The Wellbeing Matters team have made a real difference to local people by offering high quality, easily accessible and evidence based talking therapies to people living in the Lichfield, Tamworth and Burntwood areas. The service is a partnership between Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and national charity Mental Health Matters, and the recovery rates for people using the service are well above the national average.
The team offers care to adults with anxiety and depression and also challenges stigma and encourages conversations about mental health in schools, workplaces and community centres.
Following a successful bid for further funding the service also supports the mental wellbeing of people with long term physical conditions such as diabetes and respiratory disease. In a pioneering move they also work with people who have been diagnosed with cancer.
Clinical lead Dr Sarah Watts says “Our staff are passionate about what they do and go above and beyond to promote and improve our service for service users and the wider community. I am delighted their efforts have been recognised by the Positive Practice in Mental Health team”.
The National Positive Practice in Mental Health Awards happen annually in order to identify, share and celebrate positive practice in mental health. Wellbeing Matters has been shortlisted in the category; IAPT (Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies) with a particular focus on IAPT for common mental health problems and Integrated IAPT for people with long term physical health conditions. (NHS England).
The team will find out if they are winners at a gala event in Cambridge on World Mental Health Day, 10 October 2019.