Community Mental Health Unit Webinars

Our experience of working in and supporting local systems tells us that it is more important than ever that Integrated Care Systems invest urgently in community mental health. With ringfenced transformation funding coming to an end in April 2024 and in a climate of crisis and uncertainty, we need to ensure these changes are embedded.

Four years on from our publication 'Building Communities That Care', we have launched our new report, 'Building Community into the Integrated Care System; A practical guide to developing robust community mental health'. This webinar, chaired by Polly Toynbee, launches our report.

Topics include:

• The significant challenges facing mental health care from NHS, local authority, VCSE and lived experience perspectives
• Tools that can support practical, workable solutions to common barriers to transformation
• The role that the VCSE sector can have in pursuing the four core aims and future goals of ICSs
• Find the report in full, downloadable tools and recording of the launch webinar here: www.rethink.org/aboutus/what-we-do/community-mental-health-unit/building-community-into-the-integrated-care-system/

Speakers:

• Polly Toynbee, Guardian columnist & member of the NHS Assembly
• Will Higham, Director of the Community Mental Health Unit at Rethink Mental Illness
• Morag Campbell, Senior Programme Development Officer at Rethink Mental Illness
• Last Mafuba, Founder & CEO of Inini Initiative & Independent Chair of the Coventry & Warwickshire Mental Health Alliance
• Sam O’Brien, Expert by Experience Leader with the North East Lincolnshire Mental Health Alliance
• Andrew Keefe, Deputy Director of Commissioning for Mental Health, Autism, & Learning Disabilities at NHS Somerset

Click here to watch this webinar

Developed in line with the North West London Multi-Agency Suicide Prevention Plan, this webinar explores how addition is impacting mental health. This being one of the emerging themes around drugs and alcohol misuse and urgent care settings.

The agenda delves into both clinical and lived experience insights around this topic. 

Topics include:

• Conversation around addiction and ways to tackle issues including disjointed working, needs gaps, trauma informed care, training for GPs/primary care staff and safety planning
• Impacts on the wider voluntary and community sector, navigating the system and the importance of coproduction and lived experience
• What is working well and what needs to change
• For a list of resources and places of support relating to suicide and addiction, please download our resources toolkit here: www.rethink.org/aboutus/what-we-do/community-mental-health-unit/addiction-and-suicide-prevention-webinar/

Speakers:

• Ashley Robinson, Manager at The Upper Room
• Salma U-la, Co-Founder of SheWise
• Vincent Law, Consultant Psychiatrist/Clinical Director, Psychological Medicines Services at West London NHS Trust
• Joe Cummins, Expert by Experience

Click here to watch this webinar

We understand that recent circumstances including the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis have caused a significant strain on people's finances and their mental health as a result. Research has demonstrated the links between economic inequality and mental health, with growing numbers of people experiencing money worries and the related impacts to their mental wellbeing.

This webinar seeks to address these concerns and share the great work that is currently taking place across the country within communities to help support individuals directly.

Topics include:

• Insights from our recent research and the impact the cost of living crisis has had on individuals living with severe mental illness as well as the wider voluntary and community sector
• How the microgrants scheme in North West London’s suicide prevention programme have helped local charities to directly support their communities during this challenging time including what is currently working and what needs to change.
• Asks to system leaders to help local and national services to support their communities effectively by offering the right help at the right time.
• Resources for certified and free advice and support that are currently available which you can access here: https://www.rethink.org/aboutus/what-we-do/community-mental-health-unit/economic-hardship-and-mental-health-webinar/

Speakers:

• Richard Tandoh, Expert by Experience
• Jasmine Wyeth, Senior Policy Officer at Rethink Mental Illness
• Monique McGoey, Fundraising Manager at The Log Cabin
• Cassandra Geisel, Community Co-Production Officer at Rethink Mental Illness
• Ashleigh May, Managing Director and Head of Services at Mums on a Mission
• Morag Campbell, Senior Programme Development Officer at Rethink Mental Illness

Click here to watch this webinar

We believe that the voices of people with severe mental illness should be at the heart of community mental health transformation. We understand that commissioners and transformation leads want to achieve this, but it can be challenging to change cultures and introduce coproduction in large organisations. We recognise that colleagues want to share knowledge on managing this and overcoming shared challenges. 

Topics include:

• An introduction to coproduction and engaging communities.
• The story in Coventry & Warwickshire: coproduction and working with diverse communities in a culture than embraces measured risk-taking.
• The story in Sheffield: lessons learnt from working with the NHS, commissioners, and wider system partners.
• Q&A with our panel of experts

Speakers:

• Chris Lynch, Lived Experience Advisor, Community Mental Health Transformation Team in Cheshire & Wirral at Rethink Mental Illness
• Suzi Davenport-Hill, Expert by Experience at Rethink Mental Illness
• Last Mafuba, Founder and CEO of Inini Initiative
• Sarah Batty, Head of Community Mental Health Unit for Sheffield at Rethink Mental Illness

Click here to watch the webinar

In this webinar, Claire Murdoch, National Director for Mental Health at NHS England, provides her insights into the progress of Community Mental Health Transformation and why it is so vital.

