Charity secures funding for new mental health advocacy

The largest advocacy provider in the UK, POhWER, will be delivering its new Gloucestershire Mental Health Advocacy Discharge Project across the county.

POhWER has provided advocacy in Gloucestershire since 2017, including supporting mental health inpatients.

Over this period, the charity has identified that patients would benefit from more support when they are discharged from mental health wards to help them settle back into the community and support them in their recovery.

The new project aims to reduce the number of discharged patients who later attend A&E or are readmitted to hospital. It will empower patients to be involved in planning their discharge including identifying their needs and the risks they might face and once discharged support them to access services in the community.

The advocacy service will be provided by a highly trained and qualified team who make it their mission to understand the needs and wishes of everyone who contacts them while empowering them to have a voice. This service is free, independent and confidential.

Elyzabeth Hawkes, POhWER’s deputy chief executive, said: ‘We are delighted to be delivering this new service which will address a currently unmet need in the county. The project will complement and add value to our existing services in Gloucestershire.’

Carole Allaway-Martin, Gloucestershire county council cabinet member for adult social care commissioning, said: ‘This new service will provide important support for discharged patients. This innovative service will have patients at its heart, and help to aid their recovery.’

Leon Meek, operational development lead at Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘We’re excited to be working in partnership with POhWER to support discharge for those people who use mental health inpatient services in Gloucestershire.

‘This is an opportunity to show that a collaborative approach to mental health care between the NHS and specialist organisations results in higher quality care and better outcomes for people.’

More information about POhWER’s services in Gloucestershire, including how to access the Gloucestershire Mental Health Advocacy Discharge Project, can be found on the Gloucestershire page of POhWER’s website.

Or you can contact the Help Hub, 8am-6pm, Monday-Friday, on 0300 456 2370 and by email pohwer@pohwer.net.

Photo Credit – POhWER