Mental Health Peer Support report, Buckinghamshire

Healthwatch Buckinghamshire commissioned Buckinghamshire Mind to undertake an evaluation of mental health peer support groups across the county over a period of four months, from October 2016 to January 2017. The research focused on:

Current provision

Defining the unmet need

Exploring the key featuresof best practice

Proposing a costedway forward.

The following recommendations were made as a result of the research:

The All Age Mental Health Commissioner, should investigate the delivery of an enhanced peer support service across Buckinghamshire as the current provision for mental health peer support groups across the county does not meet with demand. Local mental health service providers should be involved in these discussions. Those commissioning and delivering mental health services need to make sure peer support groups are evenly distributed across the county, with particular focus on the Aylesbury Vale district.

The AMHT and the CCG should review their referral criteria with each provider to ensure all referrals are appropriate.

Any organisation delivering peer support links with Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and Community Impact Bucks to promote these volunteering opportunities. This is because recruitment of volunteers is imperative to help run the groups. Both peer support volunteers and outside volunteers are needed to help manage and sustain groups.

Buckinghamshire Mind should make information available about current peer support through its online directory, to be launched in summer 2017.

No response was published in this report.