Posted on: 8 September 2021
A new draft model of mental healthcare has been designed for young adults, aged 16-25 years, living in North West London (NWL), as part of our implementation of the long-term plan. Dozens of staff from local voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations attended a series of participatory conferences between July and September to design a new offer to better meet the mental health and wellbeing needs of young adults in NWL.
Across the conferences, guest speakers from Central North West London and West London Trusts and the third sector shared a wide range of existing engagement projects and discussed innovative new ways of working.
Results from the first meeting’s Mentimeter survey where participants shared their perspectives on how services could be improved.
Thanks to these discussions and the feedback provided by young people, a new draft model of care was designed and presented in the final conference. Features of the new model will include:
- Dedicated support for young adults moving from Adolescent to Adult Mental Health Services – e.g. peer support and getting-to-know-you sessions with their new clinician
- Continued support for young adults who’ve experienced adversities such as youth violence
- Young adult focused therapies and service adaptations.
- In-reach services where young people are – e.g. universities, colleges or local hubs for those not in employment or higher education
- Support both before and after treatment – e.g. active communication whilst on waiting lists
- Multi-agency Young Adult Triage and Partnership meetings with clinical assistance for referrers to develop management plans
Matthew Goodman-Freeman, Chair of NWL Young Adult Ambassador Group, shared the perspectives of young adults at all stakeholder events. He said: “there’s no one way to support someone with their mental health so we can be creative about what we offer young people. There are many brilliant services in the community but we need to make sure young people are hearing about them. It’s been very encouraging talking to so many groups and organisations who are all committed to making a more compassionate and inviting model for our age group.”
Anna Lucas, Senior Development Lead for Young Adult Mental Health in NWL, closed the final conference on Friday 3 September by thanking all who had presented and contributed to discussions. She said: “we’re keen to continue working closely with you. We’re thinking NWL-wide so it’s been great having this forum to share and learn from one another.”
The next steps will be to agree the final model and begin the exciting journey of implementation this autumn.