This page outlines the work we are doing at the mental health population board to support people who use mental health services.
Mental health care is defined as being:
“…just like physical health: everybody has it and we need to take care of it. Good mental health means being generally able to think, feel and react in the ways that you need and want to live your life. But if you go through a period of poor mental health, you might find the ways you’re frequently thinking, feeling or reacting become difficult, or even impossible, to cope with. This can feel just as bad as a physical illness, or even worse (Mind, 2022).”
Depending on a person’s need; they will have access to a range of mental health care and support that includes:
- Primary care mental health care (such as at your GP)
- Community mental health care, delivered in the community by NHS and third sector (voluntary) services
- Inpatient mental health care (a stay in hospital)
- Self-care support and guidance (such as the Mindwell website)
It is our aspiration that Leeds will be a mentally healthy city for everyone, where it will feel normal to talk about mental health and that everyone, whoever they are and wherever they live, will be able to access good quality mental health services, if and when, they need them.
Leeds has a history of developing and delivering innovative and award-winning mental health services. We continue to develop services that are equitable, sustainable, informed by evidence and integrated into all health and social care systems where people require them.
The Mental Health Population Board brings together partners from across Leeds so that we can tailor better care and support for individuals and their carers, design more joined-up and sustainable mental health services and make better use of public resources.
Outcomes for the mental health population board
The ambition of our mental health work in Leeds is that we will improve the lives of people with mental health difficulties and their carers, family, and friends and that:
- People of all ages and communities are comfortable in talking about their mental health and wellbeing.
- People are part of mentally healthy, safe, and supportive families, workplaces, and communities.
- People’s quality of life will be improved by timely access to appropriate mental health information, support, and services.
- People are actively involved in their mental health and their care.
- People with long-term mental health conditions live longer and lead fulfilling healthy lives.
These are our identified outcomes. By setting these clear goals, that are focused on how services impact the people they serve, the board is able to better track whether we’re really doing the right thing for the people using these services.
Insight review
We have worked with our partners to review the feedback (insight) we already have about people’s experience of mental health and mental health services. This will help us understand what we already know. You can read the report below:
Download the mental health insight report (Microsoft Word version)
Mental health – Insight report (615KB)
In order to view PDF documents you will need Adobe PDF Reader
Public involvement workshop
We held a public involvement workshop to check the findings of our insight report, review our identified outcomes (as above), and discuss our approach to public involvement on the board.
Notes
Download the notes from the mental health public involvement workshop (Microsoft Word version)
Notes – Mental health public involvement workshop (282KB)
In order to view PDF documents you will need Adobe PDF ReaderSlides
You can download the slides from the workshop below.
Download the mental health public involvement workshop slides (PowerPoint)
Mental health – public involvement workshop slides (2MB)
In order to view PDF documents you will need Adobe PDF Reader
People’s experience of mental health services
We always want to hear about your experiences of using services, it helps us know what’s working, and where things could be improved.
There are a number of ways you can tell us about your experiences:
‘How does it feel for me?’ project by Healthwatch Leeds
Get involved in sharing your experiences by video or written testimony. Your feedback will be shared with senior decision-makers in Leeds. See people’s experiences and find out more by visiting: https://healthwatchleeds.co.uk/our-work/how-does-it-feel-for-me/
Share your story on Care Opinion
Care Opinion is an independent place where you can share your experience of health or care services, and help make them better for everyone. You can share your own story on Care Opinion. Say what was good and what could have been better.