Two Years On Oxfordshire Mind Wellbeing Service 2011 - 2013
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Table of Contents Page
1 Two Years On: a look back by Patrick Taylor, Director of Oxfordshire Mind
2 What is the Wellbeing Service?
4 Facts and figures
6 Public Wellbeing: improving the community’s knowledge of mental health
8 Information Service: accessible mental health signposting for everyone
10 Short Courses: giving skills, building connections, keeping people well
12 Peer Support: a virtuous circle of effective support in the community
14 One-to-One Recovery: a partnership approach to moving forward
16 Adding value: bringing in external funding for the Wellbeing Service
Page 1
1 in 4 of us in Oxfordshire will have a mental health problem - and many more are affected indirectly through families & friends.
We know how mental health problems can damage lives and leave
people feeling alone and frightened. But it doesn’t need to be that
way. Our vision at Mind is to make sure anyone with a mental
health problem has somewhere to turn for advice and support.
Two years ago Oxfordshire County Council and the NHS
commissioned us to provide a new and innovative ‘wellbeing
service’. Since that beginning the service has gone from strength to
strength, helping over 3,000 people from across the county. Our
short courses, peer support groups, information service and ‘public
wellbeing’ campaigns not only support individuals, but also
challenge the stigma surrounding mental health problems.
The Wellbeing Service offers us the choices and options we need to
build the right support around our personal circumstances - there
is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution. It’s also local, providing courses,
information sessions and individual support in more than 25
different venues right across this large and largely rural county.
And it works: our own monitoring, and feedback from people using
the Service, confirms that the Wellbeing Service is achieving
excellent outcomes for individuals and contributing significant
benefits to the health economy in Oxfordshire - including reducing
calls on statutory mental health services.
I’m really proud of what’s been achieved in the first two years. Our
priority for the next year is to reach even more people and deepen
our impact. The Mind Wellbeing Service provides vital support,
advice and information. For everyone.
Two Years On Patrick Taylor, Director of Oxfordshire Mind
Page 2
What is the Wellbeing Service?
The Oxfordshire Mind Wellbeing Service is a unique, community-based
programme of support for people experiencing mental health problems. Its suite
of services provide well-designed, local support for people with mental health needs ranging from mild to moderate anxiety and depression, to severe and
enduring mental health problems.
The Wellbeing Service is made up of a set of five services that can be accessed by anyone in
Oxfordshire over the age of sixteen directly, and without a referral.
1. Public wellbeing: a programme of events, training and information-sharing to improve the knowledge of mental health
across all Oxfordshire’s communities
2. Information service: dedicated phone, email and face-to-face support to answer queries about mental health and to
signpost to other voluntary- and statutory-sector services
3. Short courses: a range of free courses which help people develop their own mental wellbeing, improve their
resilience, and forge links with others
4. Peer support: emotional support delivered and developed by people with lived experience of mental health
problems, based on a robust model of reciprocity and mutual benefit
5. One-to-one recovery planning: high quality face-to-face support for individuals, delivered over a number of weeks to help define
goals and implement plans for recovery and moving forward
This report provides an overview of the delivery of the Wellbeing Service over its first two years,
and indicates the impact it is having on people’s mental wellbeing and relationship with other,
statutory mental health services in Oxfordshire.
Page 3
Where is the Wellbeing Service?
One of our priorities in the Wellbeing Service is to ensure that people from all over Oxfordshire can
easily access the support they need. We reach right across the county, with locality teams
delivering short courses, peer support, information and public wellbeing campaigns in 25 different
venues across 17 towns and villages.
Many of the venues we use belong to arts
centres, cafés, leisure centres, libraries, faith
groups, children’s centres and other
organisations, and we also deliver outreach work
in in colleges, RAF bases, and prisons. Delivery of
services in towns and villages which may not
have previously had dedicated mental health
support continues to be a priority for us.
“We want to support those people most at risk of developing mental health problems
to build mental resilience and to stay well. The Oxfordshire Mind Wellbeing Service
does just that - and it's a great example many others around the country can
learn from."
Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind
“The Wellbeing Service supports the delivery of our commissioning intentions and
gives people the resource to keep well in the community. Oxfordshire Mind is an
organisation with a strong commitment to engagement, partnership working and
innovation, and with the ability to flex and manage issues and risks that develop
during the delivery of projects.”
