Devon, Plymouth & Torbay VCSE Assembly Mental Health Hub — Trusted Assessments

Attendees at the first Mental Health Hub in May 2023

We’re proud to announce that the next VCSE Assembly Mental Health Hub will take place on Thursday 14th Nov 2024 from 10 -1.30pm at the Mercure Rougemont Hotel, Exeter.

Devon VCSE Assembly Mental Health Hub #4

Thursday 14th November 2024 from 10:00am — 1:30pm
Mercure Exeter Rougemont Hotel, Queen Street, Exeter EX4 3SP
Free to attend — please sign up to book your place

The Devon Mental health Alliance is delighted to announce that the next VCSE Assembly Mental Health Hub meeting will take place on the Thursday 14th November, from 10am to 1.30pm at the Mercure Rougemont Hotel in Exeter.

Devon is committed to increasing partnership working between statutory and Voluntary and Community Sector organisations to improve outcomes for people accessing services.

We know that a key barrier to partnership working is assessments and information sharing; people are often asked to tell their stories on multiple occasions, and the flow of information between partners can be challenging because there is not a consistent approach to collecting and recording core information, and sometimes too little trust between different organisations driven by different understandings of data-protection principles or protectionism.

Colleagues from Devon Partnership Trust have committed to working with VCSE partners to create an agreed process for assessments so there is a common template and approach that we can all use – this is not about dropping in a clinical model, it’s about working together to create something that reflects your insight and expertise and ultimately is helpful to you.

This session is therefore positioned as an opportunity to start to co-produce a shared approach, to be refined through subsequent conversations with key stakeholders in DPT and with you.

Questions we’d like to discuss:

• What is your experience to date – do you get good information from partners? Do you feel your perspective is trusted?

• What information do you need when taking a case?

• What principles should we all adhere to through this process?

• Can we develop a shared approach to formulation (i.e. understanding someone’s challenges and what they want to do to improve their wellbeing) which provides a common standard that enables people to get the right help more quickly and more efficiently?

• How do we escalate where things don’t go as they should?

• Is there any training or other support that would be helpful through this process?

A follow up session has been scheduled. We really believe that this could be a transformational piece of work to improve the experience of people . Your contribution would be hugely valued throughout the process.

In addition, we’ll spend some time thinking about the Darzi report, including a panel discussion with some key system stakeholders who will share their insight. This report provides some hugely powerful thinking around how resources are used to support our mental wellbeing as a community.

As always lunch will be provided alongside time for networking, and if you’d like anything added to the agenda please let us know.

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About the Mental Health Hub

We know that there are lots of great networks already up and running, so the Devon VCSE Assembly Mental Health Hub is not intended to cut across any existing activity. Rather, it will be a collaborative conversation space to meet colleagues from across the VCSE and statutory services with the intention of sharing challenges, best practices and thinking, in the hope that this will organically enable opportunities to improve outcomes for the people we support.

The VCSE Assembly’s Mental Health  Hub will meet on a quarterly basis, reporting into the overarching One Devon governance structure to share feedback and recommendations for system change. Whether you’re a grassroots delivery organisation or already work at a more strategic level, everyone is welcome to attend. We recognise the strength and insight that will be gained through the participation of a wide variety of people.

About the Devon, Plymouth & Torbay VCSE Assembly

The Devon, Plymouth and Torbay VCSE Assembly is a ‘community anchor’ bringing together independent charities and community-led organisations across the county. Together, we are multi-purpose and aim to provide holistic solutions to local problems and challenges. At a local level, our members are often the driving force in community renewal. We aim to support, complement, and add value to local VCSE networks and partnerships, including Local Care Partnerships.

The Assembly is not a membership organisation — anyone who wants to be involved can be. Instead, we are a space where people, communities, and organisations can contribute and engage in improving how important services are designed and delivered in Devon. For more information, visit the Devon Communities Together website.

If you haven’t already signed up to be a part of the Assembly and receive regular communications, please complete this form. If you have any queries or would like to get involved, please email dptvcseassembly@gmail.com.