A new draft ‘blueprint’ for improving mental health on the Island has been published – and residents are being asked for their views on this vision.
The ambition of the Isle of Wight NHS Trust and the Isle of Wight Council is to transform mental health services so that the focus is on preventing mental ill health, reducing stigma and when people do need our service, personalising those services to ensure they get the right treatment and support for them.
There is recognition that although some care is of exceptionally high quality, services at the moment are not consistently good enough, not consistently easy enough to access, and not focused enough on helping people to recover.
Getting care right for people who use services, those who have a key role in their life and those who care for them, is a significant priority for both the NHS and the council on the island.
The draft blueprint is the product of a long period of discussions and engagement with people who use services, their carers, and those who work in the field. It is intended to build a modern network of services which are far more focused on intervening early, promoting independence, and helping people to manage their conditions and to recover.
The blueprint sets out the vision, based on our engagement with people so far, but it is not the final word – the NHS and the council now wants to hear from residents to test out whether the blueprint as it stands now sets the right direction of travel, or whether anything else needs to be considered before it is finalised.
The importance of good mental health care and support is clear. Poor mental health can affect anyone, and can be devastating. It is estimated that almost 2,000 island residents live with dementia, and the island has a higher rate of diagnosed mental illness than the mainland (1.1% of the population – or 1,602 people – compared to a national average 0.9%).
Dr Michele Legg, chair of the governing body for NHS Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said:
“We know we need to support people to have improved mental health, and we can and must do better for everyone who needs more specialist help at times of their lives when they are vulnerable. If people are living with poor mental health this has a major impact on all aspects of their lives, so it is essential that we do more to give people support which works for them.”
“This ‘blueprint’ document sets out our vision of how we might achieve this goal. We have listened to people about what is important to them in order to develop this so far, but we need to test this out and hear from island residents before we can finalise our plans. Is the vision right? Have we missed anything? We need to hear from you, so that we can be confident we are making the right plans.”
Kevin Bond, Interim Director of Mental Health and Learning Disability at Isle of Wight NHS Trust, said:
“The blueprint aims to respond to what people who use services and the local community want. We have already begun making some urgent changes and will be involving more people who use services in all our activities in time, trying to get a balance of all things that affect good mental health – good quality treatments, vocational work, accommodation, training/education, interests, skills and many other factors.”
To find out more, visit the CCG website at https://www.isleofwightccg.nhs.uk/get-involved/mental-health-blueprint, where you can find the draft blueprint document itself, and information about the various ways in which you can give your feedback. Alternatively you can call the CCG on (01983) 552064 to request the document.
The CCG would like to hear from as many people as possible by 28th February, 2018.
