Tiverton residents discuss mental health service needs at networking event
Last Tuesday (13th September 2022), the Devon Mental Health Alliance hosted an engagement event for key mental health stakeholders in Tiverton. Over 20 people from a mixture of statutory and voluntary organisations attended to discuss how to improve community mental health services for those with complex needs. It was a very encouraging morning, as everyone present took time to listen to each other about what is working well locally and the challenges they are facing.
After a break for cream teas and networking, action groups were formed around the key areas of providing safe spaces for those in crisis, increasing the local provision of group interventions, providing training to the voluntary sector, and the cost of living crisis. In each of these groups, ideas were shared and next steps were agreed to continue moving improvements forward.
East Devon locality Community Mental Health Development Lead Matt, who organised and led the event, commented: “It was incredible to see so many from the area attend and engage so enthusiastically. What is most exciting about this event is the action that is now planned to be taken to improve things through new collaboration and innovation. This is just the beginning of working to see the ambitious aims of the Community Mental Health Framework (CMHF) become even more of a reality in Tiverton, but it certainly is an encouraging start.”