Oxfordshire mind wellbeing service 2 years on

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

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

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.

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

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

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:



2 short courses



West Oxfordshire

We deliver:



3 short courses



Vale of the White Horse

We deliver:



6 short courses



South Oxfordshire

We deliver:



7 short courses

21 regular Peer Support Groups plus other, responsive groups


Oxford

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

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.

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


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

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”.

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


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

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.

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.


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

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.”

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


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

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.

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.

Oxfordshire mind wellbeing service 2 years on

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