New online mental health support for young people in North Yorkshire

Young people aged 11-18 in Scarborough and Ryedale and across North Yorkshire can now access Kooth, a website offering free online counselling and emotional wellbeing support.

Kooth (www.kooth.com), from digital mental health provider XenZone, gives
young people instant access to emotional and wellbeing advice and support whenever
and whenever they need it. It incorporates self-help articles and online tools
such as a mood tracker, as well as professional online therapy and moderated
peer-to-peer forums.

The Kooth service has been
commissioned by local mental health provider Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS
Foundation Trust (TEWV) as part of its commitment to provide early mental
health guidance and support through digital provision.

The service is accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and provides a safe environment where young people can chat anonymously and in confidence with qualified counsellors, who are online from noon until 10pm on weekdays and from 6pm until 10pm, 365 days a year.

Young people can register on
Kooth without having to provide personal details such as their name or address.
It provides a safe and non-judgemental place for them to talk, connect and chat
with others and know they are not alone.

Chris Davis, TEWV head of service for children and young people, said: “Digital technology is a daily part of people’s lives now, especially for children and young people. They expect to be able to go online to get instant access the help and support they need. Being able to have a presence online to provide advice and guidance to young people in our area is essential in helping drive forward mental health provision.

“We have commissioned the
Kooth service to complement our existing care provision. The online counsellors
are fully qualified and experienced and where necessary will signpost children
and young people to wider support available, as well as having the ability, when
information is provided to them, to refer them directly on to our services if
needed.”

Kooth is operated by XenZone, digital mental health provider. Elaine Bousfield, the organisation’s founder said: “It’s so important that young people can access support when they need it with none of the stigma they may feel is sometimes attached to seeking help. We look forward to integrating Kooth with local services, to help support more young people with their mental wellbeing at the time of need.”

Kooth is now available in more than 120 Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) areas, and in 2018 saw more than 1,700 log-ins every day. For further information visit www.kooth.com.

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New funding for mental health crisis services in North Yorkshire

Mental health services have received a boost in funding across North Yorkshire to provide local people with additional crisis services and alternative places of safety.

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys (TEWV) NHS Foundation services has received over half a million pounds worth of funding from local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to help reduce the impact of mental health crisis on both individuals in crisis and wider services, such as the police, ambulance and accident and emergency.

The funding will allow the Trust to maintain specialist 24/7 telephone assessment and crisis support, as well as expanding existing out of hours crisis cafes in York and Scarborough and introducing new crisis cafes in Northallerton, Harrogate and a mental health first aid response into Selby.

Crisis cafes are generally open on an evening and offer people aged 16 and over a safe and comfortable place to go to receive support when they are in distress. The cafes are supported by trained nurses and support staff who have mental health first aid training, whilst also being linked to local crisis and crisis resolution home treatment teams, so café staff can access a specialist response if needed.

The Trust’s existing crisis cafes, The Haven in York and Scarborough Crisis Café, have been operating since October and August 2018 respectively. Both have been exceptionally beneficial for local people, helping over 200 people a week to access information and support around crisis prevention, as well as signposting them to and facilitating access to other relevant and appropriate services, agencies and activities.

Commenting on the boost Liz Herring, head of adult mental health services for TEWV in North Yorkshire, said “This funding is excellent news for local people. We will be able to further meet people’s needs, particularly on an evening, which we know can be a challenging time. It not only allows us to invest in crisis café’s, which offer valuable out of hours support and advice, but it also means that we can develop our 24 hour crisis telephone line to further improve the response that we can provide to people.”

Helen Embleton, urgent care pathways lead said: “We’re delighted to have received NHS transformation funding. This will help us to deliver a responsive crisis service that meets key requirements set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.

“Extending the support available to people before and during a mental health emergency will help to make sure individuals receive the right care, from the right people, in the right place at the right time.

“Over the last couple of years, crisis services across TEWV have been focussing on delivering quality improvements that enhance collaborative and patient centred care. This has involved increasing multiagency working, improving access and pathways into services and increasing patient, carer and family involvement. Extensive work has also been undertaken to reduce police sections and unnecessary attendance at accident and emergency departments.

“We have worked closely with local partners including clinical commissioning groups, NHS England, the police, voluntary sector and ambulance services to secure this funding and are excited at the new and innovative plans in place to develop a ‘fit for the future’ crisis service that meets the diverse needs of the people we support.”

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Healthy Hearts website launched to help people in Scarborough and Ryedale

A new website has been launched to help improve heart health among people living in Scarborough and Ryedale.

The Healthy Hearts website is designed to help reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack among people considered to be most at risk, and reduce the number of people dying prematurely from cardiovascular disease – a general term for conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels.

