Issue - meetings

Issue - meetings

Mental Health

Meeting: 24/01/2018 - HEALTH AND WELLBEING BOARD (Item 31)

31 Bedfordshire Wellbeing Service (BWS) pdf icon PDF 75 KB

 

To update the Board about the Bedfordshire Wellbeing Service (BWS).

 

 

Minutes:

 

The Board considered a report on the Bedfordshire Wellbeing Service (BWS), together with future developments and challenges for the service.

 

The service was currently achieving its Recovery targets and was narrowly under its Access targets. 

 

Requests for referrals and appointments for assessments were responded to within 48-72 hours and patients were assessed quickly and offered the appropriate interventions. The challenge was not being able to offer treatment straightaway or at a particular time. The waiting time for one to one therapy was also a significant challenge as the service was not set up to deliver this.

 

The delivery of services was constantly reviewed and adapted to ensure that they fitted local need.

 

Challenges included staff recruitment, especially those suitably qualified to deliver the bespoke Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme. There were good links in place with appropriate universities and organisations providing trainees.

 

Group based therapy interventions were offered and the outcomes shared with the CCG on a monthly basis.  Positive feedback had been received about this form of therapy.

 

Areas to be addressed included:

·         demystifying the perception of group therapy interventions

·         promoting the value of group work

·         the ebb and flow of the demand on the service throughout the year and the appropriate trajectory planning and staffing

·         increasing engagement with GPs and the confidence in the interventions the service is able to offer

·         the development of links to health, social and primary care colleagues

·         ways of optimising the use of digital technology and  web based services such as the internet and Skype.

 

The Board noted that there was scope to use the Council’s communication channels with its residents to help explain the benefits of group therapy whilst all partners should review the scope to assist with accommodation for therapy sessions.

 

RESOLVED

 

that the report be noted.