Health Exchange have been working hard with a number of community organisations and the team at South Central Commissioning Group to create an radical new service that streamlines access and patient referral pathways within mental health.
Mental Health is a huge issue for the UK and locally we have higher rates of depression compared to the rest of England. The care available can take many weeks to respond so often the only option for someone who feels they are slipping into crisis is A&E .
The Edgbaston Wellbeing Hub, this is a 2 year long pilot project that aims to significantly improve access to wellbeing services in Edgbaston for people living in Edgbaston. The Hub is here to give the people of all ages a seamless, faster and more responsive access to primary care mental health and wellbeing services both inside and outside the NHS. Services range from counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy to signposting the nearest coffee morning or gardening group.
There are two key functions within the Hub; the centre deals with the first contact, administration and initial triage whereas the spokes assess and support individuals with focused care. In most cases the function of the spokes already exists and is being supported by a number of key third sector organisations., members of the Living Well Consortium, and statutory providers; including:-
– Health Exchange – they will provide administration and back office to the hub and also one of the spokes offering expertise and advice in lifestyle management.
The Triage and Assessment Service will be provided by (among others):
– My Time – Leading on the Triage process and offering counselling
– Birmingham Healthy Minds – offering CBT and other psychological therapies
– Community Chaplaincy – Listening and Guidance
– Big Community and CAMHS – providing well-being and mental health support for children and young adults
– Birmingham Mind – will be leading on the delivery of the Esteem team which will provide longer term support, e.g. reassurance and mentoring.
Our launch event will be taking place at Karis Medical Centre on April 2nd. Follow our twitter for key updates on the service and future developments.
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