Mental Health
Join the Healthy Minds Volunteer Team!
Charities in the voluntary sector are facing more and more challenging times, and we need our incredible volunteers now more than ever.We have THREE different volunteering opportunities at Healthy Minds, one of them could be right up your street!đ Befriending Volunteer for our Like Minds Peer Support Project, supporting a peer to improve their mental health.đ Walk Leaders for our Walks for Wellbeing programmeđ Volunteers for our Time Out project for children and young people, helping to deliver mental health education workshops in schools.Interested? Please pop Cath an email or call/text:cath@healthymindscalderdale.co.uk07960 972685
Become a Volunteer for Healthy Minds!
   
VitaMinds – a free and confidential NHS service
Vita Health Group works in partnership with the NHS to provide mental wellbeing services to support local residents in various districts throughout the UK. Known as IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies).
VitaMinds is a talking therapy service designed to support individuals by providing the tools needed to get things back on track. Itâs a free service. We offer a range of short-term psychological therapies to adults 18-years and over, who live and are registered with a GP in Calderdale.
We all experience times when we feel like we canât cope, sometimes this can start to affect our everyday lives and prevent us from doing the things we normally do.
Depression affects around 22% of men and 28% of women aged 65 years and over, yet it is estimated that 85% of older people with depression receive no help at all from the NHS. âThis figure doubles in the presence of physical illness and trebles in hospitals and care homesâ. In relation to those who donât access support, this could also be enhanced with âPeople aged 65+ have an overall recovery rate of 64% following treatment, compared to 51% of adults aged 18-64.â
If you are suffering from depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, excessive worry or low mood, then VitaMinds can help.
VitaMinds works in partnership with the NHS to provide talking therapy services, known as IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) and we can provide advice and guidance on the best options for you.
How we can help
We aim to help improve the mental wellbeing of people suffering from:
- Depression
- Low mood due to a physical condition (such as diabetes or pain)
- Excessive Worry or Anxiety
- Excessive worry about your health
- Panic Attacks
- Sleep Problems
- Stress
- Phobia(s)
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Experience of a traumatic event
Start now by using our digital referral assistant. This will guide you through some questions and take up to 15 mins. Call us on 0333 0153 494 during these hours 8am â 8pm Monday to Friday 9am â 12.30pm Saturday.
Request for Insight: Mental Health, Neurodiversity, Autism and Learning Disabilities
NHS Calderdale CCG is undertaking a mapping exercise to understand what insight we have of peoples experiences of services that provide support around mental health, neurodiversity, autism and learning disabilities. This includes services provided by the NHS, other health providers and voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector organisations.
If you have collected any insight, or are aware of any engagement / consultation activity that has taken place or reports developed across Calderdale about these services, please could you share this with kirsty.wayman@nhs.net by Monday 30 May.
WY Community Mental Health Transformation Co-Production Videos Projects
Through funding from Higher Education Establishments, Forum Central are looking to work in partnership with six organisations from across West Yorkshire to co-produce videos with people with lived experience of complex mental health issues. A partnership has been developed between Forum Central, University of Leeds and the West Yorkshire Integrated Care System (ICS) (formerly West Yorkshire & Harrogate partnership) to work with organisations to co-produce these videos. The content made as a result will be used as part of staff inductions for the Community Mental Health Transformation workforce, as well as being used to raise awareness amongst the wider Health and Care workforce around mental health.There is up to £1500 available to six organisations to get involved in these co-production videos. Organisations can apply for this funding by completing and submitting the attached Expression of Interest (EOI) by 2.00pm, Tuesday 30th May and e-mailed to hello@forumcentral.org.uk. The attached EOI also provided additional background and information about this project, if you have any questions about completing the EOI please contact gary.blake@nhs.net.
Being Well Together – A health project for Calderdale
verd de gris arts are asking for your help in putting together a series of short films around the region’s experiences with Annual Health Checks for those who live with or are affected by severe mental illness.
If you have lived in experience of that, they’d love to hear from you!
If you or someone you know may be interested or if you would like more information please contact:
Jeff on 07926 978651
Email: jeff.vdg@btinternet.com
You may earn some money for sharing your experiences.
Take the Healthy Minds Wellbeing Measures Survey
We are seeking views on how mental health services can record and measure what difference they make in people’s wellbeing.If you have had treatment or support from mental health services in the NHS or through organisations like Healthy Minds, you are likely to have been asked questions about your feelings and how well you’re doing on different areas in your life.We have launched a survey to get your views on two examples of these “outcome measures” that are currently being considered for use in mental health services throughout West Yorkshire (and possibly further afield). We want to gather views so that we can tell NHS England what people think, and they can take this into account in deciding what measures to use.
Please take a look at the two example sets of wellbeing measures on the webpage and complete the survey questions via the link.
It should only take a few minutes to complete the survey. You won’t be able to fill in the wellbeing measures – they’re just shown to illustrate the questions they ask.  We would like you to compare the two sets of measures and tell us what you think. You might want to consider how they look, how easy they are to fill in, and the language they use – but you can say as much as you want and all comments will be useful.âPlease feel free to share this with anyone who might be interested.  Please complete the survey by 11th April 2022. âWe will update this page with the results from the survey and news of any developments as this work progresses!Thank you for your feedback.
