Glossary of Terms
Not sure what something means? Check here for an explanation.
Alliance Leadership Team (ALT)
The ALT is a group made up of representatives from each of the six members of the Devon Mental Health Alliance and two statutory partners of the overarching Community Mental Health Framework (CMHF). They meet on a regular basis to discuss and shape the work of the Alliance, and make decisions related to various aspects of its function and direction.
Children and young people’s mental health services (CYPMHS – aka. CAMHS)
CYPMHS are the community mental health teams (CMHTs) for people under 18 years of age. CYPMHS services are operated as part of the NHS and comprise nurses, therapists, psychologists, child and adolescent psychiatrists (medical doctors specialising in mental health), support workers and social workers, as well as other professionals. They help assess and treat young people experiencing mental health problems.
CoLab Exeter
CoLab Exeter is a charity based in Exeter, one of six members of the Devon Mental Health Alliance. The charity operates a multi-agency wellbeing hub in the city, which is home to numerous other organisations and project teams. Within the Alliance, CoLab serves as the Community Development lead for the Northern and Eastern localities.
Community Development Lead (CDL)
The CDL is a key role within the Devon Mental Health Alliance. There are four Leads within the partnership – one for each locality. Working under their respective Locality Managers, the CDLs focus on building relationships across their localities to improve access to mental health service provision, as well as facilitating training, learning and developmental opportunities, identifying new ways of working to address specific needs in their areas, and collecting evidence of impact to help inform future service improvements.
Community Mental Health Framework (CMHF)
The CMHF is a programme introduced in the NHS Long Term Plan in 2019. It outlines plans to make mental health support more accessible to people across the country, by bringing services from across different sectors into one centralised system. The CMHF in Devon is run by the Devon Partnership Trust and Livewell Southwest as part of the Integrated Care System for Devon (ICSD). The voluntary, social enterprise and community (VCSE) portion of the CMHF in Devon is delivered by the Devon Mental Health Alliance.
Community mental health team (CMHT)
CMHTs are set up as part of the NHS to help people experiencing mental health problems. They include health professionals from a range of different backgrounds, including doctors, nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, psychologists, and support workers. They work in the community to help people recover and regain their independence. There are separate teams for people aged under 18, from 18 to 65, and over 65.
Community sector/community organisation
Co-production
Co-production is an approach to working in which the users of a service are included in the decision-making process for improvements to that service. It is crucial for organisations designing services to understand the needs of the people who will be using those services as clearly as possible, in order to make them as effective and accessible as possible. Working with a representative group of service users to help shape the future of the service they use can make the future of that service much more well-designed than it could be without their input.
Devon Mental Health Alliance (DMHA)
The DMHA is a partnership between six organisations dedicated to providing support for people experiencing challenges with their mental health. The goal of the Alliance is to improve access to services and identify new opportunities to support people across all of Devon’s communities, using a collaborative approach that reaches across and brings together partners from the statutory, voluntary and community sectors.
Devon Mind
Devon Mind is a charity based in Plymouth, one of six members of the Devon Mental Health Alliance. The charity provides support, information, and advice to people across Devon who experience a range of mental health problems. Within the Alliance, Devon Mind serves as the Recovery Practice lead for the Northern and Western localities.
Devon Partnership NHS Trust (DPT)
DPT is an NHS Trust which serves all of Devon (outside of Plymouth) with mental health and learning disability services. It operates numerous services across the county, including community and crisis mental health care, autism and ADHD services, family support services, drugs and alcohol recovery, gender identity services, learning disability support, psychological therapies, care services, and more.
Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT)
IAPT is a national NHS scheme which provides talking therapies (counselling) to people experiencing mental health problems. Locally, IAPT services are provided by Livewell Southwest’s Plymouth Options service in Plymouth, and by DPT’s TALKWORKS service in wider Devon.
Improving Lives Plymouth
Improving Lives is a charity based in Plymouth, one of six members of the Devon Mental Health Alliance. The charity runs information, advice, and support services for people with disabilities and long-term health conditions across Plymouth. Within the Alliance, Improving Lives serves as the Community Development lead for the Western locality.
Click or tap here to visit Improving Lives Plymouth’s website »
Integrated Care System (ICS)
An ICS is a partnership between organisations designed to make healthcare provisions more accessible across the UK. ICSs were introduced as part of the NHS Long Term Plan in 2019 as a new way of planning and delivering services across the country, to make them more fit for purpose, more widely accessible, and ultimately easier for people to understand. In Devon, our ICS is the ICS for Devon.
Integrated Care System for Devon (ICSD)
The ICSD is the Integrated Care System for the Plymouth, Torbay and wider Devon areas. It includes NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups, local authorities, GPs and primary care colleagues, and voluntary and independent sector partners, all working to improve access to health and wellbeing services across Devon. The ICSD includes numerous programmes of work, one of which is the Community Mental Health Framework (CMHF).
