‘Mental health is a universal human right’: NHS chief marks World Mental Health Day

David Bradley, Chief Executive, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust writes for the South London Press, marking this year’s World Mental Health Day, which take place today.

Each year, World Mental Health Day is an important day of reflection and action for myself and everyone across South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

This year’s theme, mental health is a universal human right, highlights the need to widen access to mental health support for everyone, regardless of background.

Our Trust serves around 1.3million people in Lambeth, Croydon, Southwark and Lewisham.

We work to build links with our local South London communities so we can support people to access help when they need it.

Homelessness and serious mental illness unfortunately go hand in hand. So, our START Outreach team, based in Lambeth, offers mental health care to people who are experiencing homelessness.

Initial conversations build trust and address immediate needs, such as offering something to eat or a sleeping bag. People are then referred onto services like the Mosaic Clubhouse where they can access mental health support to move forward with their lives.

We have found that while Black men with psychosis are more likely to stay with us in hospital as inpatients, they are less likely to access preventative mental health support such as therapy. Thanks to funding from Maudsley Charity, we are launching a project to understand and tackle this inequality. We will work with Black men in Southwark to understand the barriers to accessing psychological therapies and look to design our services to reduce admissions to hospital further down line.

Alongside these targeted services, we have other initiatives to promote good mental wellbeing across South London

We came together with south London mental health trusts in 2020 to create South London Listens, a community driven partnership to address the causes of mental ill-health. South London Listens creates campaigns in response to what local people say negatively impacts their mental health, such as low pay or loneliness. It’s fantastic to see how community groups can influence the work of the NHS and the services we offer in their areas.

Work is an important part of our lives and can be a source both of income and pride. However, it can also cause stress and anxiety at times. Our WorkWell programme offers personalised employment coaching for people using our services and offers free information and guidance to anyone having issues in South London.

This World Mental Health Day, I would urge everyone to reflect on their own wellbeing and
take one step, however small, to support their own mental health. Together we can make
sure that good mental health really is accessible to all.

Pictured top: South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust chief executive David Bradley (Picture: South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust)