Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust (SHSC) is embarking on an ambitious project to help people with mental health needs in the Heeley, Gleadless Valley and Meersbrook areas of Sheffield.
The new team will treat people with a range of mental health needs aged 18 years of age and over and will provide a range of services 24 hours per day, seven days per week.
This trailblazing new approach is being tested in an area of the city where we know that people need help with their mental health. It will empower communities through coproduction and aims to support people with mental illness to receive holistic support that promotes recovery and enables them to live a fuller life as well as focus on prevention of mental illness.
The new service will allow many people to get help early and be treated in their local community without having to be admitted to hospital. It’s one of the ways SHSC is delivering joined up care in our city by working with the voluntary sector, GPs, Sheffield city council and local residents.
The money for the scheme has been awarded following a highly competitive national application process with applicants from across England. Heeley is one of only six locations selected. Sheffield will work in partnership with the other sites to modernise how we deliver mental health care in England.
Heeley has a population of approximately 40,000 registered patients. Around 500 will experience serious or complex mental health conditions and 6,700 may have common mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.
Two buildings will form part of the new centres, each based on Gleadless Road. The Newfield Green Library and Community Centre will host a library and wellbeing café, in addition to providing onsite space for mental health teams.
The Newfield Green Clinic site will be used for additional community activities and mental health support services, including housing a local urgent and crisis mental health response team.
SHSC will now work with local residents and key partner organisations to design the support and care that the new service will offer. The service will open after this work has been completed, likely to be by early 2025. The service will be provided to adults (18 years old and above) who are registered with a GP Practice within the Heeley Plus Primary Care Network.
The partnership of organisations which will help improve mental health support and deliver better joined up care and services in the area includes SHSC, Heeley Trust, Sheffield city council, Heeley Plus Primary Care Network, Synergy Mental Health Alliance and Rethink Mental Illness.
Salma Yasmeen, chief executive of SHSC, said, "Our goal is to continue to respond to the changing and increasing needs for mental health support in our communities. This innovative project will enable us to reform mental health services and develop an integrated and vital new approach to care and support for people who struggle with their mental health in an area where there are significant inequalities. By working collaboratively with members of the community, our partners in GP Practices, the voluntary sector and others, we aim to help more people get the help they need, closer to home in the Heeley area, through a model that delivers joined up support and enables people to recover and live a fuller life."
Dr. Ollie Hart, GP and clinical director of Heeley Plus Primary Care Network, emphasised the importance of partnership working. He said, "By working together, we can ensure that people can get help with their mental health needs but also other things that might be impacting on their mental health such as help with housing, finance and family to create an offer which promotes holistic wellbeing and creates a sense of belonging between the local community and their service providers.”
At the heart of this initiative is a commitment to helping people to have better health. Andy Jackson, chief executive at Heeley Trust, highlighted the project's dedication to being open to everyone, stating, "We are striving to open mental health services that anyone can access, no matter what their background. We believe in the power of local people working together to change where they live for the better. The exciting development links to our community regeneration plans for the Heeley area and is a really important step in addressing the things that influence our health such as good work, clean safe neighbourhoods and strong community relations."
From the outset, involving people who have personal experience of mental illness has been at the heart of the successful Heeley pilot site. Tammy Raines, a person with lived experience, emphasised the importance of coproduction. Tammy said, “Being involved and feeling part of the Heeley bid from the beginning has been fantastic. Having childhood memories of the site, I know the area well and what a massive difference it will make to local people by being easy to access, with services provided in the heart of the local community and offering a tailored solution to meet the needs of Heeley residents.”
