Good health isn’t just physical by Nick Harwood, Associate Director for Adult Community Mental Health Services at Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT)

“It’s often quoted that one in four of us will have mental health issues in our lifetime but the pandemic has tested that statistic, with the proportion of adults experiencing some form of depression almost doubling since pre-pandemic levels. 

“A clue our mental health isn’t as good as it could be are simple changes in behaviour such as eating more than normal, not sleeping well or drinking too much alcohol.  The Every Mind Matters app is designed to give specific self-help tips to help you feel more like yourself.

“If you prefer talking things through you can self-refer into our local talking therapy services delivered by steps2change in Lincolnshire.  You don’t even need to see your GP.  Unsurprisingly, these services have seen a rolling quarterly access increase from 290,100 in March to 311,800 in May across the country and in the Midlands in 2020/21 we saw 110,590 people referred finish their treatment.  You can access this service by visiting the Steps2Change website or by calling 0300 123 4000 to self-refer.

“Access to community services for adults with serious mental illness has increased from 475,400 having two or more contacts in March to 483,900 in May.  24/7 urgent mental health support is available to all adults and children.  If you or a loved one are struggling with your mental health you can call our 24/7 mental health helplines for free, confidential advice, or just someone to chat to. For adults call our partners at Mental Health Matters on 0800 001 4331 and for children and young people and their families call Here4you on 0800 234 6342.

“Help us help you by seeking help early.  If you’d rather not talk to your GP, download the Every Mind Matters app or self-refer to talking therapies. 

All NHS and care staff can also access our staff mental health and wellbeing hubs, which provide free confidential support. For information on the hubs, including how to access your local hub please visit the NHS England webiste.

“We do, of course also have a wide range of self-care tips and information on other specialist mental health services available in Lincolnshire on the LPFT website.