Cornish Communities in Mind

Healthwatch Cornwall was asked by Public Health to undertake research into what types of mental health and suicide prevention support and activities would support diverse communities across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.  They held focus groups and 1:1 interviews to engage with existing support groups and organisations and created a survey. 281 individuals from 14 population groups took part in the survey, focus groups and interviews representing the population of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Respondents were asked to self-identify as belonging to one or more population group(s), with over half (57%) belonging to more than one group.

Participants were generally supportive of statutory services including Outlook Southwest, Community Mental Health Teams (CMHT) and psychiatric nurses. Practical activities and support were particularly useful, such as exercise, art therapy, talking therapy, young people and family support, blue health, domestic violence support and armed forces courses. Suicide postvention services were also praised. The importance of community support, learning emotional resilience and enhancing life skills was recognised as working well to improve mood.

The overarching theme of feedback about what could work better was a request for more joining up of services and continuity of care. Within this theme, there were specific topics that highlighted gaps in provision of support and emphasised the need for statutory and voluntary services to work in a much more person-centred way, liaising much more closely with each other to support individuals, as and when they need it.

People found it difficult to explain their medical history repeatedly to different professionals, especially if this involves reliving a traumatic experience. Respondents across six population groups wanted services to work together, with the person needing support at the centre of decision-making. Hearing people’s different experiences highlighted that everybody is different and their mental health experiences have many layers, unique to them.

The importance of voluntary sector organisations and statutory services working together was stressed by many respondents. This extended to the need for more respect and effective working relationships between voluntary/third sector organisations delivering support and GPs, community mental health teams (CMHTs) and social prescribers. Many felt a truly multi-agency approach with central records access would make a positive difference.

The response from ten of the fourteen population groups was that there is a need to treat the cause rather than the symptom. This was particularly prevalent among veterans, those with experience of gambling harm, people with a mental health diagnosis and those at risk of self-harm and suicide. People wanted support to work through past experiences and treat unresolved trauma. Related to this was the need for support to be delivered by someone with understanding/experience of their disability, lifestyle and/or traditions.

There was feedback from a number of groups about accessibility of care. These fell broadly into two categories, the first of which was issues such as difficulties accessing GPs and services during and following the pandemic, or the need for a ramp for someone with limited mobility to get into an appointment. Other, more fundamental issues related to ongoing access to services, such as the sourcing and signposting of British Sign Language translators for the d/Deaf community and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) support for Veterans.

The experiences of patients and their families should be at the forefront of decision-making and policy planning for the Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Strategy. Services need to be delivered in a way that people can access them, however they need to and at the time they need them, prior to crisis. Statutory and voluntary services need to work together and collaborate more to build trust and respect, ultimately treating the needs of Cornish Communities.