Agenda item

Ruth Fletcher-Brown, Public Health Specialist, Adult Care, Housing and Public Health, to present updates from the Public Mental Health Action Plan (formally known as the Better Mental Health for All).

 

 

Ruth Fletcher-Brown, Public Health Specialist, gave the following powerpoint presentation on the review that had taken place with all partners on the Health and Wellbeing Board’s approach to early intervention and prevention:-

 

Current Picture

-        Rotherham Health and Wellbeing Board adopted the Public Mental Health Strategy, Better Mental Health for All, in 2017

-        The Better Mental Health for All Strategy and Action Plan for Rotherham 2017-2025 outlined actions that partners of the Health and Wellbeing Board were committed to take to improve the mental health for all people living and working in Rotherham

-        Delivery of this was overseen by the Better Mental Health for All Group which represented all partners of the HWBB

-        Rotherham Health and Wellbeing Board submitted a detailed application form in 2023 to become a signatory of the Prevention Concordat for Mental Health.  This was approved in September 2023

 

Stakeholder Event – Partners of the Health and Wellbeing Board attended a workshop in July facilitated by Andy Bell, Centre for Mental Health.  Stakeholders at the workshop

-        Heard from the lived experience of local communities in Rotherham

-        Worked collaboratively on a vision of a mentally healthier place to live

-        Looked at mental health in Rotherham today

-        Heard insights and ideas from national research and good practice from across the country on what worked to promote good mental health

-        Identified priorities for promoting and protecting mental health in Rotherham

 

Healthy life expectancy and mental health

-        Healthy Life Expectancy (HLE) was closely linked to mental health and mental ill-health and poor wellbeing were associated with reduced HLE:

Reduced quality of life

Increased mortality risk

Physical health connection

-        In Rotherham HLE has been decreasing from 59 in 2015-17 to 56 years in 2021-23 for both males and females

 

Mental Health Conditions

-        It was estimated that 19% of the population aged 16 and over and 12% of the population aged 65 and older have a common mental health condition

-        The prevalence of depression in Rotherham has increased between 2013 and 2022, from 9.9% to 17.3%, remaining above the England average of 13.2%

-        1.5 out of every 100 individuals were newly diagnosed with depression in 2023/24

 

Children and Young People

-        40% of secondary school children reported their mental health as ‘fair’ or ‘poor’

-        Girls were twice as likely to report persistent loneliness (22.4%) compared to boys (10.6%)

-        1 in 2 children in care had emotional wellbeing that was a cause for concern in 2023/24

 

Engagement around Mental Health – Groups and individuals told us

-        Increased stress and pressure were identified as a major cause of poor mental health

-        Bereavement can cause loneliness and poor mental health

-        COVID brought challenges and opportunities.  Some people said that others were still anxious about going out

-        They did not want to be a burden to their families.  Some families lived a long distance away and even if they lived nearer, families had their own lives

-        Caring for someone can lead to the carer feeling lonely and having poor mental health

-        Feeling lonely can lead to thoughts of suicide

-        Having poor mental health and feeling lonely can lead to unhelpful ways of coping and negative effects on health and wellbeing, increased substance abuse (alcohol, drugs, tobacco), increased gambling, frequent sickness, new pains and hallucinations

-        Lack of societal inclusion causes poor mental health (physically and digitally)

-        Having people to talk to was a key to prevention

-        The natural environment particularly for walking was a huge positive

-        Creativity, the arts at an individual, community and large scale helps with people’s mental health

-        Safe spaces in town to meet

 

What is important for improving wellbeing

-        Children and Young People

Safe spaces to chat with others

Resources for accessing support

Online support

-        Adult Health Survey

Family and friends

Exercising

Patient groups

 

What does a Mentally Healthy Rotherham look like (11-24 year olds)

-        Feeling proud of where we lived/feeling safe/opportunities to meet people in a safe place

-        News and media focussing on the good things happening

-        Celebrating mental health more/celebrating community differences

-        When we are physically well it impacts us mentally

-        Having a sense of belonging to where we live/a positive label of the town makes us feel happy to live here

-        Things to look forward to/celebrating achievements/who I am and feeling safe to do so

-        Reducing/ending loneliness

-        More discipline in schools to respond to bullying

-        Accepting one another for our likes and dislikes

-        Better healthier food that impacts our wellness/not as much access to alcohol/keeping fit

-        More access to therapists and counsellors

-        No money worries

-        More places for those with sensory/neurodiverse health

-        Breaking the stigma of asking for help

-        Embracing diversity

 

Next Steps

-        The Better Mental Health for All Group will work to identify key actions for delivery over a 2 year period

-        The infographic and identified key actions will demonstrate the Health and Wellbeing Board’s ongoing commitment to early intervention and prevention and will support the ongoing commitment to OHID’s Prevention Concordat for Mental Health onwards

-        The Better Mental Health for All Group will agree on outcome measures

-        Annual updates will be reported to the Health and Wellbeing Board

 

Discussion ensued with the following issues raised/clarified:-

 

-        Given the high profile of social media in the national news, there was no reference to social media in the action plan.  Was there any evidence to suggest that what was being seen in Rotherham linked to the national issue?  This issue had not been pulled out from any of the focus groups and something that needed to be explored.  It was known that young people had found that access to social media could be helpful in feeling part of different groups as well as feeling isolated from others, however, it was acknowledged that the impact was not fully understand by services

 

-        It was known that some communities struggled to feel digitally included and felt apprehensive about the future

 

-        Online bullying caused some younger children to not feel safe in their own homes

 

-        There were inequalities in different communities accessing support and underrepresented in terms of referrals with work required to ensure they accessed what they needed.  RDaSH was working on increasing the number of older adults accessing talking therapies, increasing the number of people from ethnic minority backgrounds coming forward for Dementia diagnosis and women from accessing perinatal diagnosis

 

Ruth was thanked for  the enormous amount of work she did on this subject as well as the single page infographic which was a very useful reference guide.

 

Resolved:-  (1)  That the vision and delivery mechanisms for mental wellbeing across the Rotherham population be supported.

 

(2)  That Health and Wellbeing Board partners attend and contribute to the Better Mental Health for All Group which would oversee the delivery of actions for early intervention and prevention in relation to mental health.

 

(3)  That the Better Mental Health for All Group consider the impact of social medial on children and young people to gain a better understanding of the matter given the recent national press coverage.

 

(4)  That the Board receive annual progress updates.