Councils urged to focus on ‘mental well-being’

Mental well-being has become an ‘emerging priority’ for local authorities, but councils ‘struggle with a lack of shared understanding’ of the issue, it has emerged.

The findings, in the NHS Confederation report Public mental health and well-being, revealed there was ‘growing evidence’ to show the positive impact of improving mental well-being on health, social and economic outcomes.

But the report also said ‘little is known about how this important and emerging agenda is developing within localities.’

It stated the issue should be driven forward by local expertise from individuals that could deliver programmes, and having specific social and economic goals with the integration of mental well-being across services.
Steve Shrubb Steve Shrubb: ‘Mental well being is important to public health and a range of other policy goals’

The report also said that communities should be ‘empowered’ as ‘public mental health cannot be improved without engaging and empowering communities’.

Although concern over budget cuts was raised by local leaders in the report, financial pressure was conversely seen as an ‘opportunity to prioritise’ mental well-being.

The report surveyed, interviewed and conducted focus groups with local authority, primary care trust (PCT) and mental health provider chief executives, directors of public health and GPs.

Mental Health Network director, Steve Shrubb, said: ‘The people who run health and social care – from the minister’s office to the GP surgery – have made it clear how important mental well-being is to not just public health but a range of other policy goals such as employment, education and the environment.

‘With the economy facing such uncertainty and the health and social care system facing such major change, there is a huge will and opportunity to push this agenda forward and improve well-being in local communities.’