We also present the findings from recent research into the Transformation in Somerset and Sheffield.

Topics include:

• An introduction to our report ‘Getting Started: lessons from the first year of implementing the Community Mental Health Framework’
• Research from Somerset’s Open Mental Health Alliance, conducted by Plymouth University
• Research from the Sheffield Mental Health Alliance, conducted by Sheffield University
• An interview with Claire Murdoch about the implementation of the Community Mental Health Framework
• NHS England guidance on measuring outcomes

Speakers:

• Claire Murdoch, National Director for Mental Health at NHS England
• Helen Garnham, Head of Equalities at Rethink Mental Illness

Click here to watch the webinar

The introduction of the Community Mental Health Framework represented a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change community mental health care and support for the better. Rethink Mental Illness conducted research into the first year of the implementation of the Framework.

This report, based on the findings of a survey and 37 in-depth interviews undertaken with national and local stakeholders across 11 ICS areas, explored the successes and challenges of the Framework’s implementation. You can read the full report here.

Topics include:

• The purpose of the research: to understand how the Community Mental Health Framework is being rolled out, what is going well, and what improvements need to be made.
• The methodology of the research and breakdown of interviewees.
• The main findings of the report under five themes: measuring success, leadership and collaboration, VCSE sector involvement, coproduction, and workforce.
• Key reflections and a Q&A with Beccy Wardle, who led on the creation of the Open Mental Health alliance in Somerset.

Speakers:

• Will Higham, Director of Community Mental Health Unit at Rethink Mental Illness
• Beccy Wardle, Associate Director of ICB Partnerships at Rethink Mental Illness.

Click here to watch the webinar

Mental Health Navigation is a model of support for people living with mental illness who present at primary care with unmet non-clinical needs. This webinar explores the role of Mental Health Navigators as an established method for reducing pressure on primary care by supporting people to address their needs in the context of rolling out the community mental health framework.

Topics include:

• Trial in the Meridian Primary Care Network in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, where Mental Health UK have been using mental health navigators to improve the community support for people severely affected by mental illness.
• How other PCNs can implement this model using our good practice guide with our partner charities, Mental Health UK, MindWise, Support in Mind Scotland and Adferiad Recovery.
• Find our guide and toolkit for mental health navigation here: https://www.rethink.org/aboutus/what-we-do/mental-health-navigation/

Speakers:

• Helen Garnham, Head of Equalities at Rethink Mental Illness
• Beth Holness, Primary Care Liaison Practitioner at Navigo Health and Social Care
• Nicola, Expert by Experience
• Dr Peter Melton, GP for the Roxton Practice in Meridian PCN
• Julia Swift, Policy and Delivery Manager at NHS Confederation
• Rebecca Stern, Head of Primary Care Mental Health Support Services at Rethink Mental Illness
  
  

Click here to watch the webinar

Sadly in 2020 alone, 4912 people died by suicide. Every single life lost is a tragedy and can have a devastating impact on families, friends and communities.  We know that suicide rates reflect wider inequalities and people more likely to be affected include those in debt and living in poverty, people who are homeless and unemployed and those experiencing loneliness and isolation. 

The most recent ONS statistics in 2020 did not show a rise in suicide although we must not be complacent. The cost of living crisis will put many more people in these high risk groups. We must continue to explore new ways to reach people who are at most risk and underserved in our communities.

Topics include: 

• Representatives from the Central North West London NHS suicide prevention initiative share their approach to co-producing the programme as well as their ‘listening’ events, new training offer and diverse grassroots projects funded by micro grants.
• The role of comedy as a therapeutic tool and learnings from training course ‘Comedy on Referral’ which has been piloted in Bristol.
• Innovative and award winning approaches to crisis that focus on the drivers behind suicide with an emphasis on hope.

Speakers:

• Brian Dow, Deputy Chief Executive at Rethink Mental Illness and Co-Chair of the National Suicide Prevention Alliance
• Lourdes Colclough, Head of Suicide Prevention at Rethink Mental Illness
• Turanem Shah, Expert by Experience
• James Chapman, Mental Health Trainer at Rethink Mental Illness
• Angie Belcher, Comedian and Comedy Educator
• Professor Zaffer Iqbal, Clinical Director for Psychological Services and Research and Suicidality Prevention Lead at Navigo

Click here to watch the webinar

Rethink Mental Illness believes that the Community Mental Health Framework provides a once in a generation opportunity to transform the lives of people with severe mental illness and wrap personalised services around them within the community.

We think that people with long term complex mental health issues should be a priority in this transformation as it rolls out across the country and that we should be designing services that proactively reach out to them and support them in our communities.  

Topics include:

• Expert by Experience led work proactively promoting Covid-19 vaccinations to people with SMI and how we can apply these lessons more widely.
• Cambridgeshire’s physical health check model using a neighbourhood team approach to provide holistic support for people with SMI.
• Discussion around the importance of assertive outreach and the of continuity and therapeutic relationships rather than a short term approach to long term mental illness.

Speakers:

• Mark Trewin, Head of Alliance Building at Rethink Mental Illness
• Kevin James, Chair of Equally Well Expert by Advisory Group and member of Rethink Mental Illness’s Lived Experience Advisory Board
• Helen Butlin, Equally Well UK lead
• Dr Emma Tiffin, National GP Advisor Community Mental Health/Primary Care, Adult MH team NHSE/I, Cambridgeshire GP and STP Clinical Mental Health Lead
• Dr Nuwan Dissanayaka, Consultant for the Assertive Outreach Service at Leeds & York Partnership and member of the Executive Committee for the Rehabilitation Faculty of the Royal College of Psychiatrists

Click here to watch the webinar

There is rising awareness of 'anchor institutions' which are rooted in place and connected to their communities. Anchors have significant assets and spending power and can consciously use these resources to benefit communities. We discuss how anchor organisations such as local authorities, the NHS, VCSE, universities, private businesses, housing, arts & culture and faith institutions that are rooted in place can work together as part of a combined presence to reduce inequalities within mental health in our communities at place and neighbourhood level.

Topics include:

• Discussion around the importance of accountability and the role of voluntary, community and faith sectors across social determinants of health working with the NHS and local authorities given their combined buying power and as shapers of local communities.

• Mapping anchor institutions related to wider social determinants of health and how to set up an anchor network, including the framework developed and used in Sheffield.
• Policy initiatives and funds including “Levelling Up” that present an opportunity to tackle geographic disparities in key services and outcomes including health, education and jobs.
• Taking Quality Improvement (QI) approaches to alliance building through systemic methods to improve quality and learning, including a QI case study of VCSE alliance building in London.

Speakers:

• Mark Trewin, Head of Alliance Building at Rethink Mental Illness
• Greg Fell, Director of Public Health in Sheffield
• Helen Garnham, Head of Equalities at Rethink Mental Illness
• Tom Ayers, Director National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health at The Royal College of Psychiatrists
• Ian Jackson, Director of Commissioning at NHS England and NHS Improvement (London region)

Click here to watch the webinar

Employment status and income are important drivers for people’s wellbeing. Due to the pandemic, millions of people have experienced unemployment and/or income shock, compounded by the cost of living crisis.  This webinar provides support and advice to agencies who are in contact with people who may be struggling with mental health and money.

Topics include:

• The latest on policy and evidence, including the recent National Disability Strategy and Welfare Green Paper, and the emerging results of Rethink Mental Illness's engagement with people severely affected by mental illness to inform policy development for these national frameworks.
• A case study of an Expert by Experience who had her first bout of serious mental illness during the pandemic and how her employer worked with wider organisations to support her back into work.
• A case study from PHE who have developed a real time picture of the social and economic impacts of the pandemic and have used this to connect with key partners to encourage closer collaboration to support those affected.
• Where to find support including tools that health and social care professionals can use to support an individual struggling with their mental health and money, as well as how the Breathing Space scheme works and how to access.

Speakers:

• Helen Garnham, Head of Equalities at Rethink Mental Illness
• Joe Parrot, Policy Researcher at Citizens Advice Bureau
• Melissa Hatch, Business Development Strategic Lead (Health) at Citizens Advice Bureau
• Will Johnstone, Policy Manager at Rethink Mental Illness
• Clare Kerrigan, Individual Placement and Support Manager (Coventry & Warwickshire) at Rethink Mental Illness
• Neil Wood, Health and Wellbeing Programme Manager at Office for Health Improvement and Disparities
• Sarah Murphy, Associate Director for Advice, Information and Training at Rethink Mental Illness and Mental Health UK

Click here to watch the webinar

NHS Long Term Plan specifies targeted workforce developments in partnership with Health Education England, including key non-clinical roles, e.g. Peer Support Workers. By 2023/24, all STPs/ICSs will have received funding to develop and begin delivering new models of integrated primary and community care built around Primary Care Networks. This webinar will share lessons learned and good practice around introducing Peer Support Workers into mental health care systems.

