Mental Health Service Transformation Event

With the current climate and cost of living crisis being at the forefront of most minds, it is important to collaborate, explore working partnerships and champion change.

A workshop was facilitated through LCVS on behalf Imagine Independence and Merseycare to see how we can come together as a city and community to discuss the current need for transformation of mental health services and explore how we can work in partnership to improve support for those in need.

When discussing the importance of transformation within mental health services, CEO of Imagine Independence Margaret Hanson expressed the vital significance to ensure that whichever front door someone in need chooses to access, that they are welcomed in to receive good quality responses, active and current answers and signposted to the correct services clearly.

This was clear from all in attendance that the importance of collaborative efforts to signpost the people we individually support to the right support was vital and that the increase is only going to grow in the upcoming months, however it was vocalised that we are blessed in Liverpool through our ever growing networks and connections that we will always push through and will work together to improve partnership.

Discussed further into the event were questions to support and tackle the crisis we are currently facing and the pressures that will fall heavily on us soon, these questions addressed topics such as; what demands are you currently seeing around supporting mental health, what do you think you as an organisation you will be seeing in the winter, what can you do to support this demand and how can we work together as a community to implement a shared solution.

A key issue raised by Emily McChrystal from Comics Youth was surrounding the demands we are seeing currently supporting mental health was not only the delayed progress in diagnoses but the long wait times for people in need of services. This was echoed by all especially in cohesion with the impacted growth of services needed both during and post pandemic.

It was noted in the coming winter months particularly aligning with the cost of living crisis that a main factor will be that our services will be stretched to fill gaps and respond in ways usually as organisations we may not identify our services as to support the instant demand in crisis support including food poverty and struggling to keep warm to assist our members and people in need.

Of course by discussing the impacts that we face currently and what we project our future to be resemble, this brings to light how we can help each other collaboratively to support this increasing demand and what we individually need as organisations to tackle the crisis, this resulted in a resounding roar of mapping out individual programs, workshops and offers to provide a collaborative resource so there are no overlaps and no expertise or support goes to waste, this would ensure invigorative signposting opportunities and a brighter understanding in systems which would alleviate both individual strain and as voiced by Gosia McKane from LCC “through supporting one another we will no longer need to pour from empty cups”.

Above all, this transformation event ended with a clear and concise message that as a community we need to now more than ever support one another, visit each other’s services to learn best practice and signpost correctly, keep the conversation alive through consultations, having a personal lead approach, discussing with our communities, and utilise each and everyone’s resources to facilitate a combined increase in the need for our important and vital services.