We are proud to announce that Somerset Open Mental Health VCFSE Alliance with Somerset Foundation Trust are shortlisted for the “Mental Health Innovation of the Year” category at the prestigious 2025 HSJ Awards!
This year, the HSJ Awards received over 1,250 entries, with only 246 projects and individuals making it to the shortlist after five weeks of judging by 200 experts. We are honoured to be recognised among the best of the best in healthcare as one of only nine organisations nominated in our category. The nomination reflects the positive impact our alliance is making across local communities in Somerset.
Open Mental Health is an alliance of eighteen organisations from Somerset’s voluntary and community sector, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, Experts by Experience, Somerset Integrated Care Board and Somerset Council. We have broken down barriers by working collaboratively to enable prevention, early intervention, and provide highly personalised support for Somerset residents with, or at risk of, mental ill health.
Five years since our founding, we have embedded this model within the fabric of Somerset. The vision was to move beyond traditional provision and create a “no wrong door” approach, where people’s needs are met regardless of where they first seek help, making the system easier to navigate.
Working together, colleagues in each organisation support people to live a full life, by providing access to a wide range of services, including:
- Specialist mental health support
- Housing advice
- Debt and employment guidance
- Volunteering opportunities
- Community activities
- Peer support
- Physical exercise
This collaborative approach has had remarkable results. For example, in 2023 alone, our 24/7 Mindline service answered over 35,000 calls from people needing support, while our Crisis Safe Space teams delivered more than 3,000 crisis support interventions.
In combination, Open Mental Health and Somerset Foundation Trust have successfully reduced pressure on statutory services. By supporting people in the community before they reach a crisis point, Somerset has seen a significant drop of 35% in acute hospital bed days for mental health-related complaints. This success is mirrored in a re-admission rate to mental health beds less than half the national average, at just 4% compared to 8.5%. This reduction in hospital stays and admissions means people are getting the right help at the right time, while also representing a substantial saving for the NHS.
“We are really proud to have been shortlisted for this award. We are so honoured to be recognised, as an alliance, for the hard work our partners are doing to deliver high-quality, reliable, joined-up and effective services and mental health provision for everyone in Somerset,” says Beccy Wardle, Associate Director, Strategic Partnerships & Alliances for Rethink Mental Illness.
“The nomination for Mental Health Innovation of the Year demonstrates the effectiveness of our alliance and the vital role that services like Mindline Somerset play in our collective effort. Our team provides crucial, round-the-clock support that is often the first point of contact for people in distress and a way to access Open Mental Health’s wider services. Being recognised in this category is a result of our alliance’s success in breaking down barriers and providing compassionate support at the right time, proving that working together makes all the difference for Somerset communities,” says Andy Pritchard, Chief Operating Officer, Mind in Somerset.
Dr Andreas Papadopoulos, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s medical director for mental health and learning disabilities, said: “We are very pleased that Somerset Open Mental Health has been shortlisted in the Mental Health Innovation of the Year category of the 2025 Health Service Journal (HSJ) awards.
“Somerset was the first healthcare system in England to enter a formal partnership and alliance with voluntary, charitable, and third sector organisations to provide community mental healthcare services to patients across the county.
“Together, in developing the alliance, we have largely helped to stabilise waiting times for NHS mental health services within Somerset, and have been able to meet the expected increase in patients with a whole new range of support. The alliance is one we are particularly proud of, working together with our partners and Experts by Experience across the county to support people to live a full life.”
