01.10.19
Black Country health trust given £800k mental health cash boost
NHS England was awarded an £800,000 cash boost to the Black Country and West Birmingham Sustainable and Transformation Partnership (STP) to help support people with severe mental illnesses finding work.
The money is expected to be used to expand the existing service by recruiting six new individual placement and support staff, with a focus on early intervention and care support.
Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership Trust operate the service, and the new staff members will operate across the Black Country, providing personal support for people with mental health issues. Specialists will also be tasked with identifying potentially well-suited roles to support patients getting back into employment.
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Dr Helen Hibbs, senior responsible officer for the Black Country and West Birmingham STP, said: “We know that by improving lifestyles we can improve health outcomes, but we must also improve life chances.
“Supporting people to find or retain employment is key, and this extra funding will help us support many more people in the Black Country and West Birmingham.”
The service was previously rated as exemplary for its efforts in helping people by the Centre for Mental Health in London, and hopes this year alone to help more than 100 people find and maintain stable employment.