Working together to improve mental health in London
Two million Londoners will experience poor mental health this year. London’s Chief Nurse, Oliver Shanley, shares how we can all make a difference to improve mental health in London
Over the past few years, a lot of progress has been made for mental health in the capital. Yet with two million Londoners experiencing poor mental health each year there remains a lot of work for us still to do. We need to work together to understand and support Londoners with their mental health, not solely through health services but also in our daily conversations and with self-care.
When you are suffering with poor mental health, it can be difficult to reach out and seek help. Stigma still widely exists, and it differentiates physical health from mental health. We don’t hesitate to speak to our friends or loved ones about physical health concerns like an upset stomach or back pain yet a different set of rules seem to apply to our mental health concerns.
Mental health is something that we all share, and we all need to talk about.
In London, we are working to use technology to help break down some of the barriers to mental health support. This provides a unique opportunity to make treatment more accessible to Londoners, who often work and travel long hours each day. Good Thinking is a digital platform that can be accessed 24/7 and offers personalised digital support to Londoners who self-identify as having issues around sleep, anxiety, low mood and stress.
This is just one of the ways we are working to make sure Londoners can access support that is convenient for them.
We’re also working with Thrive LDN and the Mayor of London to improve the mental health and wellbeing of all Londoners. This citywide movement joins together London’s communities, organisations and services to support a conversation about mental health. Together we aim to reduce the number of Londoners affected by poor mental health, and drive for real change across London.
In the run up to World Mental Health day, we will focus on mental health, and recognise some of the great work happening in London to improve care, as well as the challenges and barriers that many still face.
This year’s theme for World Mental Health Day is children and young people. One in ten London children will experience poor mental health each year — that’s enough children to fill 3,700 classrooms. This can have a profound impact on the lives of young Londoners.
Early intervention and access to mental health services can help young people avoid falling into crisis and prevent longer-term interventions in adulthood.
Making a difference with a child and young person can be as simple as a conversation.
Let them know that however they feel is okay and that is okay to talk about it if they want to. And if they don’t want to talk about it, that is okay too. Just being receptive and open if they want to talk is what can make a difference.
We all have a duty to do more to understand and support those children and young people dealing with these challenges and help connect them to the best type of care and support.
We all have mental health, and one easy way you can support mental health is by speaking openly about your own. When you speak about your mental health you encourage others to do the same and help to combat the stigma around mental health.
Follow us online this week via @NHSEnglandLDN for more information on where to go for support and how we’re working together to deliver better mental health care.
Professor Oliver Shanley, OBE
Oliver took up post as Regional Chief Nurse for NHS England and NHS Improvement in December 2016.
Previously to that Oliver was Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Nurse at Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) for seven years.
Oliver worked in Mental Health Services since 1987, qualifying as a Mental Health Nurse in 1990. He has worked clinically in a variety of mental health settings, predominately in Forensic services. After working at all clinical nursing grades from Staff Nurse to Senior Nurse Specialist, he commenced work in management.
He has worked at Executive Nurse level since 2003. Oliver is involved at a national and regional level in a number of areas including both safe staffing and safer systems work.
Oliver attained a Doctorate at Kings College London in 2012 and was appointed a Visiting Professor at the University of Hertfordshire in 2014.
In the 2016 New Year’s Honours List Oliver was awarded an OBE for services to Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Nursing.
