Issue - meetings

Annex to be circulated separately

Councillor Phillips had given notice of the following question to Councillor Heathcoat at the last meeting of Cabinet:

'Following the motion at the November Council meeting to take up the Local Authority Mental Health Challenge we welcome the email advising that Cllr Heathcoat is the Council's Mental Health Champion.

One requirement of the role is to 'identify at least one priority' and could we be advised of what priority has been identified and how this work will be managed' 

Councillor Heathcoat replied:

A full council meeting on 1 Nov 2016 voted unanimously to sign up to the Local Authorities’ Mental Health Challenge and to support measures to promote positive mental health in Oxfordshire, enhancing our joint working with our partners in the NHS, the police authority and the voluntary sector.” I am delighted to have been asked to lead the council's work across children and adults population in the important area of mental health and wellbeing. Everyone knows these two facts about mental health and wellbeing:

·           Our mental health and physical health are closely linked.

·           1 in 4 people in the United Kingdom will experience some form of mental distress during their lifetime. This can include depression, anxiety, panic disorders and eating disorders, as well as forms of psychosis such as bipolar and schizophrenia.

But not everyone knows that there are simple things we can all do to improve our wellbeing. Such as the Five ways to wellbeing recommended by Mind, the mental health charity (see overleaf for more information):

·           Connect

·           Be active

·           Take notice

·           Learn

·           Give

·            

In talking to my colleagues across the Council about my new role I have identified three areas for action:

1)     Looking after ourselves and our communities - I want to build on our achievements to date in helping staff employed by us directly (through an extensive Employee assistance programme) or by provider organisations, that we fund, to look after themselves. This can be achieved by raising public mental health awareness through targeted training and publicity campaigns.

This year we will commission Mental Health First Aid training - a two day educational course which teaches people how to identify, understand and help a person who may be developing a mental health issue. We will make it available to our elected members in the first instance acknowledging their front line engagement with the public. By learning these new skills our elected members will be better equipped to approach and assist someone who might be experiencing a mental health issue and encourage them to seek the support they need to recover.

2)     Early support for children and young people - Growing up is not easy, and sometimes it's hard to cope with whatever life throws at you. Child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) are tasked to help families, schools and young people themselves to be able to seek support early. These services are undergoing significant transformation nationally and locally.

I want us to play an active part in helping Oxfordshire young people to build  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15