New project improves the wellbeing of rural Suffolk

The people of Saxmundham are being helped along the path to mental wellbeing thanks to a great new pilot project.

Suzanne Wyard, a primary mental health linkworker for Suffolk Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, has joined forces with Suffolk County Council to set up drop-in sessions at Suffolk libraries.

So far, Mind, Suffolk Employment Care and Suffolk Family Carers mental health project. have committed to attending the public drop-in sessions at Saxmundham Library on a regular basis.

Suzanne said: “I am keen to bring together all aspects of primary care and other professional organisations. This is a great way to give everyone in this rural community a chance to get the information they need to improve their wellbeing. The Saxmundham GPs are supporting and encouraging people to visit the drop-ins.”

The dedicated linkworker has also helped Suffolk County Council to train up their librarians so people can still get the help they are looking for outside the session times.

Councillor Rosemary Clarke, Suffolk County Council’s portfolio holder for sport, culture, diversity, health and wellbeing, said, “Evidence shows that one in four people will experience some form of mental ill health in their lifetime. The aim of these drop-in sessions is to help create a greater understanding of mental illness and dispel some of the myths about it.

“As well as raising awareness, this pilot also seeks to encourage the public to take this opportunity to find the support they need, so I hope that many local people will come along to one of these sessions.”

If the project continues to be successful at Saxmundham the hope is to roll it out to other rural areas.

Suffolk Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust works in partnership to provide mental health services to people in the county of Suffolk, with the exclusion of Waveney, and in the town of Thetford in Norfolk. It also provides substance misuse services and learning disability services to the county of Suffolk.

Its website is at www.smhp.nhs.uk. For a full breakdown of services and financial performance, see the Trust’s annual report online under ‘Information>Reports’