We’re now just over a month away from rolling out the transformed service across Leeds, and there’s lots going on behind the scenes to make this happen.

From early March, all areas of the city will be served by mental health teams made up of people from different health, social and voluntary organisations. By working together, we can provide people in our communities with easier and quicker access to the mental health care, support and expertise they need.

It’ll be exactly a year since we first piloted this approach in three areas of Leeds, and since then we have been learning and adapting to get ready to make the changes citywide.

Initially, our focus will be on the way teams work together, through ‘Team Time’ (previously called anchor days), new multi-disciplinary team meetings and new meeting structures.

We’ll also be prioritising the way patients are triaged and making sure that doctors and other health care professionals can ask for advice and guidance on psychological therapies.

Work to develop and pilot a ‘no wrong door’ approach to community mental health services in Leeds is also now underway, as we aim to ensure that people get the care they need without facing barriers.

‘No wrong door’ means that people needing mental health support should be able to ask for it at any point in their health and care journey without being turned away from services or passed from one service to another.

Whether this be at their GP, a specialist service, via NHS talking therapies or a third sector partner, a person asking for help should be supported to receive care early so that they can continue to live well in their communities.

We’re currently working on plans to pilot this approach in different ways, and will share updates on this as the work progresses. 

If you are one of the 350 staff directly affected by the changes taking place in March, you should now have received your invite to one of our three introductory days, which are taking place on Tuesday 4th, Thursday 6th, and Wednesday 26th February.

The purpose of the introductory day is to explain the new model, the reasons behind it and some of the different roles we’ll have in our teams. It’ll allow you to meet colleagues and find out more about what work will be like from early March. Please do prioritise attending these days as they are a key part of your induction and transition into the new model.

As well as our introductory days, we also have our February Transformation Briefing coming up. These monthly, short, online sessions are for anyone involved in community mental health transformation, or for those of you who will interact with transformed services as part of your role. It’s a great way to keep up to date with latest developments and to ask any questions you may have about transformation.

The next briefing is on Wednesday 5 February, 12pm-12.30pm, on Microsoft Teams.

If you’d like to join us, and haven’t already received a Teams invite, please email the Community Mental Health Transformation Programme Team.

Community Mental Health Transformation is designed to improve the way people with severe mental illness access services within their community. We know that to provide the right care, in the right place at the right time, we need the right estate.

If you know of any locations, space, or community venues that might be suitable for staff to touchdown in between appointments, to see service users, or to use to get together as a team, we’d love to hear from you!  

Please email any suggested locations and contacts to the Community Mental Health Transformation Programme inbox.

Trauma-informed care is at the heart of community mental health transformation, but what is it? And why is it important?

“Being trauma-informed is not a buzzword. It’s a major step towards addressing social injustice; and making reparation to all those who’ve been harmed, whether through abusive acts, or oppressive inequality. It makes us better, happier, more curious workers.

“It helps to heal people who’ve been harmed. And what else are we here for, if not that?”

In a powerful blog, Richard Barber, Trauma-Informed Lead for Transformation and Visible Project Director, explains what it means to be trauma-informed, and the importance of making sure that we work well with those who’ve lived through traumatic experiences.

You can read Richard’s blog here. (Trigger warning - mentions of several types of traumatic experience.)

To support community mental health transformation, a pilot programme established Community Wellbeing Connector teams based in three Leeds organisations - Northpoint, Touchstone and Barca-Leeds.

The role of the Community Wellbeing Connector is to support people who experience serious mental illness to improve their mental wellbeing, increase their independence and support their recovery. They do this by engaging with people in their communities to build trusting relationships and provide one-to-one outreach care and support.

Evaluation of the role has shown that the Community Wellbeing Connectors are making a real difference, and Barca-Leeds have produced a short film to explain more about the role and the impact it’s having on people’s lives.

The film shares the experiences of Kyle and Ria (names have been changed) and includes feedback from others who’ve come into contact with the service.

Watch the film about the Community Wellbeing Connector Teams on YouTube.

Barca-Leeds is a well-established third sector organisation that delivers effective services across the city, providing locally based support for communities and people of all ages who have experienced a number of challenges. They help people to make long-term sustainable change, removing barriers and achieving their aspirations to live independent and fulfilling lives. 

Community and voluntary organisations have a vital role to play in improving mental health care and support, so investing in these is a key part of the community mental health transformation programme.

Organisations have been awarded grant funding to develop and deliver services for people with complex mental health needs in their communities, and those receiving the next round of funding, for 2025-26, have now been confirmed.

There are nine organisations offering a wide variety of services, including: 

The Apple Box company

Battle Scars

Caring Together in Woodhouse and Little London

Complete Woman CIC

The Conservation Volunteers

LATCH

Oblong Ltd

Shine Bright CIC

Shore Up CIC

In the next three editions of this newsletter, we will be sharing more about these organisations and the invaluable support they offer people, starting this month with Battle Scars, Oblong, and Shore Up CIC.

Battle Scars is a 100% survivor led and run self-harm specific charity.

Its vision is to break down the stigma surrounding self-harm and to make sure that nobody who struggles with self-harm does so alone.

They offer peer support groups for 18+, 50+, and family and friends of people who self-harm. They set out to make sure that anyone affected can received non-judgemental, genuine peer support and understanding so they can build a healthier future for themselves.

There is no waiting list and no need to refer for support. All groups are drop-ins and if you know of anyone who you feel may benefit from their help, you can signpost them to the Battle Scars website.  

Oblong runs and manages Woodhouse Community Centre, and prides itself on being user-led and strongly embedded in the local community.

They offer wellbeing drop-ins for people in the LS6 and part of the LS2 area, and provide short-term support to people with complex needs. This may include food parcels, referrals to fuel banks or the baby bank, advocacy and signposting to different groups in the area.

They are also currently offering group work, including a kids stay and play wellbeing drop-in on Wednesday mornings from 9.30am to 11am. For more information, visit the Oblong website or contact Lizzy on 07743 754724.

Shore Up CIC provide therapeutic group work to those who describe themselves as having mental health difficulties that impact on their quality of life, daily routines, and sense of identity.

They offer an occupational group therapy programme that helps people to better understand the link between how they spend their time and how they feel.

Across 12 weeks, everyone develops an individual plan, focused on what’s important to them and the things they want to try to change or put into action.

Shore Up are currently open to referrals for groups starting in April at CATCH in Harehills and September at Onwards in South Leeds. To make a referral to Shore Up’s programmes, download and complete their referral form.

They also run a monthly social club where people with and without mental health difficulties can come together in a safe and friendly space to engage in meaningful activity.

Visit Shore Up’s website to find out more.

Removing barriers that may stop a person from receiving the care and support they need is a vital part of transforming community mental health services, and we regularly see examples of good practice in our teams.

Recently, a service user who is autistic was referred into one of our teams, and the referral identified that they do not like to talk on the phone. In response, a member of staff offered to complete the triage conversation with the person at home. This is not something that is routinely considered due to service pressures, but was felt to be a reasonable adjustment in this case to ensure this person received fair access to the service. It undoubtedly made a real difference to their ability to access the care they need.

On another occasion, a team member went to great lengths to understand the best way to meet the needs of a person with literacy difficulties. They made sure that reasonable adjustments were communicated clearly in the person’s care plan, in their electronic care record, and to team members involved in their care. It’s had a really positive impact.