Ian Bottomley, Assistant Director, Adults: Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group
What people say
Page 4
Facts & Figures
How the Wellbeing Service has grown:
Where people found out about the Wellbeing Service:
Although no formal referral is required, recommendations from health professionals and colleagues
in other services continue to be an important method of bringing people to the Service.
The number of people using the Wellbeing Service has grown
steadily over the past two years.
Some of this growth can be attributed to improved knowledge of
the service amongst healthcare professionals, and the general
public. The increase also suggests that the Wellbeing Service is
addressing a previously un-met need for community-based
mental health support.
We expect that the numbers of people making use of the
Wellbeing Service will continue to grow as the mental health
effects of recession and changes to the statutory sector
continue to have an impact.
2011 2012 2013
Page 5
The Wellbeing Service across Oxfordshire: Use of the Wellbeing Service is widely distributed across the county, and reflects the size of
populations in the Districts. We ensure the Wellbeing Service is accessible to everyone by providing
groups, short courses, information and options, public wellbeing and recovering planning in many
towns, villages and communities across Oxfordshire.
A snapshot of the Service shows how our work is
distributed:
Cherwell
We deliver:
8 weekly Info & Options sessions
6 weekly Recovery Planning sessions
2 short courses
8 regular Peer Support Groups
26% of users of the Wellbeing Service are from this district
We deliver:
11 weekly Info & Options sessions
7 weekly Recovery Planning sessions
2 short courses
10 regular Peer Support Groups
16% of users of the Wellbeing Service are from this district
West Oxfordshire
We deliver:
4 weekly Info & Options sessions
6 weekly Recovery Planning sessions
3 short courses
15 regular Peer Support Groups
15% of users of the Wellbeing Service are from this district
Vale of the White Horse
We deliver:
6 weekly Info & Options sessions
2 weekly Recovery Planning sessions
6 short courses
4 regular Peer Support Groups
12% of users of the Wellbeing Service are from this district
South Oxfordshire
We deliver:
7 weekly Info & Options sessions
8 weekly Recovery Planning sessions
7 short courses
21 regular Peer Support Groups plus other, responsive groups
31% of users of the Wellbeing Service are from this district
Oxford
Page 6
Public Wellbeing: improving the community’s knowledge of mental health
“I gained more knowledge and understanding of
symptoms and specific disorders and feel more
confident in assessing individual needs and supporting
families” Mental Health First Aid training participant
“I now realise that mental illness is a common problem and there are lots of different ways to get help” Feedback from an Information Session
In the last 2 years Oxfordshire Mind has reached 9773 people through public wellbeing activities.
This included:
Reaching 1361 people through Information Sessions
Training 375 people via 28 Mental Health First Aid courses
Speaking to 5225 people on our county-wide roadshows and campaigns
Reaching 2800 people through visiting other organisations to raise awareness of mental health,
and holding stalls at community events.
Two years in overview
Helping people in Oxfordshire develop their understanding of mental health not
only challenges stigma and discrimination, but also gives individuals the tools
they need to improve their own mental wellbeing. Our public wellbeing work empowers local communities with knowledge, training and support.
What people say
Page 7
Our public wellbeing events and activities aim to reach the widest possible section of Oxfordshire’s
population. Delivered across the county, the programme provides information sessions for
community groups and organisations, county-wide campaigns, and accredited Mental Health First
Aid courses. Members of the staff teams in different parts of the county also attend a wide range of
events to increase public understanding of mental health problems, and of our Five Ways to Wellbeing mental health awareness campaign.
Mental Health First Aid This two day, nationally-accredited course teaches participants how to spot the signs of common
mental health problems and to provide help on a first aid basis. We’ve run 8 courses open to the
public and 20 in-house to groups including students, college staff, children’s centre staff and
housing association staff and residents.
Awareness-raising sessions and events Reaching groups, companies and organisations to raise awareness of mental health with
information sessions has helped spread information and increase understanding. These flexible and
interactive sessions last up to three hours, cover topics around mental health and wellbeing
including Mental Health Awareness, Relaxation, Five Ways to Wellbeing and Work/ Life Balance and
can be tailored to meet the specific needs of the audience.
Less formal mental health awareness raising has also taken place at events, community days and
festivals - reaching many of Oxfordshire’s communities including as the East Timorese community in
Oxford, RAF families, students, and autism family support groups.
County-wide campaigns Our county-wide campaigns deliver wellbeing messages and learning to the general public, with a
focus on the Five Ways to Wellbeing that outline steps that everyone can take to safeguard their
own mental wellbeing. As well as raising awareness of mental health, the campaigns provide
signposting to other services and ways of accessing support.