The website has been created to help people living in Humber, Coast and Vale – a region which covers Hull and East Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire, Vale of York, Scarborough and Ryedale.

More than 220,000 people in the Humber, Coast and Vale area are affected by high blood pressure, while around three in 10 people (more than 72,000) have undiagnosed high blood pressure. More than 32,000 people living in the area have an irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation) and almost 30,000 people have experienced a stroke or mini-stroke.

The Humber, Coast and Vale Healthy Hearts website contains a wealth of information about how people can reduce their risk of developing cardiovascular disease, including advice about healthy eating and exercise. It also features interactive tools, with users able to use the website to determine their high blood pressure risk.

The website forms part of collaborative efforts by healthcare organisations in the Humber, Coast and Vale area to reduce the number of people suffering from cardiovascular disease. They are committed to improving the health of people who have cardiovascular disease, or are at risk of developing it, as it remains one of the most significant health challenges in the area.

More than a quarter (26%) of all deaths in England in 2017 were caused by cardiovascular diseases, with coronary heart disease and stroke accounting for the majority of those deaths. Cardiovascular disease is one of the main causes of death and disability in the UK, but it can often largely be prevented by leading a healthy lifestyle.

Dr Greg Black, NHS Scarborough and Ryedale CCG Governing Body Member and Lead for Cardiovascular Disease, said: “Heart disease and stroke are two of the biggest ‘killers’ in Scarborough and Ryedale. Often linked to smoking and obesity, it’s imperative these issues are tackled.

“The new Healthy Hearts website will be important resource for GPs and other healthcare professionals, while giving people the tools and confidence to make those all-important lifestyle changes.”

Alex Seale, Senior Responsible Officer for Planned Care at the Humber, Coast and Vale Health and Care Partnership, said: “The Humber, Coast and Vale Healthy Hearts website will become a key asset to healthcare professionals and patients to help reduce instances of cardiovascular disease in our communities.

“Heart disease remains a significant challenge for health organisations within the Humber, Coast and Vale area but one we are determined to overcome by working with healthcare professionals and members of the public alike to enhance cardiovascular disease education and improve cardiovascular disease detection.

“Heart health should be everybody’s concern so visit www.humbercoastandvalehealthyhearts.co.uk for information on how you can improve your heart health and take steps to protect against cardiovascular disease.”

For more information, visit www.humbercoastandvalehealthyhearts.co.uk

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Partnership nominated for leadership award

The Humber, Coast and Vale Health and Care Partnership has been shortlisted for a national award in recognition of the strength of its joint working to improve mental health outcomes for its population.

The Humber, Coast and Vale Mental Health Partnership has been shortlisted for the Health Services Journal (HSJ) Award for “System Leadership Initiative of the Year”. The HSJ judging panel, made up of a diverse range of influential figures within the healthcare community, has shortlisted the Partnership despite the tough competition from hundreds of excellent applicants.

The Award recognises the progress made since the Partnership was established to improve mental health services by working together. The Mental Health Partnership has achieved many successes by bringing together all the organisations that are responsible for commissioning (“buying”) and providing mental health services across our region to put in place care that is seamless and built around the needs of individuals regardless of which organisation is responsible for each element of that person’s care.

The Partnership’s many successes include the development of specialist mental health services for new and expectant mothers across the region and the launch of the Every Mum Matters campaign; ensuring more people are treated closer to home by significantly reducing the number of patients in “out of area” placements; developing and securing funding for a Partnership-wide suicide prevention strategy and securing over £1 million additional funding to support people with enduring mental health problems into employment.

Michele Moran, Chair of the Humber, Coast and Vale Mental Health Partnership Board and Chief Executive, Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are overjoyed to have been shortlisted for another HSJ award. Being nominated for this award highlights the fantastic work that our staff members carry out to transform and improve mental health services, in an area stretching across Northern Lincolnshire, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, York and Scarborough. As a partnership we have achieved a number of notable successes through collaborative working between partners and this is something that we are all proud of. To be nominated is an amazing achievement in itself and, as always, we would like to thank all of our patients, stakeholders, our staff, and those working in close partnership across Humber, Coast and Vale. This is about working together to make a difference for our communities.”

Stephen Eames, Independent Chair for the Humber, Coast and Vale Health and Care Partnership, said: “This is fantastic news and a testament to the hard work and commitment of local leaders. This
is well-earned recognition for the cutting-edge work the Mental Health Partnership is doing, which is improving peoples’ lives across Humber, Coast and Vale.”

The full list of nominees for the 2019 HSJ awards can be found here. Winners will be announced at the 2019 HSJ awards ceremony, which is due to be held in London on 6 November 2019.

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