Healthy Minds ‘Values, Identity & Future’ event March 21
- A range of ways you can share your thoughts (verbal, written, visual etc)
- Small table discussions to develop work done in the previous workshop – we know that ‘Transforming’ didn’t resonate with many of you, are there better ways of describing some of the ideas underneath this word?
- Refreshment break – drinks, nibbles and cake (let us know if you have any dietary requirements!)
- Interactive displays exploring some of our more established values – to capture your perspectives in a variety of forms including: craft, colouring, writing, voting, anonymous suggestion box.
- A chance to meet others involved in our organisation and connect with different aspects of our work.
- An opportunity to feedback on these engagement events – do you feel you have been genuinely involved?
- Takeaway goodie bags! (who doesn’t love a party bag?)
Thom – thom@healthymindscalderdale.co.uk
Georgia – georgia@healthymindscalderdale.co.uk
We are looking forward to seeing you on the 21st!
West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership publishes new five-year strategy for suicide prevention
West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership has published a Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan for 2022-2027.
The Strategy aims to make suicide prevention everyone’s business and is based on a long-term vision for zero suicides in West Yorkshire.
Key takeaways from the Strategy:
- Every death is one death too many. A ‘zero suicide’ philosophy underpins the strategy.
- West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership aims to achieve a minimum 10% reduction in the suicide rate across West Yorkshire over the next five years.
- Grief and loss, money worries, alcohol, relationship breakdown and mental health problems are significant factors that may cause someone to take their own life.
- More men than women die by suicide.
Office for National Statistics (ONS) data shows that suicide is more common in West Yorkshire than in England as a whole.
In order to bring suicide rates down and reduce preventable death, the Strategy aims to make sure everyone plays a part. This includes citizens, voluntary and community sector organisations, the NHS, local authorities, employers, emergency services, and others.
 Nichola Sanderson, one of three Senior Responsible Officers for suicide prevention in West Yorkshire, and the Deputy Director of Nursing at Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said:
“My experience as a mental health nurse has given me the privilege of working with people and their families at the most distressing and vulnerable times. I believe that with the right help and support, all death by suicide can become a thing of the past.”
 Kim Shutler, SRO and the Chief Executive Officer at The Cellar Trust in Shipley said:
“Suicide prevention in a post-pandemic climate will require us all to dig deep and pull together to do everything we can. We also need to work hard to raise the profile of this work. Suicide prevention is everyone’s business. It isn’t just in the domain of mental health services. I encourage everyone reading this to take a pause to think what their role could or should be.”
LAB Wellbeing course 7-11 March, introduction March 4th
If you have lost your confidence, struggle with anxiety, or are isolated and it would be advantageous for you to meet like-minded people, the upcoming LAB wellbeing course using drama techniques as a means of engagement may be just what you need.
Details of the course can be found at our website https://www.properjob.org.uk/the-lab-project
Please note, this course is not online.
Course details
- Friday 4th March 2022, 10am â 12pm
There is an introductory session to the course on  to meet the tutor and other participants
 Course dates: 7th -11th March
Time: – 10 am – 4 pmÂ
 Address: Wellington Rooms , nr Wellington St, Halifax HX1 2LA
This course will help you identify what it is they want, where they would like to be and take practical steps towards getting there.
LAB Wellbeing is aimed at adults who can self identify mild to moderate mental health and wellbeing problems. It is possible for individuals to take part in both the LAB Project and LAB Wellbeing.
For any questions and to book on the course, please contact Keisha :
Keisha Hamilton (Engagement Producer)
Office: 01484 514 687
Squash bounce back men’s mental wellbeing project
Calling all males whose mental health is suffering – Itâs time to bounce back!
Calder Community Squash is delighted to announce a new project – âBounce Backâ, designed for men accessing mental health services that will run from the beginning of February every Thursday afternoon (12pm – 1.30pm) in Halifax for twelve months.
The project has been generously funded by Community Foundation for Calderdale who work tirelessly with local charities and organisations to address inequalities and promote opportunities for those who need it most in the valley.
Bounce Back sessions will be held at Old Crossleyans Squash Club, home of Calder Community Squash. Each session will involve a 60 minute squash coaching session followed by an opportunity to socialise over refreshments. Sessions will be for all abilities, allowing participants to gain the benefits of exercise whilst being in a supportive and friendly environment.
For more information or to book your place please contact Aron@caldercommunitysquash.com
Calder Community Squash was set up last year by Aron Harper-Robinson in an effort to make positive changes within the community and society at large. Since becoming a community interest company CCS has gone from strength to strength working with people from all walks of life. This year CCS has secured funding to continue working with the young people from the Madni Mosque community in Park Ward through its âSquash from the Mosqueâ project as well as a project delivering sessions to those who have worked tirelessly as carers throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, CCS will be working with local youth clubs as part of an early crime intervention programme, as well as continuing its work with people with disabilities and local schools.
  
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