experience of mental health illness, to truly transform the way people are supported to live well in their local communities.
Over the last year over 100 people have been involved in discussions around mental health and crisis provision. The forum has also looked at aspects of Primary Care mental health support, housing, benefits and social care.
The importance of working together
Commenting on their first year Leigh from Red Balloons said: “Our charity has been operating in the local area since 2017. We see first-hand the huge need for mental health support and provision. Being able to work with Starfish and TEWV to provide a safe space to listen to local people and give them a real say in how mental health support is provided is fantastic.
“The forum allows their feedback and experience to help to shape new services. For example, there’s been discussions around the development of a Community Hub which will bring organisations and support under one roof, as well as peer support provision where people use their own experiences to help each other. It’s a real example of how people and organisations can work together to co-create support services that really make a difference in their local community.”
Moving with the times
Catherine from Starfish Health and Wellbeing added: “Times are changing, the way people want to access and receive support is very different to how it used to be. The demand on existing mental health services is huge. We need to think differently, look at what’s affecting people’s mental wellbeing and create new solutions.
“Those with experience of living with a mental health condition or supporting someone with a mental health condition are best placed to help us understand what could help them and others. The input they’ve had so far has already started to make a real difference.”
Impact to date
Around 60 people regularly attend each session. Their ideas and suggestions have already seen the creation of an out of hours drop-in service that provides emotional wellbeing support and the blueprint for the development of a community wellbeing hub.
Changing the way we approach things
Belinda Brooks, Lived Experience Lead at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys (TEWV) NHS Foundation Trust said: “Transforming the way people are supported is about looking at the whole person and not just their mental health diagnosis. It’s asking what is it that affects you and how could things be better or done differently. The experiences and opinions that people bring to the table really matter. They’ve been truly invaluable in helping to really transform the way services operate.
“The information that’s taken away is used and acted on. Services do come back and report to the group on actions that have been taken and potential future developments. It’s really encouraging.”
Future plans and how to get involved
The success of the Stockton Lived Experience Forum led to the development of the Hartlepool Lived Experience Forum and there are plans to have a forum in each of the five Tees Valley areas.
If you would like to get involved, please contact Starfish on 01642 672987.
