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 should include supporting the wider determinants and social aspects of mental health through holistic offers that are defined by the people who they support.
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.
ECC are also delivering a Recovery College Pilot in North East Essex to support those recovering from poor mental health to integrate in their communities complimenting current ACL offer.
Local Government Reorganisation and Integrated Care Board Reorganisation in the NHS create both challenges and opportunities across Essex regarding Mental Health commissioning market development.
While long term commissioning responsibilities and priorities are still developing ECC will look to commission short term proof of concept activities that will help shape options across prevention and recovery for new authorities and ICB for care and health.
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:
While the current market requires further development key risks revolve around longer term commissioning activities being impacted by Local Government Reorganisation. Shorter term commissioning options which may impact providers ability to sustainably develop their workforce and offer.
Our current area of focus is: