29 July - Mental Health Network - governance during the COVID-19 pandemic

During this week’s webinar there was an overview of the work that Rethink mental illness is doing around the implementation of the community mental health framework (CMHF). Rethink was a key partner in the Somerset pilot site (Open Mental Health) of the CMHF and worked closely with the CCG and trust to implement an innovative new approach to community mental health. Rethink has published guides for STPs, which set out practical steps to implementation, based on principles as different areas will need different approaches. Rethink has now won a grant to work in five more areas.

Overheard during this week’s webinar:

“The Life Rooms, run by Mersey Care, is a great example of a successful non-clinical community model that gives power back to the individual and links into the clinical services. Trusts cannot always fund VCSE organisations, but they can encourage and support commissioners to invest. We have to be realistic about the abilities of ICS as their main role is managing finances. The role of governors in driving community engagement is vital, and improving diversity, including age, will help here.”

“The Rethink approach is very timely, due to COVID, the importance of place-based care and the historic underfunding of community services. Local authorities used to fund schemes such as horticultural and woodwork, but cuts to funding means these have largely disappeared. Our trust is working with the Woodland Trust to improve social interactions and build skills.”

“Our trust is helping to build the capacity of the voluntary sector by supporting them around governance and fire safety to ensure barriers to being commissioned can be overcome.”

“What metrics will they use and what are the outcomes of the new services? I’d like to see a focus on practical improvements; at board level the sector isn’t always good at explaining what the benefits are to patients, although staff further down in organisations can often describe improvements in more practical terms. In my patch, some parts of the community, such as Muslim parents with children with learning disabilities, are not aware of the services that exist – we need to be better at community engagement and at explaining the benefits of co-production.”

These meetings are by invitation only. For further details, visit our events page.

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions about these webinars, please contact: events@good-governance.org.uk