Liverpool CCG Logo

Mental Health & BAMER communities

 

NHS Liverpool CCG funds a Community Development Service. This aims to support Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and Refugee (BAMER) communities to get the right support for mental distress - this includes problems with moods or thoughts that affect how people cope with everyday life, help in a crisis and an advocate providing one-to-one support.  

LCDS logo

We know many people from BAMER communities have different experiences of care for mental distress and we want to improve mental health support.

In 2019 we asked people in BAMER communities and VCSE organisations working in these areas, about their experiences of LCDS and getting help with mental distress. This was prior to revising what the service should focus on and how it is arranged.

The report of what we did to gather views and what people told us can be read here:

The contract to provide the service has now been transferred entirely to NHS Mersey Care Foundation Trust who may subcontract for certain elements, eg the advocacy element provided by Mary Seacole House.

As a result of the feedback NHS Liverpool CCG has:-

  • Amended the requirements of the service, that are set out in the specification including as follows:-
    • There was a shift from stating specific interventions to listing a number of outcomes which were to be reported on
    • The needs of older people and for asylum seekers and refugees were specifically referenced
    • The need for a focussed steering group to include community leaders as well as commissioners was included
    • The role of the service in raising issues affecting BAMER communities specifically in respect of the Trust’s own mental health services was underscored in the new specification.
  • Shared the report with Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust as the provider of the service and the team managing and delivering the service.
  • Raised via contract management and quality assurance structures of the CCG the need for a revised action plan, and intentions around taking the service forward in the months following the transfer of the contract.
  • The Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust was due to report back with an outline of how they intend to develop the service in the Spring of 2020, however this has been delayed by the outbreak of Covid-19
  • Included scope for ongoing engagement on the issue in NHS Liverpool CCGs 2020/21 engagement plans

If you would like to be kept in touch about this issue please get in touch:

Email involvement@liverpoolccg.nhs.uk

Call: 0151 296 7537

Text: 07920 206386

 

Some background information on the LCDS can be found here: