Kathryn Singh, RdaSH, to present
Minutes:
Kathryn Singh, RDaSH, presented the following powerpoint presentation:-
Priority 1 Improving mental health and wellbeing of all Rotherham people
Priority 2 Reducing the occurrence of common mental health problems
Priority 3 Improving support for enduring mental health needs (including Dementia)
Priority 4 Improve the health and wellbeing of people with Learning Disabilities and Autism
Priority 1 – Improving mental health and wellbeing of all Rotherham people
- Better Mental Health for All/Covid-19 (C19) Mental Health Group
· C19 and Mental Health Group established
· Action plan been drafted for whole life course
· PH Lead worked with CYPS on the survey to school age children, first distributed in the summer and repeated this autumn
· Work between LD and Public Health (RMBC) to look at staff wellbeing, staff and manager wellbeing guides produced in the summer and shared with other partners
· Promotion of public Mental Health information across all partners including employers signed up to BeWell@Work
- RMBC has produced a guide on befriending for Rotherham Heroes and this was being used as part of their induction and has been shared with voluntary and community sector partners
- The Five Ways to Wellbeing campaign messages will be used to encourage people to look to access things to address loneliness for themselves and to look out for others
Priority 2 – Reducing the occurrence of common mental health problems
- Launch of ieso digital IAPT service in October 2020 to anticipate demand surge for common mental health conditions completed
http://www.iesohealth.com/en-gb
- Launch of https://rotherhive.co.uk/ in May 2020 a portal to access psychological support
· Debt section developed October 2020
· Professional section now in development
· Half a million site hits to date
- CAMHS Transformation Plan now refreshed and renamed the Rotherham Social Emotional and Mental Healthy Strategy with action plan and partnership forum established
Priority 3 – Improving support for enduring Mental Health Needs (including Dementia)
- In the initial stages of lockdown there was a delay in implementation of the new Dementia Pathway. This has now been reactivated
- Dementia Pathway Redesign Group established with all key stakeholders
- Data analysis to underpin redesign anticipated end of November
- Rollout of a programme of Herbert Protocol/”This is Me” Workshops by Crossroads
- Throughout the C19 period Rotherham Place has maintained its high performance on the Dementia diagnostic target
- CORE 24 Service continues to be in place and continues to deliver
- SMI LES (Local Enhanced Service for people with Serious Mental Illness) in place and working well
· Whilst there was an increase of 175 patients on an SMI register between Quarter 1 (1,844 patients) and Quarter 2 (2,019 patients), there was an increase in the percentage of patients receiving a health check from 27.5% to 28.7%
Priority 4 – Improve the health and wellbeing of people with Learning Disabilities and Autism
- Significant investment from RCCG for both All-Age and Children and Young People’s Neurodevelopment Pathways
- Redesign of the Children and Young People’s Neurodevelopment Pathway completed and detailed action plan in place to monitor impact
- Launch of the RDaSH All Age Neurodevelopment Pathway in September 2020
- Reduction of waiting list of Rotherham patients at Sheffield Health and Social Care
- Development of a new asset/community focussed Post-Diagnostic Pathway (Adults) to be delivered by Rotherham Parents Carers Forum
- Successful ICS bids for CYP Key Workers (Learning Disabilities and Autism) and expanding peer support and support for annual health checks for people with Learning Disabilities
Discussion ensued with the following issues raised/clarified:-
· There was massive evidence that supported insomnia and links to mental health. Quite often people whose sleep patterns were very disrupted were prescribed anti-depressants and there was a challenge as to whether that was the right thing to do. Often poor sleep and anxiety was linked to poor mental health which had been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic because of the uncertainty, tension and anxiety
· Reports had been published recently emanating from Manchester where support for Confidential Enquiries into Suicides took place which raised 2 issues. Firstly there was no significant evidence of an increase in suicide as result of lockdown. The numbers were very comparable to what was seen as year on year increase in death by suicide across England. A similar shift in pattern had been seen in Rotherham i.e. increase in the number of women suicides. Secondly, a report had been issued around the reporting of suicides with a cause for consideration was that the reporting of suicides quite often led to duplication and replication and there was some real nervousness of how they were actually reported
· A significant piece of work had been carried out locally in February around the reporting of suicides to which the local media had been invited. Quite often too much detail was reported in the press coverage; there was significant evidence that showed there was imitation as a result of that reporting
· In a second Covid lockdown coming up to Christmas it was really important to be sighted on the sort of campaigns to be run supporting peoples’ mental health in a positive way perhaps without too much attention/less focus on death by suicide
· Over the years a change had been seen in Rotherham around females that took their lives by suicide with the method also changing
· However, Rotherham was not dissimilar to other areas in Yorkshire and the Humber. The data from Office for National Statistics this year had shown Yorkshire and the Humber ranking as the highest region for death of females to suicide. It was known from some mental health research during the pandemic that women were reporting more mental health distress – lack of social networks with people they were unable to engage with and also caring responsibilities
· The local response had been the Be the One Campaign, the Board’s campaign for suicide prevention and a very proactive approach to engaging with women/getting messages out to women of signpost to support. That message would switch in the lead up to Christmas and the New Year and be to the general population and again follow the steps of the Be the One Campaign of TLC approach and people being very vigilant
· The voluntary sector had played a huge role in terms of supporting people with their mental health wellbeing and work was taking place to ensure that any training was open to the whole partnership together with the voluntary and community sector
· At the height of the first lockdown real high levels of acuity had been seen in terms of admissions to the in-patient unit and high levels of psychosis
· There had been new demand very much linked to issues of employment and housing. RDaSH was trying to work in a way that recognised that if intervention could be provided quite early and support offered, it would avoid someone getting a much more serious mental health situation. Discussions were taking place with the Chamber of Trade around potential for redundancies/employment issues as to how the Service could work alongside the workplace situation to support employers to offer mental health help and support
· People were contacting the Service requesting post-funeral bereavement support
· The Service could not deliver the sort of services it did without the support of the voluntary sector
· During lockdown, Primary Care was seeing low grade mental health issues that were probably not yet getting to a level that would impact upon full Mental Health Services
The Chair referred to the film that had been made to advertise the 5 Ways to Wellbeing and suggested that it be redistributed through the communications system
Kathryn was thanked for her presentation.
Resolved:
(1) That the presentation be noted.
(2) That the 5 Ways to Wellbeing be distributed through the Council’s Communications system.
Action: Sharon Kemp