MORE people are getting support for common mental health conditions such as stress and anxiety following the launch of an awareness campaign in Worcestershire.

The ‘Now We’re Talking’ campaign encourages more people to access Worcestershire Healthy Minds, a self-referral service run by Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust for local people aged 16 or older experiencing common mental health conditions such as stress, anxiety, low mood or depression.   

The campaign launched in October 2018 and has seen a steady increase in overall referrals.

In September 2018, before launch, 874 referrals were received, while in February 2019 there were 1,230 – a 17 per cent increase.

February also saw the most self-referrals than ever before - this is when people contact the service independently without being referred by a GP or other healthcare professional. 

Worcestershire Healthy Minds provide a range of support, from self-help guides, online courses, group therapy through to 1:1 counselling. Through the Wellbeing Hub, part of the overall Healthy Minds service, people can also be signposted to community support such as groups or activities to support wellbeing.

Dawn Stallard, a team lead within Worcestershire Healthy Minds said: “It is estimated that there are around 50,000 people in Worcestershire experiencing more common mental health conditions. There are many situations in a person’s life which can lead to stress, anxiety, low mood or depression, and sometimes there are no obvious causes but asking the question and starting a conversation with someone can make a big difference.

“The Healthy Minds service supports a range of people from all sorts of backgrounds and mental health doesn’t discriminate, it can and does affect anyone. We have lots of support from self-help materials through to more traditional counselling and we’d encourage anyone who is struggling to pick up the phone or email us.” 

The group therapy courses are typically made up of six sessions and they are held across the county in Malvern, Redditch, Kidderminster, Worcester and Bromsgrove.

Topics include worry and stress and anxiety management, assertiveness and relaxation and understanding low mood.

Since its launch the ‘Now We’re Talking’ campaign has worked with lots of local business and organisations to raise awareness of the service and to encourage us all to open up and talk about mental health. They include Worcester Warriors, Speller Metcalfe, npower and Bayleys of Bromsgrove.  

You can self-refer to Worcestershire Healthy Minds by calling 0300 302 13 13 Monday to Friday from 9am until 5pm or visit www.nowweretalking.nhs.uk.