Access to Mental Health Support: Insights from the Webinar

On 10th April, the Centre for the South hosted a webinar to address the issue of mental health access in the Central South, featuring speakers Dr Becky Ward and Sarah Brightwell. The event shed light on key challenges and innovative approaches in the Central South.

Dr Becky Ward, a teaching fellow and researcher with the University of Southampton, presented factors that drive person-centred care or exclusion, based on research case studies. This highlighted ways in which the current mental health system in the Central South can be exclusionary, including stigmatization of addicts or homeless communities, lack of evaluative reflection, and unequal standards of care across services. She also shared ways in which holistic and collaborative work could have a positive effect on mental health treatment, such as focusing on stories and personal progress over numbers, and root causes alongside symptoms.

Sarah Brightwell, Director of Impact and Inclusion at Solent Mind, shared a success story centred on community engagement in Portsmouth’s Bangladeshi community. Through true co-production principles, the initiative navigated cultural barriers, fostered trust, and empowered citizens in shaping tailored mental health services.

Some strategies resulting from this collaborative effort included training volunteers within the community to signpost services using a “via culture approach”, offering free mental first aid training to community/faith leaders, and addressing discomfort from mixed-gender focus groups or the cultural shaming of mental illness. The importance of sharing this work with partner organisations to reduce repetitive research and encourage partnership across services was also emphasised.

Within the webinar, guests also shared their work in co-production and mental health policy, increasing awareness of the groups operating in the Central South to encourage collaboration.

Addressing mental health access and health inequalities arose as one of the key priorities in the region during Centre for the South’s assessment of regional stakeholder needs. The Centre for the South’s dedication to collaboration and knowledge exchange mirrors the ethos essential for advancing person-centred care in mental health services.

To find out more about Dr Ward’s research and the work of Solent Mind, please click the images below.