Page 8
Information Service: accessible mental health signposting for everyone
The Information Service has handled more than 23,000 enquiries in 2 years, of which:
3000 were to the dedicated phoneline and email service
800 were pre-booked face-to-face Information & Options sessions
Over 19,000 were unbooked requests for support and information received by Wellbeing
Service teams
4000 printed Mind Guides distributed to health professionals and other services
Two years in overview
Getting good reliable information can be crucial in helping people take the first
step towards seeking help. In the last two years, the Information Service has
responded to more than 23,000 enquiries - helping to meet the need of the community for signposting to mental health information, and providing valuable
additional support to that already available from GPs and other clinical colleagues.
A manager in a local business contacted us. She was
concerned about one of her young employees, who was
in distress following an event in her personal life and was
self-harming. The employee wanted face-to-face support
that day, but was reluctant to visit her GP.
The Information Line worker suggested the employee
attend an Information & Options session. She
was able to be seen right away at a venue
close to home.
The session gave her support to develop
a plan, connected her with other local
services, and helped her cope
successfully with her immediate crisis. Case S
tudy
Page 9
The Information Service aims to provide a confidential and non-judgemental space open to anyone
in need of information about mental health, whether this is face-to-face, over the phone or via
email. Trained Wellbeing Service workers and volunteers deliver high-quality support, and direct
enquirers to services provided by Oxfordshire Mind, other local charities, and to the NHS in the
county. Information is available via a dedicated central Information Line, through one-to-one support
from Wellbeing Service workers, and in the form of the online and printed Mind Guide directories.
Information line This is a dedicated phoneline and email service which is designed to be the central point of contact
for enquiries about mental health and mental health services in Oxfordshire. Enquiries vary from
short requests for contact details to discussions about more complex situations. In over 90% of
cases we are able to provide information or referral to a service. The impact of this valuable
support is clear, with one person emailing “I already feel less daunted by it all just knowing there are people out there to help and who care enough to respond so thoughtfully and swiftly.”
Enquiries, and Information & Options sessions The face-to-face Information & Options sessions are an opportunity for people with mental health
problems or enquiries to get one-to-one support from members of their local Wellbeing Service
team. These sessions are often the first time someone has talked about the difficulties they are
experiencing.
More than 800 pre-booked sessions have been delivered across the Wellbeing Service, with
another 19,200 drop-in sessions and other enquiries being handled by staff from the Wellbeing
Service in Oxford City, Cherwell and West, and South and Vale.
The Mind Guide The Mind Guide is a printed and online directory of mental health services in Oxfordshire, which
brings together information about statutory and charitable support in a concise and easy-to-use
format. We launched the new Mind Guide website in May 2012 and printed the latest edition of the
directory in August 2012.
We’ve distributed around 4000 copies of the printed guide to GPs, CMHTs, charities and other
professionals in the county and have had excellent feedback. One health professional described it
as “one of the most useful documents in my possession”.
Page 10
Short Courses: giving skills, building connections, keeping people well
“I went on this course to learn some techniques on how to build up my confidence. The facilitators were lovely and made me feel so comfortable, and let everybody have an input and a voice. I now take the time to think things through and think more positively about things” Building Confidence & Self Esteem Children’s Centre course participant “The course was very empowering” Assertiveness course participant
Since the Wellbeing Service started two years ago:
314 short courses have been delivered across the county
2034 people have attended our courses
1380 different people aged between 16 and 103 attended our courses
We deliver 30 public Coping Skills courses every year
85% of people felt that as a result of attending our courses their wellbeing had improved, and
14% of people felt that their wellbeing had been maintained
Two years in overview
Our programme of high-quality and free short courses helps to give participants
the skills they need to stay well. From courses which provide the tools to coping
with difficult situations or developing a more positive self-image, to those providing physical activities or creative outlets, the programme delivers more
than 100 free courses a year to people all over Oxfordshire.
What people say
Page 11
Attending a short course can often be a positive step towards recovery from a period of mental
ill-health, or can deliver the tools that help people stay well. People attending short courses of all
kinds have stated that their wellbeing had improved or been maintained as a result of attending a
short course because they had been able to learn something new, develop coping skills and make
social connections.
Since January 2013, the Wellbeing Service Coping Skills courses have been delivered with the
support of Oxfordshire County Council and the Skills Funding Agency.
