article submitted by Healthwatch Suffolk
People living in east and west Suffolk are being urged to have their say about local mental health services as part of a unique engagement opportunity.
The NHS Ipswich & East Suffolk and NHS West Suffolk clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) want to transform the way mental health provision is delivered across the county.
In order to do that, they first need to find out how effective the people who deliver and receive the current services think they are.
Commissioners want to hear from people who currently use or have previously used mental health services, those who care for them and the staff who deliver those services.
All three groups are being asked to input their feedback via three surveys that ‘go live’ from this morning (Monday 2nd July).
The surveys are part of a much larger engagement exercise that aims to help create a new model for east and west Suffolk that will bring mental and physical health services much closer together.
In a break from usual practice, the CCGs have commissioned four local voluntary sector organisations to engage with local people under the banner “The future of mental health – a very different conversation”.
Suffolk Family Carers, Suffolk User Forum and Suffolk Parent Carer Network will co-ordinate a whole host of mental health workshops and events to gather feedback on the current services.
Healthwatch Suffolk will then gather and analyse the feedback before preparing a report making a case for change for the CCGs’ governing body meetings in November.
To respond to one of the surveys please use one of the links below:
- People who use, or have previously used mental health services, should respond https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/MHTransform_Plan_Service_Users_Public
- Carers of people who use, or have previously used mental health services, should respond https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/MHTransform_Plan_Carers
- Professionals who work in mental health services or support people with mental health needs should respond https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/MHTransform_Plan_Professionals_Staff