Livewell Southwest
Livewell is an independent social enterprise providing integrated health and social care services for people across Plymouth, South Hams and West Devon. It operates a wide range of services, from dental care services to community mental health provisions, for both adults and young people. The organisation works closely with the Devon Partnership NHS Trust on the Community Mental Health Framework (CMHF) programme.
Locality/Local Area Team (LAT)
The Devon Mental Health Alliance’s work will take place across four distinct ‘localities’ of Devon. The LATs are made up of the staff who work within each area. The four localities are: North Devon, East Devon (including Exeter), South Devon (including Torbay), and West Devon (including Plymouth). Each locality is led by a Locality Manager and includes Recovery Practitioners and Community Development Leads.
Locality Manager
The Locality Manager is a key role within the Devon Mental Health Alliance. There are two Managers within the partnership – one for the West and North Devon localities (including Plymouth), and a second for the East and South Devon localities (including Exeter and Torbay). The role of the Locality Managers is to lead on the development and delivery of services developed as part of the Alliance’s work, including line management of the various Recovery Practitioners within their respective localities.
Multi-Agency Team (MAT)
Within the NHS, a MAT will help to coordinate the care and support someone is receiving, or may require, from several organisations. MATs aim to help people who might benefit from multi-agency care from their GP and at least two other organisations. In reviewing someone’s care, a MAT meeting can include community nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, mental health specialists, and local GPs.
NHS Long Term Plan
The Long Term plan was published by the NHS in 2019 to outline new plans for additional funding into health and social care. It introduced the new Integrated Care System (ICS) model and detailed several planned improvements to care for physical and mental health across the country. Part of this was the introduction of the Community Mental Health Framework (CMHF), of which the Alliance is a part.
Primary Care Network (PCN)
PCNs are partnerships between local health and social care services, including GP practices, pharmacies, social care providers, and voluntary services which aim to help people in the local area to more easily access the care they need.
Programme Officer
The Programme Officer is a key role within the Devon Mental Health Alliance, which assists with central management for the partnership. Working closely with the Programme Manager, they serve as an important link between the members of the Alliance, statutory and other partners, providing essential administration and communication services to ensure everyone involved is kept up to date and informed.
Programme Manager
The Programme Manager is a key role within the Devon Mental Health Alliance, which provides central management and leadership for the entire partnership. Working with all six members of the Alliance, statutory partners, and the wider healthcare system in Devon, the Programme Manager is responsible for ensuring that every element of the partnership is working towards the same goals and values.
Recovery Practitioner
The Recovery Practitioner is a key role within the Devon Mental Health Alliance. There are multiple Practitioners within each locality of the partnership. Recovery Practitioners can be considered the ‘frontline’ staff of the Alliance, providing direct support to people across Devon who need help with their mental health and wellbeing. These roles are responsible for providing one-to-one and group support for users, with a specific focus on providing a conduit between statutory services (GPs, primary care networks, etc.) and community provision.
ReQoL-10
ReQoL-10 is a tool used by Recovery Practitioners to assess the quality of life for people with different mental health conditions. It consists of 10 questions asked at various points of a service user’s time with our service, to measure the impact and quality of the support they are receiving.
Find out more about ReQoL-10 on the University of Sheffield website »
Rethink Mental Illness
Rethink is a national charity, whose Plymouth service is one of six members of the Devon Mental Health Alliance. Rethink community support services are designed to enable people affected by severe mental illness to achieve their full potential and recover a better quality of life. Within the Alliance, Rethink supports the Recovery Practice and Community Development work of all localities.
Shekinah
Shekinah is a charity based in Plymouth, one of six members of the Devon Mental Health Alliance. The charity provides opportunities for people who are experiencing all forms of homelessness and other challenges they may be currently facing. Within the Alliance, Shekinah serves as the Community Development lead for the South Devon locality.
Statutory sector/statutory organisation
Statutory organisations are those which operate as part of the government. Within the scope of mental health service providers, statutory organisations are those which are part of the NHS. In Devon, this includes the Devon Partnership NHS Trust and Livewell Southwest.
Step One
Step One is a charity based in Exeter, one of six members of the Devon Mental Health Alliance. The charity provides a range of support services for people across Devon, including crisis care and 1:1 mentoring in employment and independent living skills. Within the Alliance, Step One serves as the Recovery Practice lead for the East and South Devon localities.
Voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE)
VCSE organisations (also known as non-profits or not-for-profit organisations) are those which work with a ‘social’ purpose. In other words, they try to help people in the community with some aspect(s) of their lives. They can range from small community groups like local craft groups, to large charities that operate locally, nationally, or even worldwide. All six members of the Devon Mental Health Alliance are VCSE organisations.