Topics include:

• Rethink Mental Illness’s collaboration across the voluntary sector, statutory and NHS partners in Somerset, Open Mental Health, share their Peer Support Strategy which has been coproduced across partners and Experts by Experience and their journey developing training, community networks and tools to enable their implementation. 
• Lessons are shared from the Somerset Foundation Trust regarding culture change and increased leadership alongside a commitment to foster peer support that enabled effective coproduction and embedding Peer Support Workers alongside traditional  clinical roles.
• How WATCH have managed recruiting, training, supervising, delivering, assessing and progression for Peer Support Workers in Somerset as part of the Open Mental Health network and sharing their good practice, expertise and learning.
• How The Cellar Trust have successfully developed new delivery models of peer support and service design that has made this an integral part of the system within crisis care and local A&E departments in Bradford.

Speakers:

• Martin Stanier, National Involvement Manager at Rethink Mental Illness
• Becky Marsh at WATCH
• Paul Milverton, Co-production Services at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
• Beccy Wardle, Head of NHS Collaboration at Rethink Mental Illness
• Kim Shutler, Chief Executive at The Cellar Trust
• Heather Tattersall, Director of Service at The Cellar Trust

Click here to watch the webinar

Community Mental Health Transformation has always brought new challenges as well as new opportunities, particularly during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. In October 2020, Rethink Mental Illness launched ‘Thinking differently: A “first steps” guide for transforming community mental health’.

In this webinar, a panel of experts shared their advice on troubleshooting issues faced by organisations involved in planning the transformation of community mental health services.

Topics include:

• Panellists’ ‘top tips’ for making Community Mental Health Transformation work.
• A mentimeter to understand audience members’ thoughts on the progress and challenges of Community Mental Health Transformation in their areas.
• Panellist’s thoughts on how to overcome key challenges such as time and capacity. Panellists discussed new ways of working that had been found during the pandemic, the need to embed lived experience in all decision-making, breaking transformation into more manageable chunks, and the need for primary care involvement.

Speakers:

• Samantha Holmes, Coproduction Manager at Rethink Mental Illness
• Tim Baverstock, Director of Social Care at Somerset County Council
• James Sutherland, Programme Manager for the Primary & Community Mental Health Transformation Programme at NHS Sheffield CCG
• Aileen Edwards, Chief Executive at Second Step
• Dr Emma Tiffin, GP, Adult Clinical Mental Health Lead at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CCG, and advisor to NHS England
  
  

Click here to watch the webinar

Much of our STP guide has drawn on lessons from the pioneering work taking place in Somerset, where Rethink Mental Illness is the lead accountable organisation in a VCSE sector alliance that is working in partnership with the local STP. Hear from the NHS, voluntary partners and experts by experience about how the Somerset community mental health system was co-designed with experts by experience and the local voluntary sector and how it’s now being delivered.

Topics include:

• Exploring the coproduced model for transforming community mental health services in Somerset and the journey over the first year.
• The ‘Open Mental Health’ locality model bringing together statutory and voluntary services as equal partners working within a one system approach.
• Reflections on the roles of social care and the Local Authority, wider VCSE and Experts by Experience and how these have been integrated in Somerset.

Speakers:

• Will Higham, Associate Director of Programme Innovation at Rethink Mental Illness
• Beccy Wardle, Head of Community (South) at Rethink Mental Illness
• Jane Yeandle, Service Director at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
• Kate Williams, Associate Director for Mental Health at Somerset CCG
• Tim Baverstock, Deputy Director for Adult Social Care at Somerset County Council
• Angela Kerr, Chief Executive at Citizens Advice South Somerset
• Julie Matthews, Director and CEO at Chard WATCH CIC
• Laura Perry, Expert by Experience leader
• Gayle Bridgman, Head of Clinical Programme for Mental Health at NHS England and Improvement (South West)
  
  

Click here to watch the webinar

Rethink Mental Illness Deputy Chief Executive Brian Dow is joined by speakers, including Claire Murdoch, National Mental Health Director at NHS England and Improvement, for this webinar offering expert insights, user perspectives and practical tips based on lessons from pilot sites to support STPs/ICSs to come together with everyone involved in providing local support for people with severe mental illness, and plan how to realise this vision ahead of the upcoming investment.

You can find our guide outlining the first 5 steps needed to transform community mental health care here: https://www.rethink.org/aboutus/what-we-do/mental-health-service-provider/rethink-mental-illness-stp-guide/

Topics include:

• Commitments from NHS England on a national and local level to prioritise mental health with record funds going into the system for transformation through the Long Term Plan.
• What can be done more, better and differently within the transformation plans in order to achieve system change and benefits for people living with severe mental illness.
• Introduction of our new STP guide and toolkit for transforming mental health services, taking learnings from our pilot site in Somerset (one of 12 early implementer sites).

Speakers:

• Brian Dow, Deputy Chief Executive at Rethink Mental Illness
• Claire Murdoch, National Mental Health Director at NHS England and Improvement
• Kate, Expert by Experience
• Mark Yates, Director of Operations at Rethink Mental Illness

Click here to watch the webinar