Listening Ear Project
The Pitch
Problem statement
According to Public Health England many people with long-term physical health conditions are at increased risk of developing mental health problems. These mental health problems can impact on the management of physical health, leading to significantly poorer health outcomes and reduced quality of life. Between 12% and 18% of all NHS expenditure on long-term conditions is linked to poor mental health and wellbeing, conservatively equating to around £1 in every £8 spent on long-term conditions. Our project will address these by offering an early intervention to mental/physical health support and reduce attendance to A&E and crisis services.
Solution
Our Listening Ear Project will offer: Structured conversations around specific topics or experiences to motivate positive change and encourage recovery. Some offers can include topics such as Self Esteem, Stress Management, Positive Psychology, Wellbeing Recovery Action Planning Regular Wellbeing Checks with fortnightly or monthly calls to check in and see how the service user is doing Graded Exposure into Social Support: Service users experiencing anxiety about returning to or accessing social support groups following on from the COVID -19 can receive support with building confidence to engage with groups such as walking and gardening through a graded exposure approach.
Why are we best placed to deliver?
Washington Mind is a well-established local CIO who have been delivering mental health and wellbeing support since 1981. We are affiliated to national Mind and are one of around 125 Local Mind Associations. Our mission is to work in partnership with our community to promote recovery and improve mental health and wellbeing. We deliver a range of quality mental health services for people who are experiencing or are at risk of developing, mental ill health and/or emotional distress. We are proficient at engaging with hard to reach groups who may prefer not to engage with statutory service providers
Focus Areas
Delivery plan
Budget breakdown
| Mental Health Practitioner 15 hours per week over 12 weeks | £3,000 |
Beneficiaries
250 people
Expected impact
We will work with 250 people to increase access to appropriate support for mental health and emotional wellbeing and identify a pathway of future support for all individuals accessing the service. We will see reduced attendance at A&E and reduced hospital admissions as the project will decrease the need for crisis support in the area. Using Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale we will monitor the mental wellbeing of the service users and improve mental wellbeing (SWEMWBS). An improvement in the physical activity of all service users by encouraging those people to join our walking or gardening group.