Essex mental health trust uses people with lived experience of mental health challenges to keep people engaged in healthcare
A new pilot project is being used in Colchester and Tendring
A new pilot project in North East Essex is improving support for those with complex mental health needs, by bringing lived experience directly into community NHS teams.
A one-year pilot has launched in Colchester and Tendring to help people with severe and complex mental health needs stay connected with services and get the right support at the right time.
The project introduces peer support workers - people with lived experience of mental health challenges - into NHS community mental health assertive outreach teams. These teams focus on reaching people who find it difficult to engage with traditional services, by offering support in places where they feel safe and building consistent, trusting relationships.
They say this pilot is attempting to reduce stigma around mental health, and reaching out for help.
The pilot is funded through NHS health and care funding and delivered in partnership by Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) and local charity SUMMIT.
Peer support workers provide intensive, personalised support alongside clinicians, typically over three to six months, or longer where needed. This includes regular phone, text, and face-to-face contact, attending appointments, and helping people engage with GP services, benefits, housing support, and community activities. The aim is to build confidence, promote independence, and reduce the risk of future crises.
Their early results show that there have been no hospital readmissions, or unnecessary A&E attendances to date.
Matthew Sisto, Director of Patient Experience at the trust, said:
"The pilot project is all about people with lived experience helping mental health patients stay engaged with healthcare.
"What we see when people come with their lived experience is a breakdown of perceived barriers and that self stigmatisation that people carry.
"The teams reach out to people who struggle with traditional services and they offer support in a safe space and they help build trust through those kind of shared mutual experiences.
"It's really important that people feel supported, particularly when they have fear or anxiety about engaging with healthcare services.
"Our aspiration, along with our partners across Essex, is to do more of this stuff. We know how much it works and in a time of great challenge with the National Health Service, it's these sorts of things and innovations that we need to do to think differently about how we get people into healthcare service, but also how we create health in the community and that's really important."