It was a pleasure to see so many people from across the OMH alliance join together at our recent Understanding Open Mental Health conference. From the moment attendees started arriving for their morning coffee, the atmosphere was relaxed, warm, and friendly. It was great to see so many people chatting and networking in such a positive way.
The morning kicked off with a look at the bigger picture of what we do. Mark Arruda-Bunker, Somerset Foundation Trust Service Group Director, Mental Health & Learning Disabilities, explained that Open Mental Health is a group of local community organisations working together with Somerset National Health Service Foundation Trust, Somerset Integrated Care Board, and Somerset Council. He discussed how we work in partnership to offer support.
We then moved on to our Golden Threads in action and how these threads run through our alliance’s daily work.
The three key principles are:
- Listening to the voice of lived experience.
- Taking a trauma-informed approach.
- Making sure everyone feels seen, heard, and valued.
We watched Second Step’s new video about OMH and trauma-informed practice. It explains why trauma-informed mental health support is so important, as it leads to better outcomes for clients and colleagues who turn up as their full selves, informed by their own lived experience.
Then we enjoyed an interactive, practical session on referrals, working through the referral procedure. We followed this with an activity that gave everyone a chance to grab a coffee and connect with one another while completing a referral for a hypothetical client.
Before lunch, we listened to Emma’s story and heard about the challenges people face. It was a moving account that reminds us why getting the right support at the right time matters.
We did experience a few technical glitches during the presentations! The venue had some unexpected difficulties with its equipment on the day. However, their team was very helpful, doing everything they could to get us back on track quickly.
After lunch and time spent visiting the stands set up by alliance partners, we enjoyed an energising afternoon exercise session courtesy of Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership to get us all moving. We then headed into the breakout rooms. These sessions focused on what happens at a Locality Team interface meeting and examined a client’s journey through Open Mental Health from their perspective.
Following a quick afternoon coffee, we closed the day by focusing on why partnership working is better and hearing the voice of Martin, an Expert by Experience, who shared his reflections on growing up dealing with neurodiversity and his mental health recovery journey. Alongside Alex White, an NHS clinical psychologist, Martin co-hosted the day, and we’d like to thank them both for their quick wit and warm presenting style.
We left feeling it had been an informative and successful day. As one attendee noted:
“I found all of the presentations informative. What I really benefitted from was getting to see in person colleagues who I often only see or communicate with online.”
If you are an adult living in Somerset and experiencing difficulties with your mental health, we are here to help. Open Mental Health offers support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to ensure that anyone struggling with their mental health can access the right support at the right time. You are not alone, call Mindline Somerset day or night on 01823 276892 or freephone 0800 138 1692.