We are proud to announce that Open Mental Health’s contract to continue its trailblazing and inclusive approach to mental health care has been renewed.
As an alliance of local voluntary organisations, the NHS, social care, Somerset Council, and individuals with lived experience of mental health challenges, OMH works together to provide and improve Somerset’s mental health care. As the lead accountable body, charity Rethink Mental Illness secured the contract, which it holds on behalf of the OMH alliance.
Since 2020, OMH, known for it’s collaborative and user-led services, has been reshaping the provision of mental health services in Somerset. Beccy Wardle, Associate Director for ICB Partnerships at Rethink Mental Illness, said:
“The contract renewal is great news. OMH can continue providing vital mental health support to the people of Somerset, including open access to mental health nurses, wellbeing and peer support workers, eating disorder specialists, help for carers, and specialist support around benefits, money and debt.”
In 2023 alone, OMH’s confidential telephone support service, Mindline Somerset, answered more than 35,000 calls from those seeking support with their mental health.
Andy Pritchard, Chief Operating Officer of Mind in Somerset, one of OMH’s partners, reflects:
“It has been a real boost to Somerset’s wellbeing to have Open Mental Health recommissioned. Mindline Somerset, a phone service available to all ages 24/7, has been a game changer. Further, having in-person same-day appointments through Crisis Safe Space has meant that urgent out-of-hours support is an option for people.
“Both Mindline and Crisis Safe Space are access points to one-to-one and group support, as well as more focused OMH options like hearing voices groups, suicide prevention work, and services to avoid hospital admission.”
Jo’s Story—the Role of Experts by Experience in the Evolution of OMH
OMH’s Expert by Experience Leaders are central to the alliance’s work, as shown by the inspiring story of Jo Poole, which demonstrates the changes in mental health care. As an Expert by Experience Leader, 43-year-old Jo’s lived experience empowers her to influence and shape OMH’s development.
Jo was born into a Somerset farming family and had an early introduction to the challenges of mental illness. “My mum and dad really struggled with their mental health when I was growing up. Life was quite stressful, and I was always very afraid of mental illness,” she reflected.
These experiences laid the foundation for a life deeply affected by mental health concerns.
Jo’s first personal experience of mental illness came at 17 when an episode triggered by smoking cannabis marked the beginning of a 21-year battle. A subsequent crisis at 19 led to her hospitalisation, a terrifying but necessary step on her path to recovery. “Looking back on it now, that was what I needed,” she said, acknowledging the importance of that intervention. “But I was thrown into a system that I was afraid of.” During this period, she had Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) and began lithium treatment, both of which significantly aided her recovery.
Jo’s involvement with Open Mental Health as an Expert by Experience Leader was a turning point, not just in her recovery but in her sense of purpose. Before the inception of OMH, Jo’s experience with mental health services was marked by a divide between patients and healthcare providers, “What Open Mental Health has done is bring us closer together,” Jo explained. “The professionals and people with lived experience have found that we’re not so different. We’re all people. We have our weaknesses and strengths.”
Expert by Experience Leaders represent the voice of lived experience in OMH and work as equal partners to transform the mental health system. This trailblazing model means that the voice of lived experience is central to OMH’s decision-making.
Jo explained, “We’re all experts by experience in life, we’re all experts in our own experience, but an Expert by Experience Leader in Open Mental Health is someone who’s had their own struggle with mental illness and reached a point in their life where they’d like to use that experience to help other people and help the mental health system.”
Through her role as an Expert by Experience Leader, Jo emphasises the importance of listening and learning from those who use the mental health system. “Open Mental Health looked at the people using the services and said, let’s do the really courageous thing and listen.”
Reflecting on her personal and professional life, Jo shared the affect her mental health struggles have had, “I wasn’t able to have a career. Because of my mental health, I wasn’t able to reach many of my dreams. When I had my children, I needed so much help to raise them because I was struggling with such severe illness.”
The establishment of OMH introduced a new approach to care, one that Jo passionately supports. With its contract renewal, OMH is set to continue its mission of breaking down barriers, building connections, and learning from the insights of those with lived experience.
Jo said of her work as an Expert by Experience Leader, “It opens up a world that is often shut to people with mental illness, which is the world of work. The world of community and socialising and connection. All of those things. You might think going to an Open Mental Health board meeting is boring, but actually, it’s not. It means something when you haven’t been able to have a career, and you haven’t had a voice for so long because of what’s been going on in your mind, and suddenly people are taking you seriously and asking you, well, what do you think? I could not do paid work because I would crumble on the first day because of the perceived pressure. But what I can do is volunteer and be part of Open Mental Health.”
Jo’s involvement in OMH has renewed her self-confidence. “There’s no comparison to where I was and where I am now.”
Jo’s story isn’t just evidence of her resilience but also a hopeful message for the many people facing similar struggles. Her journey from a young girl in Somerset, through the trials of mental illness, to a leader in the mental health community demonstrates the power of lived experience and the value of compassionate, inclusive mental health care.
From a system that could feel alienating, Jo now sees a community where professionals and those with lived experience collaborate as equals. Her experiences are an example of why OMH’s contract renewal is crucial—not just for those directly affected by mental health issues but for the community as a whole. Her journey from patient to advocate and leader within OMH shows the effectiveness of inclusive care and the importance of listening to those OMH aims to serve.
If you need support with your mental health, please get in touch with us. Our confidential telephone support service, Mindline Somerset, is open anytime, day or night. Call locally on 01823 276 892 or freephone 0800 138 1692.