Your views about mental health services in County Durham
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In 2017, people in County Durham highlighted the importance of Mental Health Support to Healthwatch County Durham, motivating them to focus their 2018 work in this area. This involved finding out how referrals were being made, the therapies being accessed, if there were any significant waiting times for services, if patients understood the support they were being offered, and if aspects of life was affected by poor mental health. They also looked into staff views of work related stress, workplace health initiatives, support in the workplace and relaxation outside of work.
Healthwatch County Durham started by speaking to mental health staff and practitioners from both the NHS and the private sector to gain an insight into how they felt current practices and protocols were working. They used surveys, one to one case studies, and information stands at various venues in the county to collect information, and engaged with over 300 mental health service users and staff. They also captured respondents' age with their survey, which helps us to draw a greater understanding of how age influences experiences.
They found the main concerns around service access was how long it took people to seek help, how long it then takes to start therapy and the time it takes for mental health to improve once therapies have started. Many people had said they had reached 'breaking point' before admitting they needed help. Over half of the people who spoke to Healthwatch County Durham said they had experienced poor mental health for over 12 months. They also said they had difficulties in finding information on local mental health services. 81% of the staff surveys were completed by NHS staff. Almost half of respondents said they did not feel their mental health was adequately supported in their workplace. People said reducing caseloads, allowing flexible working, and listening to staff concerns could help to improve mental health support in the workplace.
Healthwatch County Durham made recommendations in the following areas: processes and staffing; patients, therapies and appointments; raising awareness of mental health.