Posted on: 2 March 2023
A public call has been issued for people with lived experience to help shape mental health care planning and delivery rather across Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes (BLMK)
Service users, carers and any members of the public who have accessed the area’s primary or secondary mental health services are being encouraged to attend a Mental Health Summit organised to identify priorities for the area.
Primary care covers mental health support by GPs, talking therapies and third sector organisations such as Mind BLMK. Secondary care includes services where people have been referred for support by healthcare professionals and covers community mental health services.
The summit will be held at Venue 360 in Luton on Friday 31 March 2023.
Free transport has been organised for service users and carers from Milton Keynes who are attending the summit.
The registration page has been updated to include the details (including for people to chose their preferred pick-up spot).
The theme will be improving mental health services across BLMK and will cover all adult mental health services, including learning disability, autism, and older adult mental health services.
It is being held following the formation of a mental health provider collaborative within the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care System (BLMK ICS).
It is being organised by service users, carers and staff from the two main providers of NHS mental health care for BLMK: East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) and Central North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL).
“This summit will directly form the priorities for our mental health services in BLMK moving forwards,” said Millie Smith, Head of People Participation for ELFT.
“We want to start as we mean to go on, with service user and carer priorities, leadership and voices front and centre.”
She added: “The summit is the start of that journey and an opportunity for people to share their views and experience about what is working well for mental health care and where it needs to improve.
“The day will be structured to help people do this easily and without any sense of pressure or expectation.”
You can book your free place at the BLMK Mental Health Summit here.
How to get there
The address for Venue 360 is:
20 Gipsy Lane
Luton
Bedfordshire
LU1 3JH
The nearest train station is Luton Airport Parkway which is over the road from the venue. The venue is a four-minute walk from the station and is completely wheelchair accessible. The venue also has a large car park which is free to use.
What is the mental health collaborative for BLMK?
The collaborative includes the NHS, voluntary community sector organisations (VCSOs), local authorities and service users.
What will the collaborative do?
The collaborative will look at care that is already provided and work in partnership to make improvements.
This will include how care is provided across the system – the whole of Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes – and also ‘at place’ in individual locations, such as towns.
The summit will be the start of the process for the collaborative starting to think about priorities.
Partners include the NHS, local authorities, service users, staff, charities and community groups.
Who can I contact for more information?
Email millie.smith@nhs.net with any questions or queries about the summit.
Who is involved?
The event is being organised by a group of local service users from East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELF) and Central North West London NHS Foundation Trust (CNWL) – the two main providers of NHS care in BLMK.
It is also supported by Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board (BLMK ICB), which commissions mental health services for the area.
Why is it important to involve service users?
The collaborative has pledged to work in equal partnership with service users and carers.
The involvement of service users and carers - experts by experience - is recognised by all organisations involved as fundamental to understanding the needs of people who require mental health support and shaping care that reflects those needs.
Which services will the summit cover?
The summit will cover adult mental health care services, adult learning disability and autism services and older people’s mental health services.
It will look at secondary care – services where people have been referred for support by healthcare professionals. Secondary care includes community mental health services.
The summit will also look at primary care – mental health support by GPs, talking therapies and third sector organisations such as Mind BLMK.
The summit will not discuss Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) care. This will be discussed through a separate provider collaborative for the area.
Who can attend?
This event is for service users, carers and any members of the public who have accessed the area’s primary or secondary mental health services. Chief executives from ELFT, CNWL and BLMK ICB will also be present to listen to experiences which will inform future planning of mental health, learning disability and autism services.