Accessible to everyone All our short courses are free at the point of delivery, and can be attended by anyone over the age
of sixteen. Courses typically run weekly for between four and eight weeks, and are delivered in a
range of community venues including libraries, children’s centres, older adults’ services, colleges
and wellbeing and resource centres. People do not need a referral to join a course, but healthcare
professionals can recommend courses as appropriate.
Coping Skills This suite of short courses uses proven Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) based methods to
help participants learn the skills needed for managing mental wellbeing and improving their
resilience. With courses covering Managing Strong Emotions, Assertiveness and Managing Stress, the programme provides an effective and additional resource to people in Oxfordshire, and to the
GPs and other healthcare professionals who may already be working with them to improve their
mental health or mental wellbeing. In the words of one participant on the Assertiveness course: “I feel I am on a positive road to changing my behaviour one step at a time”.
Integrated physical and mental wellbeing The short course programme recognises the positive benefits of improvements in physical health on
people’s mental wellbeing. Courses in yoga, African dancing, relaxation through complimentary
therapies, and football deliver improvements in participants’ physical health which help to underpin
improvements in mental wellbeing. Learning new practical skills - such as silversmithing, arts and
crafts, or drama - also reinforce the effects of integrated support for mental and physical health.
Page 12
Peer Support: a virtuous circle of effective support in the community
Sue has been using Oxfordshire Mind’s services for a
number of years, and recently trained as a Peer
Supporter. She describes Peer Support as “a way of
giving help to others and receiving as much help back”.
Sue volunteers with a group that has grown rapidly from
5 to 20 members attending each week. Members of the
group design their own programme of activities. Sue’s
role is to lead group discussions, welcome new
members and encourage a culture of mutual
support.
Sue said: “I get a great deal of satisfaction
enabling others to achieve things they never
thought possible.”
In 2011-13 over 2840 people accessed our Peer Support services:
32 peer support volunteers have been trained, with 81% drawn from key groups, including BME
communities, rural and isolated communities, those with severe and enduring mental illness and
people at risk of social exclusion.
Trained peer support volunteers have engaged with a total of 481 peers.
People who have taken part in a recent survey have told us that:
73% feel better able to manage their mental health.
32% use statutory services (e.g. CMHTs, inpatient services) less frequently.
Two years in overview
Peer support brings together people with similar experiences to support each
other. The peer support programme recognises that helping others, and being
helped in turn, improves our mental wellbeing and feelings of self-worth. The results of peer support are clear: people see themselves not as recipients of
services but as participants in their own recovery, with a third noting they
have reduced their reliance on statutory mental health services.
Case S
tudy
Page 13
Peer support groups provide a safe, welcoming space for the people who use our services to meet
people who may have experienced similar issues. Peer Support might simply involve talking and
listening, or it may be focused around a shared interests such as art, music, walking, cooking or
reading, or be based around other shared characteristics such as health need, geographical area,
gender, beliefs, or culture. More than 60 peer support groups are run every week.
Benefits of Peer Support Peer Support enables people with lived experience of mental health problems to play a more pivotal
role in the provision of services, and to develop reciprocal and mutually beneficial peer-to-peer
relationships. Groups are supported by trained staff or volunteers to recognise what each individual
brings to the group and to explore the opportunities for mutual support.
A recent survey of participants in groups in which trained Peer Supporters are involved
demonstrated the huge value of bringing people with shared experience of living with mental health
problems together to share ideas, thoughts, abilities and skills: almost a third reported that they
used statutory health services less frequently than before joining the group.
Peer Support Volunteering Almost a quarter of the Peer Support Groups provided by the Wellbeing Service benefit from the
involvement of trained volunteer Peer Supporters, all of whom have lived experience of mental
health problems and recovery. Volunteer Peer Supporters are able to draw on their own
experience to offer others empathy and understanding and to encourage the development of
mutually-supportive relationships within Peer Support Groups.
Volunteers complete a bespoke training programme to equip them with the skills, knowledge and
confidence to take on the Peer Supporter role. As well as providing the knowledge and confidence
to become a Peer Supporter, this training can also be an important part of an individual’s own
recovery, improving self-awareness and mental wellbeing: one participant noted that “the training has really helped me to think about how I support people, and also more aware of my own mental health and so better able to look after myself.”
