New community mental health service to roll out in Wigan following successful pilot

And those who have themselves battled mental health issues play a key role in its success

Wigan Borough Living Well has seen Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) join forces with Wigan Primary Care, Wigan and Leigh Community Charity, and Wigan Council.

The service - part of the national Living Well programme - is funded by Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership and supported by the Innovation Unit.

It will support people who are experiencing mental health problems, by understanding their goals and working with them to achieve them in a holistic way.

Alongside dedicated mental health support and treatment from NHS clinicians, the service will also connect people with their local community, and help them in other areas of their lives which they may need support with - and which might also be having an impact on their mental health - including housing, employment, loneliness, debt, or substance misuse.

The service will take a “trauma-informed” approach to care, meaning that it will seek to understand past traumatic events people may have experienced how this may have had a lasting impact on their wellbeing, and what they may need to help them move forward.

Peer mentors and support workers will act as experts by experience or “professional friends”, able to connect with people from a place of understanding as they know what it is like to walk in their shoes.

There will also be care for the carers who are supporting family and friends through their mental health struggles.

Kieran Jones, peer mentor coordinator at Wigan Borough Living Well, said: “From personal experience, I know how hard it can be to reach out for support.

"If I had had a peer mentor all those years ago when I was struggling – someone who had been in my position, someone who I could trust - this would have had a huge impact

“Our peer mentors will be providing person-centred support – it’s not just about mental health, it’s about helping people to be part of a community.

"We did a language change so service users are called people, person or individuals, a referral is a friendly introduction, assessment is initial conversation, risk assessment is a safety plan, a care plan is a share plan and discharge is a friendly farewell.

"When I was in a bad place I saw what it did to my family so we always said we’d care for the carers so we’ve created a role called network support workers which is run by the voluntary sector.”

Wigan Borough Living Well was co-designed and co-produced by the Wigan Collaborative - a multi-sector partnership of people who are passionate about working together to change and improve the mental health system. It includes representatives from GMMH, Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations such as Wigan Athletic Community Trust, Wigan Council, and most importantly people with lived experience of using community mental health services.

Collaborative collected stories and listened to people’s experiences, to shape Wigan Borough Living Well into something that is fit for purpose, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of the community.

An initial pilot ran in Hindley beginning last June, where a small group of people were supported through the service, and improvements were made along the way, based on regular feedback.

It is now in place in the North and Central Wigan Primary Care Networks with the aim for it to be in place across the rest of the borough this year

People in those areas can be introduced to the service through a mental health practitioner at their GP.

At the end of the pilot, an evaluation of seven people supported found that 87 per cent felt their quality of life had improved; and that 71 per cent had experienced a meaningful improvement in their recovery.

One person who was supported through the service said: “The team has helped me so much, the best mental health team I have been involved with. I don’t feel alone, they have come and helped me sort my life out. I have finally got a life.”

Nicola Quinn, clinical lead at Wigan Borough Living Well, GMMH said: “People who are struggling with their mental health may often be experiencing other issues in their lives which can act as a barrier to their mental health recovery and overall quality of life.

"This could include problems with housing, finances, loneliness and isolation, or physical health.

"That’s why it’s so important to listen to an individual, understand their barriers and goals, and treat them as a whole.

"Our community and social care partners have so much to offer, and by joining forces we are making sure people don’t slip through the gaps and that they get the right support at the right time.

“Each area is designed in a different way and that is based on what the people in Wigan have said they want from the service.

"I think it was 38 stories were gathered about what they wanted from this community team

“We are delighted that this model is showing initial signs of success. As we take the next step to roll out the service across the Wigan, we will continue to evaluate, learn and grow.”

David Baxter, CEO of Wigan and Leigh Community Charity, said: "As a place-based organisation that champions partnership working between social enterprises and anchor organisations, we see the Living Well partnership as a new way forward to developing services of need in the community, all in a peer-led strategy.

“It has been an honour working with GMMH and learning about ways of working such as trauma-informed approaches, and it’s been great to share our beliefs in co-design and collaboration.

“Living Well provides a 'one stop shop hub' to help people both reduce their barriers but also build their skills and confidence.

"Our role has been based around accommodation, and the impact this partnership has had on our social enterprise tenants has been enormous.

"It’s exciting to know that our members attending Living Well can then be supported afterwards via other community partners, be it support with food, skills development, craft making or more.”