Action for NHS Wellbeing convenor Chris Manning attended the launch of Like Minded on the 6th Feb 2015.
Like Minded is an exciting programme to transform mental health and wellbeing services in NW London and the launch provided an excellent opportunity to listen and engage with like-minded people, including patients, carers, NHS commissioners and providers, local authority leaders, the police and the voluntary and community sector.
There was showcasing of different services with live examples from those who have created and now use them and, in terms of reducing demand on overwhelmed NHS services through provision of support and training, two in particular stood out. The first was Depression Alliance’s Friends in Need peer-peer support network – now with 9000 people and the Central and North West London (CNWL) NHS Foundation Trust’s Recovery and Wellbeing College which provides a very wide number of training courses, including mindfulness for CNWL staff, students and Local Authority staff working within CNWL integrated health-with-social care services.