As a result of recently secured Healthwatch BANES Community Pot funding, St Mungo’s and KS2 are working collaboratively with local services to carry out a ‘What’s going on’ project. The key principles of the mental health-focused project are ‘empowering, listening and influencing’ and the project is already well underway.
Empowering - FREE new ‘Hope Guide - Autumn 2021 edition’ out now
St Mungo’s have released a new printed ‘Hope Guide - Autumn 2021’ edition. The guide contains a variety of signposting information, aimed at empowering local residents by being better informed about local mental health and wellbeing opportunities, groups and services. The guide also provides information on managing post-lockdown anxiety, first response community support, as well as local and national helplines.
The guide is aimed at adults who are socially isolated, or may be affected by mental health issues, substance misuse or homelessness.
It’s also a great signposting resource for professionals.
"The Hope Guide is an invaluable, useful and great little booklet, crammed full of vital mental health and wellbeing activity. It is wonderful to see the wealth of activity offered to people locally to help them manage their wellbeing. Having a hard copy resource like this is essential for many clients who struggle to access online activity, and we know that people love getting a hard copy in their hands. I know that all of our services, volunteers, peer volunteers, staff and partners refer to it often and sing its praises”, Bath Mind.
“When I first came across the Hope Guide, I was surprised and amazed at just how much mental health and wellbeing support and guidance we had in BANES. The Hope Guide is an absolute goldmine of information with something for everyone. In AWP, staff use the guide daily as a valuable resource for social prescribing, and also to give or send to service users or carers. We would be absolutely lost without it and are always grateful when the new version arrives”, BANES Local Involvement Co-ordinator, Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWP) NHS Trust.
Copies of the Hope Guide are available from Bath Central Library, Keynsham Library and Midsomer Norton library.
If you live outside of Bath, you can also call the Village Agents on 01275 333 700 (leave your name and number and someone will call you back) to obtain a copy. The virtual version is available on St Mungo’s Bridges to Wellbeing website www.bridges2wellbeing.co.uk/hope-guide.
Listening - Survey and focus groups
Within the Hope Guide is an opportunity for local residents to have a say about what’s important to them; sharing their experiences of adult mental health and wellbeing services via a survey.
“We’d really like to hear from a range of local voices; especially individuals from seldom heard groups (i.e. homeless, LGBTQ+, boater communities, and ethnic minority groups), as well as those living in the more isolated rural areas of BANES”. Carolyn Trippick, Hope Guide Project Lead.
For those with access to the internet, the survey can also be completed online via the Hope Guide website link above.
In addition, St Mungo’s will also be hosting a series of online focus groups, to listen to the mental health and wellbeing needs and experiences, direct from those that use services, including carers. These open access focus groups will take place via Zoom on Tues 21st Sept, 6-7pm and Thurs 4th Nov, 10-11am.
The outcomes of the survey and focus groups will be shared with local mental health services and commissioning groups. To show your interest and/or sign up to a focus group please e-mail Carolyn.Trippick@Mungos.org.
Influencing - ‘What’s Going On’ event
Wed 17th Nov 2021, 6-9pm at The Salvation Army, Bath
St Mungo’s and KS2 will be hosting a public event to enable providers of mental health services in BANES to discuss feedback with people affected by mental health issues and how service delivery is and can be developed to address local needs. This will be the fourth time they have run a What’s Going On event. On average 100 people with lived experience attend as do the directors of all BANES mental health services. Register online with www.eventbrite.co.uk (search ‘what’s going on event’), or call Paul on 07522 945 518 to book your place.
“We are hopeful that by developing the Hope Guide, coupled with the opportunity to influence service provision, it can help reduce some of the local mental health effects of the Covid-19 pandemic”, Carolyn Trippick, Hope Guide Project Lead.
Hyperlinks
‘Experiences of adult mental health and wellbeing services within BANES’ survey - complete survey here
Hope Guide (virtual version) https://www.bridges2wellbeing.co.uk/hope-guide
‘What’s Going On?’ event - Register online with Eventbrite here or call Paul on 07522 945 518 (Tues or Wed am) to book your place
St Mungo's 'Building Bridges to Wellbeing' team works innovatively and creatively with people who have a lived experience of mental health challenges, volunteers and other agencies to empower, inspire and promote independence and wellbeing. We support mental health and wellbeing pathways which enable the positive progression of clients and volunteers.
Carolyn Trippick, Hope Guide Project Lead
E-mail: Carolyn.Trippick@Mungos.org
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