Council appoints Rethink Mental Illness to support people with mental health issues

Gloucestershire County Council has appointed Rethink Mental Illness to run its Mental Health Support and Advice Service.

Rethink Mental Illness is a leading charity provider of mental health services in England which aims to improve the lives of people severely affected by mental illness through its network of local groups and services, expert information and successful campaigning.

Gloucestershire County Council will invest up to £4.7 million over the next seven years in mental health support.  Rethink Mental Illness will receive £700k per year to provide its Mental Health Support and Advice Service.  The new contract starts on 1 April 2024, for a period of five years, with the option to extend it for a further two years.

The current Community Advice, Links and Mental Health Support (CALMHS) service is due to end on 31 March 2024.  The council has reviewed the service to ensure an inclusive and consistent approach to mental health support across Gloucestershire, ensuring the voices of people who need support are heard.

Last summer, it collected the views of individuals supported by the service together with staff, volunteers and partners, alongside a six-week public engagement exercise.  This feedback has been instrumental in designing the new service which will focus on community provision, personalised support and seek to reduce the need for further health and social care assistance.

Rethink Mental Illness will work with the council to bring together people who have lived experience of mental health conditions and mental health professionals to coproduce further elements of the new service, including a name.  This will help to ensure that the service best meets the needs of the people that use it.

Cllr Carole Allaway-Martin, cabinet member for adult social care commissioning at Gloucestershire County Council said: "We are committed to providing mental health support which meets the needs of individuals and enables them to live inclusively within their local community.

"I'm delighted to partner with Rethink Mental Illness and am confident the mental health support service will go from strength to strength.  I would like to thank everyone who shared their experiences and helped us to understand local priorities for mental health support which informed the design."

Charlotte Barrett, Head of Community Services (South) of Rethink Mental Illness said: "We are  thrilled as an organisation, and as a local team, to be given the opportunity to increase our offer for people across Gloucestershire, and look forward to continuing to work with Gloucestershire County Council.  We know that the events of recent years have taken a real toll on people's mental health, and we are proud to be there to offer support to people when they need it most."

More information about mental health support services in Gloucestershire can be found at Be Well Gloucestershire.