Page 14
One-to-One Recovery: a partnership approach to moving forward
Since March 2010 the Wellbeing Service has supported 502 people through
one-to-one Recovery Planning sessions, resulting in:
better self-management and self-care
improved confidence
greater sense of wellbeing
Two years in overview
Looking after one’s wellbeing is not always easy, and yet evidence shows that
people who have experienced mental health problems can and do recover to live
productive and fulfilling lives. The One-to-One Recovery Planning service works in partnership with individuals to help them set and achieve their own goals,
manage their own mental health, and move forward with their life.
Andrew describes himself as living with depression and had
a breakdown in the middle of 2012. Andrew got in touch
with us and was offered some one-to-one Recovery
Planning sessions that he describes as the spark that
started to get his life back on track.
Andrew and a member of staff looked at making plans,
getting thoughts in perspective, looking after himself, and
thinking about recovery. He also accessed one-to-one CBT
sessions from TalkingSpace. Andrew is now back at work.
He says he may always live with depression but that he
is learning to tackle it, and the one-to-one
recovery planning sessions were a
‘partnership’ that really helped. Case S
tudy
Page 15
Everyone using the one-to-one recovery planning service will have the opportunity to develop a
personal recovery plan, in collaboration with an experienced Mind member of staff. This also gives
each individual the chance to find out more about the wider opportunities available within the
Oxfordshire Mind Wellbeing Service, and other community services.
A person-centred approach The needs and aspirations of the individual are central to the one-to-one recovery support, and
staff use a range of facilitation techniques to enable people to participate in recovery, develop skills
in self management, and increase their personal autonomy and control. The resulting recovery
plans are unique to each individual, and translate goals into achievable steps.
Recovery planning in practice Each recovery planning session is delivered one-to-one with a member of Oxfordshire Mind staff,
and usually lasts up to one hour. People commonly have three or four sessions, but this can be
adjusted to meet the needs of that individual. A number of tools and skills are available to help
develop the recovery plan: these can include Motivational Interviewing techniques, Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) skills. The person’s
progress is monitored using a standardised set of outcomes measures.
Outcomes and benefits Delivering one-to-one recovery planning provides highly personalised support, with a partnership
approach to goal setting and plan making that gives control back to the individual. Helping each
person rediscover their own autonomy and set their own goals has been shown to lead to
improvements in self-care and the management of that individual’s own mental wellbeing. Increasing
confidence has also been seen to result from the setting and achieving goals, with emotional as well
as practical support provided by the member of staff from the Wellbeing Service.
Page 16
The Wellbeing Service was commissioned by the County Council and the NHS in
2011. Since then we have worked hard to raise additional funding to extend and
add value to the services. This additional funding received has helped us deliver specific projects, often targeting communities within Oxfordshire which may
have higher need for mental health support or which are often not in contact
with services.
The Stone Family Foundation The Stone Family Foundation has provided additional funding to significantly extend the range of
wellbeing activities at The Mill in Oxford. This has helped us equip and make full use of the music
studio and the art gallery at The Mill. The funding has also enabled us to run many more groups,
including self education groups on coping with hearing voices. The support of the Foundation has
meant we can provide more intensive support to enable people with serious and enduring mental
health problems to live full lives in the community.
Oxfordshire County Council and the Skills Funding Agency The Wellbeing Service short course programme is now formally recognised as a provider of adult
learning by the County Council and the Skills Funding Agency. This recognition funded our ‘coping
skills’ courses which deliver clearly defined and measurable outcomes, and record progress of
learning following the ‘Recognising and Recording Progress and Achievement’ (RARPA) guidelines.
Comic Relief Three year funding was secured from Comic Relief to support our partnership with Oxford United
Football Club (OUFC) to deliver a short course to young men at risk of social disadvantage,
isolation and mental health problems. The course, ‘Football, Fitness and Wellbeing’ delivers physical
fitness and football training run by OUFC coaches, alongside sessions run by Wellbeing workers
who are trained in delivering Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) around mental health
awareness, confidence building, drug and alcohol misuse, self harm and Domestic Violence.
Participants will leave the course with new skills to manage their wellbeing.
Our additional funding: external funding for the Wellbeing Service
Oxfordshire Mind 2 Kings Meadow Osney Mead Oxford OX2 0DP 01865 263730 [email protected] www.oxfordshire-mind.org.uk Twitter: @oxfordshiremind Facebook: www.facebook.com/oxfordshiremind
Registered Charity number 261476 Registered company number 4343625
Front cover: A Wellbeing Service worker speaks to a member of the public at the ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’ Roadshow, 2012. © Oxfordshire Mind. All other photos commissioned by and © Mind.