More than £100,000 has been awarded to support community and voluntary schemes supporting young adults with mental health issues across the county.
This marks the second round of grants made by The Community Foundation on behalf of North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust (Combined NHS) and Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT) as part of the transformation of community mental health care in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
The following six community and voluntary groups have received grants for projects aimed at supporting 16-to-25-year-olds:
North Staffordshire
- Wavemaker- A series of workshops for young adults transitioning from Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to Adult Mental Health Service (AMHS) in North Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
- Port Vale F.C. – Delivery of support projects and awareness campaigns to support young female adults experiencing mental ill health.
- Staffordshire & Cheshire Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (SCEAP) – Using horse assisted therapy to support young people who are transitioning into adult services.
- ReThink – Creation of a support hub within their gardens, supporting young people with serious mental illness.
Southern Staffordshire
- Sporting Communities – To provide a wellbeing service for young people aged 16-25 who exhibit mental health issues. Support will include an innovative VR experience.
- Wavemaker – Series of workshops for young adults transitioning from CAHMS to AHMS in Southern Staffordshire.
Steve Adams, Chief Executive of The Community Foundation, said:
“We are delighted to be working with North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust and Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust to target and help young adults across the county with a severe mental health illness that substantially interferes with, or limits one of life’s major activities. The community groups awarded in this round have some fantastic projects to deliver and we are excited to hear about their impact.”
Liz Mellor, Chief Strategy Officer, Combined NHS Trust, said:
“We are so pleased to announce the recipients of this second round of grant funding. The schemes and programmes run at each of the organisations will provide support in a way that relates to young adults and will be developed in partnership with users of services, enabling them to inform on the type of support they need and value.
“This second round of grants provides us with the opportunity to develop further our partnerships with local charities and organisations, ensuring that targeted support and care is enhanced even further through the work of the Community Mental Health Transformation Programme.”
Lisa Agell-Argiles, MPFT Operations Director for Unplanned Care and Mental Health said:
“We’re delighted to be working together with our local voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations to target and help young adults to access support from mental health services; this will ensure that we work in a more joined up, focussed and holistic way to help support the young adults of Staffordshire to maximise their life opportunities.”
The Community Mental Health Transformation Programme, taking place across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, supports the priorities set out within the NHS Long Term Plan. The new model of community-based mental health care is seeing mental health NHS trusts working with GPs, NHS commissioners, local authorities and voluntary and community organisations – alongside people with lived experience, their families and carers.
It is about offering flexible and personalised care and support that responds to an individual’s mental health needs and preferences close to home; while also increasing support for the wider factors that can impact wellbeing, such as employment, housing and physical health. To find out more about the Community Mental Health Transformation Programme, please visit https://staffsstoke.icb.nhs.uk/our-work/mental-health-2/adult-mental-health/.