This programme aims to help support the increasing importance of mental health and well-being across a range of public and social policies including modern mental health policy. The initial focus will be on supporting what the NHS and local authorities are already doing and what more they can do together with other key partners, including the voluntary sector, to improve and sustain community, family and individual well-being. Building and transferring knowledge, experience, skills and capacity among commissioners and providers and developing ways to identify, describe and measure well-being will form the early work of the well-being programme in collaboration with local, regional and national partners.
Good mental health and wellbeing is fundamental to all our lives. It underpins everything we do, how we think, feel, act and behave. It is an essential and precious individual, family and community resource that needs to be protected, promoted and improved. There is increasing evidence and understanding of the importance of good mental health and wellbeing and more is now known about what can be done to improve, protect and sustain mental health and wellbeing for communities, families and individuals of all ages.
To help support the increasing importance of mental health and wellbeing across a range of public and social policies including modern mental health policy, NMHDU is establishing a programme of national work to support improvements in wellbeing and the public's mental health. The initial focus of the work will concentrate on supporting what the NHS and Local Authorities are already doing and what more they can do together with other key partners, including the voluntary sector, to improve and sustain community, family and individual wellbeing and help to address inequalities in health and wellbeing.
Building and transferring knowledge, experience, skills and capacity among commissioners and providers and eveloping ways to identify, describe and measure wellbeing will form the early work of the wellbeing programme in collaboration with local, regional and national partners.
This is an exciting and challenging part of delivering for a new era of mental health in England. It will be important to build on what has already been developed and achieved in mental health promotion and prevention work across England and also to learn more about what is known nationally and internationally. It will also be important to expand our knowledge, test out new ideas and extend our understanding and knowledge to benefit mental health and wellbeing.
The National Mental Health Development Unit (NMHDU) is currently taking forward a programme of work on Population Mental Health and Well-being. As part of this, NMHDU is in partnership with the Department of Health (DH), has commissioned the development of guidance on commissioning for population mental health and well-being as part of New Horizons. The guidance is being developed by a team from the University of Central Lancashire and is currently being field tested. This is a good opportunity to influence this work and ensure that it will be implemented effectively. PCTs interested in field testing the guidance or require further information contact Gregor Henderson, Karen Newbigging or Chris Heginbotham.
