CUMBRIA ORGANISATIONS TO WORK CLOSER TOGETHER ON HEALTH ISSUES
www.thebay.co.uk, 25th September 2011
This event has now been held
NHS Cumbria is holding a special event next month, to explain how the county can work better to improve local people’s wellbeing and mental health.
Several organisations, charities, service users and carers from across the county are going to the event on World Mental Health Day on the 10 October 2011, where they will be asked to sign up to a plan to work together more closely.
Bosses say good mental wellbeing leads to better physical health and overall life expectancy.
They say it also leads to better education, employment, productivity, community resilience and family life. All agencies and people need to play their part to take responsibility for improving mental wellbeing.
Prof John Ashton is NHS Cumbria’s Director of Public health. He said: "Mental health and wellbeing is something which affects us all and yet for many it remains a barrier to living a full, happy and healthy life.
"Identifying people with mental health problems early and treating them holistically and effectively in a non stigmatising setting is an essential part of improving people's wellbeing. We know that people with known mental health problems face stigma, are more likely to be unemployed and suffer poor physical health. These are things we need to change. Looking after mental health is just as important as physical health and we must make it as easy as we can for people to access support when they need it.
"This framework lays out how organisations across Cumbria can do this and asks them to sign up to a call to action so we can work together to make this happen. Only by making each other see the problems and agree to address together them can we start to rectify this huge health inequality."
