Download Welsh Government Together for Mental Health Delivery Plan 2016

Welsh Government
Together for Mental Health Delivery Plan
2016-2019
Consultation
A Response from Neath Port Talbot CVS
April 2016
Neath Port Talbot CVS
Tŷ Margaret Thorne
17-19 Alfred Street
Neath
SA11 1EF
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A response to the Welsh Government Together for
Mental Health Delivery Plan 2016-2019
Neath Port Talbot Council for Voluntary Service (CVS)
Neath Port Talbot CVS is the County Voluntary Council and a Charitable
Company set up to promote, support and develop the Third Sector in Neath
Port Talbot. It has over 500 member organisations and is in touch with over
1,000 Third Sector organisations operating in Neath Port Talbot covering
various communities of interest, public services and geographical
communities (from small local groups covering smaller wards and deprived
communities to large national organisations). Some are wholly volunteer-led
and run, and others employ a workforce.
As an infrastructure organisation, our role in supporting the development of
communities and building community resilience is clear. We provide capacity
building, support and guidance to third sector organisations, helping them to
develop, plan for growth and sustainability, to deliver services, opportunities
and activities that positively impact on, and improve outcomes for, citizens
and service users. We also have an important role in engagement and
representation.
Our aim is to promote the development of a local third sector that is effective
and efficient, informed and influential; a sector which is able to improve and
achieve positive outcomes for local people. The organisation has strong
partnership links locally and regionally and works in a number of strategic
areas, such as Health, Education and Learning, Regeneration, and Children
and Young People.
As part of this work and its key representative function, Neath Port Talbot
CVS facilitates a range of third sector forums and networks, which engage
the sector in Neath Port Talbot in order to gather the views of the sector and
to feed these views into key decision-makers and delivery partners. The
organisation also promotes a range of messages to its staff and to the wider
community through its newsletters, website and social media.
This paper sets out the response to the consultation from Neath Port Talbot
CVS.
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Introduction
The opportunity to respond to this consultation is welcomed and the
information contained within the subsequent sections of this response outline
the collective views of Neath Port Talbot CVS.
Neath Port Talbot CVS facilitates and supports both the Neath Port Talbot
Mental Health and Wellbeing Forum and the Neath Port Talbot Service User
Network. Please note that separate responses are being submitted from the
respective members of the Forum and Network to this consultation.
At the outset it is noted that the number of action points contained within the
proposed plan has been reduced in comparison to the previous 2012-2015
Delivery Plan. This supports and enables the respective Regional and Local
Groups to become more focused on specific themes and subsequent
implementation.
The Concerns
 The Delivery Plan is not written in plain language and is particularly difficult
for certain groups, this was substantiated with respective service users
and carers, and in essence could be seen in itself as a ‘barrier’ to
promoting active engagement and co- production at meetings.
 The Plan appears to place a heavy statutory sector lead for
implementation of the majority of the key actions and there appears to be a
minimal role for the third sector as a lead body.
 It appears that there is an inequitable representation of the third sector
within the plan across all age groups and related priorities.
 The Delivery Plan would benefit from a section which outlines best practice
and initiatives that have been recognised from the previous three year
delivery plan and emanating from the retrospective outcomes of the
performance management of the Local Partnership Boards (LPB) across
Wales. This would prove as a beneficial source of reference for the LPBs
in their prospective local implementation plans and respective
developments.
 Concern is also expressed about ongoing risk and safety issues that staff
are attempting to manage in services that are already in high demand with
a dwindling resource.
 There should be greater emphasis in the narrative of the plan, and related
actions, on the active shift of focus and resources towards community
based care and intervention (including Third Sector) and a reduction of
hospital / secondary care based services. Health Boards need to
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demonstrate proactive plans and drive towards this vision. Service Users
would welcome the further development and establishment of community
based care and interventions
The active promotion of emotional wellbeing needs to have greater
dominance within the Plan. Clarity is required on the actual lead role and
responsibility of Public Health Wales in this regard.
Some of the performance measures are rather ambiguous in nature and its
difficult to determine and identify who and what is being measured
Some of the performance measures outlined are a remit for the Welsh
Governments Delivery Support Unit (DSU) and should not appear within
the narrative of this plan.
In view of the acknowledged impact of the forthcoming implementation of
the Social Services and Wellbeing Act 2014, in regard to promotion of
self-reliance and self-determination on recovery and building on individual
strengths, a specific section on the recognition and prevention of
deterioration of mental wellbeing at the centre of the individual’s plan in the
general population would be welcome.
Co-production – this term requires further clarity on definition and actual
equity of implementation at all levels from Welsh Government through to
local forums.
The plan has a noticeable deficit around training and development of
raising awareness of positive mental health and promotion of emotional
well-being in non-mental health settings such as acute hospital, primary
care settings, generic third sector organisations, general communities.
This is should be implemented alongside the current Time to Change
Wales campaign and provide a complementary drive in positive changes in
both culture, skills sets, and attitude.
Older People’s needs – the plan needs to link to the ‘whole person’
approach around the older persons developments including positive
ageing and physical well being.
Equally loneliness and isolation can be viewed as not just the sole
preserve of older people and again needs to have a cross cutting theme
across all age groups in this plan. In essence the inputs on wellbeing
should cover all ages and thereby hasten the reduction of social isolation,
a view strongly held by service users.
A great deal has recently been identified around such initiatives as
Mindfulness and the well evidenced and documented beneficial effects of
this approach. However the plan appears not to recognise or mention this
as a potential development.
Overall the authors of the plan need to consider embracing well evidence
based initiatives and practices, especially in a plan that aims to be
progressive in nature and on a three year rolling programme.
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The Impact
 It would be prudent to promote within the document the third sector
provision and inputs which in turn provides more of a ‘mixed’ economy of
approach in addressing the key actions of the Plan.
 It would be a positive statement to see the third sector equally represented
across all the age groups and the related priorities in the Plan. The third
sector is a key provider of community based support and is well placed
through a proven track record to progress and establish these type of
innovations.
 It would be pertinent for the LPB to utilise the skills and expertise that is
available in the third sector to fully exploit co production between the
statutory and non-statutory partners.
 A greater emphasis on preventative and well-being measures in the plan
would provide a positive counterbalance to what is still perceived by many
stakeholders as a heavily dominant ‘services’ driven plan.
 Training and Development should have a greater level of priority and
investment in the skills of all staff resources be that in the statutory and
non- statutory sector.
 We strongly support the integration of Mental Health and Wellbeing
training and the continuation of the TTCW campaign drives especially into
non mental health settings. This would undoubtedly have a greater impact
on increasing positive mental health awareness including the ongoing
drive of a reduction of stigma and discrimination
 At this time of austerity and further funding efficiency measures for both
the statutory and third sector organisations, concerns are being expressed
from all stakeholders on the financial viability and delivery of the plan and
against a backdrop of no additional financial investment. In essence the
third sector organisations would welcome additional investment to provide
the lead in progressing the community based developments outlined in this
proposed plan.
 Whilst there is a greater sense of the promotion of positive mental health
and emotional well being within each subsequent Three Year Delivery
Plans it is still questionable how much investment is actually allocated to
these themes. It has been recognised and documented in the past that
Welsh Government spend on health promotion and related preventative
activity only accounts for 5% of the total health spend whilst the remaining
95% continues to be allocated towards an ‘illness’ based model.
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