Local mental health support service Living Well Salford has been hailed as a success following an external review of the service’s performance.
The service is run in partnership with the Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust and aims to provide holistic support to people experiencing mental health challenges by listening to their needs and concerns and offering support ranging from mental health treatment to funding. and housing. .
The project, which is one of four UK-wide pilots in the Living Well UK initiative, received its final assessment today, with the report finding that, since its launch in July 2020, the service has delivered 30,000 interventions, which they range from community support, trauma support, and mental health treatment.
The report revealed that 83% of people supported through the service successfully achieved one or more of their goals, and more than half experienced a “significant improvement” in their quality of life after coming to the service.
The speed of service was also praised, with an average wait time from referral to actual enrollment of just 14 days.
Tammy Young, Service Manager at Living Well Salford, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Living Well Salford is an innovative new approach that has been co-designed with service users, voluntary organisations, local authorities, health and mental health . health service providers.
“I am incredibly proud of the team and the way we have worked together with our local communities to create this service. There is a true spirit of community and togetherness, where all stakeholders are valued equally and their views shape the way we do things.”
One user of the service in particular described the project as “life changing”, saying: “Living well has changed my life, they have helped me understand why my brain moves so fast and how to deal with it.”
Sarah Buckley, now a peer support worker at Living Well Salford, was a user of the service a few years ago and now describes her role as her “dream job” as she supports people using her own lived experience with mental health problems.
She said: “You wouldn’t think your dream job could exist, but mine does. I love all aspects of my peer mentoring role – it’s about using my lived experience to help other people. It is very empowering to be involved in the decisions of how the service is going to work.
“This service is person-centered: we ask people what they want, what they like and what keeps them well, and we sort this out for them. I spend time with people in a variety of activities to help them move forward, from gardening to art and sometimes we just have coffee and share stories.
“The feedback we’ve been getting has been really positive. Getting people involved in the social side of things keeps things cool, and it’s really exciting to be a part of that.”
The full report is available. here.
