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Essex County Council - Provider Hub
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Market Context

Essex County Councils ambition is for children, adults and families to be able to access social networks and feel a connected to their communities. Support should be delivered locally regardless of the agency or support mechanism (Primary healthcare, Social Care or community and voluntary sector) to help establish social inclusion and recovery within communities.

The market needs to identify, support, and delivery outcomes defined by children and adults with poor mental health in Essex. Ensuring people are at the centre of defining what help will support them. This needs to be recovery focused and support individuals to build resilience and independence. This would include signposting and support on financial management and benefits.

The approach will be co-produced with people with mental health needs, health and social care providers, the community voluntary sector, and district councils. Monitoring and evaluation will include experience of adults and carers.

Care Technology & Digital Access

We will make best use of available technology and digital access appropriate to the needs of children and families, adults, and carers including to support engagement with communities of interest.

There are a number of different contracts and activities that currently support this area.

Adult Community Learning offer courses both in terms of teaching skills for independence and that cater for interests. It is a focus of our own operational wellbeing teams.

There are some overlaps with public health services for wellbeing and including Public Health Accreditation Bids.

ECC is currently working with people with lived experience, providers, and health partners to understand and develop test and learns across Essex to support recovery and social including for those who have mental health needs.

These pilots will be developed to meet unique local requirements and offers to support and complement current offers and support unique needs at place. 

Strategically, we need to consider how we deliver local offers to reduce gaps in Essex Mental Health system offer and reduce duplication and complexity. We also need to review the wider context of how early intervention mental health services (across both health and social care) can:

  1. Work collaboratively to provide a more cohesive service offer with services providing mutual support and referrals (preferably via a single point of access).
  2. Ensure that people are in the most appropriate place to access mental health support first time.

Initial impact on existing recovery service was significant as services were halted/moved to virtual. Services are now back to full delivery with clear COVID measures in place.

Market risks to be identified following the completion of scoping.

Our current area of focus is:

  • Developing options to deliver befriending and peer support offers that support residents suffering from poor Mental Health and/or Learning Difficulties and/or Autism to access and receive support in the community
  • Developing online services that support with rapid access to support low level mental health and wellbeing via online portals support prevention, early intervention and recovery.
  • Developing the identification and access of services through intelligent online platforms that encourage the use of information, advice and guidance, highlighting community assets and promoting the use of scalable assets
  • Work with system partners to develop Recovery Colleges including social inclusion community offers.
  • Exploring opportunities in the community to support recovery that compliment social care interventions and support prevent, reduce, delay maximising resources, reducing duplication, and supporting people to recover in their communities.
Last updated: 01/04/2025
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