Partners from across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire convened at County Hall on 1 October to explore innovative approaches to mental healthcare. The event, organised by Notts Healthcare and the Integrated Care Board, focused on how Neighbourhood Mental Health Centres (NMHCs) and a proposed Mental Health Emergency Department (MHED) could revolutionise access to mental health support.
The gathering brought together individuals with lived experience of mental health services, alongside professionals from mental health, acute and community services, primary care, local government, and the voluntary sector. This collaborative effort aimed to foster idea-sharing and envision the future of mental health services across the region.
The development of NMHCs is a key component of a broader strategy to integrate mental health support within local communities. These centres are intended to offer accessible, welcoming, and coordinated services, enabling earlier intervention and reducing the need for hospital-based care.
Concurrently, the proposed MHED model seeks to establish a specialised environment for individuals experiencing urgent mental health crises. This facility would be co-located with emergency departments, providing an alternative to traditional emergency care settings when clinically appropriate.
The event commenced with opening remarks from Dr Husein Mawji, GP and chair of the Mental Health Partnership Board. Presentations followed from Joe Sullivan, Mental Health Care Group Director at Nottinghamshire Healthcare Foundation Trust, and Tim Guyler, Director of Integration at Nottingham University Hospitals. Attendees with lived experience also shared their perspectives.
Participants engaged in workshops to discuss the successful implementation of NMHCs and MHED, focusing on enhancing inter-service collaboration and ensuring individuals receive timely and appropriate support. These discussions are foundational for the ongoing development of plans to enhance mental health provision across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
“"Developing a new Mental Health Emergency Department and Neighbourhood Mental Health Centres is not something one organisation can achieve alone. By working closely with our system partners, we can bring together our collective expertise, resources and understanding of local communities to create services that are truly joined-up, accessible and responsive to people’s needs. Even more importantly, we need to listen to the voices of those people with lived experience and those using our current services to ensure we shape the services they need. Ultimately, listening, learning and strong partnership working will be at the heart of delivering better mental healthcare, closer to home."
The event underscored the importance of cross-organisational collaboration in making a tangible difference to mental health support experiences. The contributions shared will be instrumental in shaping future local mental health services, ensuring they effectively serve the needs of the communities.
