Mental health support comes in many shapes and forms, from NHS services to local community organisations and champions, charities and community supporters all working hard to support local people.
This mental health awareness week we wanted to raise awareness and give you a flavour of some the local services working to help people day-to-day with mental health illness, loneliness and isolation.
Meet some of our wonderful community supporters and the services they work for
Health4all in Hillingdon
Naomi Lloyd-Barling - Community development officer
H4All is a community organisation working with local partners to provide support and health advice.
Naomi along with her team of community champions can be found out and about in Hillingdon providing local people with information on health and access to community services.
Naomi explains: “We always have community projects on the go and linking to mental health awareness week we have resources on managing everyday stress and our colleagues in the My Health team are running some Isolation and loneliness workshops to provide helpful advice and contact for people who are struggling.”
“Being part of a community plays a key role in mental health recovery and we encourage people to join us and get stuck into a community project. It’s a great way to meet people and feel involved.”
You can find out more about H4all services in Hillingdon at www.h4all.org.uk or email community@h4all.org.uk
Ashford Place in Brent
Danny Maher - CEO
Ashford Place is a large voluntary charity with an open door five days a week helping anyone that needs it.
Talking about mental health support Danny said: “We have been long established, but the pandemic gave all of Brent’s voluntary, statutory agencies and service users the opportunity to work more closely together to do more for the community. Brent Mental Health Partnership was created so we can link people with local support services and look to develop further support services where they don’t already exist.”
Anyone with a mental health need can access help form Ashford Place – more information can be found at www.ashfordplace.org.uk or email info@ashfordplace.org.uk
Another great resource is Brent Wellbeing Hub https://brentwellbeing.org.uk is a community generated, one-stop shop of information on mental health services in Brent, developed by Brent Thrive.
Ealing North Southall Primary Care Network (PCN)
Sonia Frederick - Social prescribing link worker
Social prescribing services are short-term, bespoke services that coach and encourage people to take control of their own well-being with support.
Sonia explains: “I work for North Southall Primary Care Network as a social prescriber this means my role is really wide and varied - I help people with social issues that affect their health or health issues that affect them socially. This can include loneliness, mental health, financial and housing issues, but the list can be endless.
“People are referred to me through their GP, I then work with people to develop a care plan. This can take several hours to talk and work through how best to help someone. But I always try and empower people to know they can make the changes they need and sign post local organisations or groups that could be beneficial for them.”
Find out more about social prescribing in this video - https://youtu.be/O9azfXNcqD8
One Community (St Charles Mental Health Centre)
Cate Latto – One Community Founder
One community is a social network with open doors offering ongoing help for people leaving mental health services and anyone who would benefit from their support.
Cate explains: “People want to support and help each other and be part of something. Those that join us come back year on year as they find a network they want to belong to. Seeing familiar faces and enjoying a social space that they enjoy visiting, really builds confidence and self-esteem.
“We offer many projects including gardening and creative writing. Every Friday we host an afternoon at Bay 20 - its great, there is; food, music, nail painting, art projects and lots more. Something for everyone in an environment people feel comfortable in. The comfort of this space often allows people to talk about things they wouldn’t in a clinical setting.
“People in crisis loose can sometimes lose their social network, I have been told ‘I’m glad I went to hospital as met you and One Community.’”
If you would like to contact One Community please email cnwl.onecommunity@nhs.net or join them at Bay 20, 71 St Marks Road, W10 6JG at 1-5pm every Friday.
Looking for help?
Find out more about services that can support you locally through The Hub of Hope.
The hub brings together NHS, Samaritans, Mind and 2,500+ registered national and local voluntary, grassroots, private and third sector mental health support services together in one place, with the number listed growing daily.
The Hub of Hope can be accessed through the App, which can be downloaded from the App Store (iPhone) or Play Store (Android), or www.hubofhope.co.uk. The Hub of Hope also has a ‘Need Help Now?’ button that connects users directly to Samaritans or Crisis Text Line’s messaging service.
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