The local mental health support service Living Well Salford has been hailed as a success following an external examination on the performance of the service.
The service is run in partnership with Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust and aims to provide holistic support to people going through mental health challenges by listening to their needs and concerns and offering support ranging from mental health treatment, all the way to finance and housing.
The project, which is one of just four pilots across the UK in the Living Well UK initiative, received its final evaluation today, with the report finding that, since its launch in July 2020, the service has delivered 30,000 interventions, ranging from community support, trauma support, and mental health treatments.
The report revealed that 83% of the people supported through the service have successfully reached one or more of their goals, with over half experiencing a ‘meaningful improvement’ in their quality of life after reaching out to the service.
The speed of the service was commended too, with the average waiting time from referral to actual enrolment being just 14 days.
Tammy Young, Service Manager at Living Well Salford, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Living Well Salford is a new and innovative approach that has been co-designed with service users, voluntary organisations, local authority, health, and mental health service providers.
“I’m incredibly proud of the team and the way we have worked together with our local communities to create this service. There’s a real spirit of community and togetherness, where all stakeholders are valued equally and their views shape the way we do things.”
One particular service user described the project as “life-changing” saying: “Living Well has been life changing for me, they have helped me to understand why my brain moves so fast, and how to cope with it.”
Now a Peer Support Worker at Living Well Salford, Sarah Buckley was a service user a few years ago and now describes her role as her “dream job” as she supports people using her own lived experience of mental health troubles.
She said: “You wouldn’t think that your dream job could ever exist, but mine does. I love every aspect of my peer mentoring role – it is all about using my lived experience to help other people. It’s so empowering to be involved in the decisions of how the service is going to work.
“This service is person-centred – we ask people what they want, what they like, and what keeps them well, and sort this for them. I spend time with people on a range of activities to help them move forward, from gardening, to art and sometimes we’ll just have a coffee and share stories.
“The feedback we’ve been getting has been really positive. Getting people involved in the social side of things keeps them well, and it’s so exciting to be a part of it.”
The full report is available here.
