A pioneering team of Trust workers are helping to navigate a new course to better mental health support across local communities.
Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV) has launched a specialist Care Navigator project – to assist people throughout their journey in the mental health system.
The new navigator posts form part of the Community Mental Health Transformation (CMHT) Programme and are a first for TEWV Adult Mental Health services in Tees Valley.
“We want to make sure we give people the support they need first time around,” said Maxine Crutwell, programme manager for Community Transformation Tees Valley at TEWV.
“Our new navigators will provide a link between the NHS, local authority and voluntary sectors, to ensure care is more personalised and tailored to individual needs.”
Putting people first
The Care Navigator scheme is designed to help patients and carers access services within their local community – to promote continuity of care, as well as recovery and wellbeing.
Support will be tailored to individual needs, with navigators providing a link across all mental health care sectors to promote “a holistic and person-centred approach” to providing care.
“A strong connection between our Trust, local authority and voluntary and community sector services is absolutely vital when taking a pro-active approach to mental health,” said Maxine.
“Our navigators will offer a vital continuity of care for patients throughout their journey within the mental health system. Their wellbeing will be at the centre of all that we are doing.
“It is all about getting people the support they need to stay well in the community during their journey and recovery.
“The navigators will be our eyes and ears within communities and help us connect with local services outside of the NHS, to ensure patient pathways are embedded across communities and organisational boundaries.”
Unique project is first of kind
Recruitment for the navigator roles is currently on-going with one of the first to be employed, Aimee Curry, delighted by the changes she has seen – and helped to make – so far.
Aimee, who is based near Redcar, said: “Our Lived Experience members identified a gap when planning our new vision for working through community transformation.
“Both feedback from patients and local communities, as well as our data information, suggested we needed to connect with multiple front doors across local communities.
“Often people come to us with many different factors impacting their mental health. If we can connect those doors, for example housing, loneliness/befriending services and welfare with our own services, then care is wrapped around the person at the earliest point.
“The solution was to introduce navigator roles within the existing community mental health teams, which are designed to offer connections to services and warm handovers where needed to offer the most appropriate support and care to the person requiring care.
“We are the connection between what we offer as a Trust and all other sectors. Having a strong working connection with local communities has never been more vital.”
Stepping up to different challenges
Navigators are now working across the Durham and Tees Valley area and, although each locality offers unique challenges, the aim remains the same everywhere – to help people.
“As navigators we come from all walks of life. Some have lived experience of mental health, others have worked in public, voluntary or care sector environments,” said Aimee.
“We all bring something different to our roles and are actively working to ensure we bridge that gap in providing help and support to allow people to live well and thrive in their own communities.
“I feel it is important that patients and carers have a voice. I’m passionate about helping others and improving services.
“This is an opportunity to help influence positive change and ensure patients journeys are connected to all parts of the system outside the NHS.”
- Find out more about the CMHT Programme here: Community mental health transformation programme – Tees Esk and Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust (tewv.nhs.uk)
