Charity calls for substantial investment in community mental health services amid rising need

People across Wales in need of mental health support are at risk of being left with nowhere to turn unless funding for community-based services is increased to meet rising demand according to a leading mental health charity.

The most recent data from Local Minds’ Impact Report shows a 27% increase in people accessing their local Mind.

And with complexity increasing, the thousands of people in Wales waiting longer than 26-weeks to access NHS psychological therapies are turning to their local Minds for support during this time.

“Significant” growth

Mid & North Powys Mind has been in operation for over 30 years, offering a wide range of services locally.

Mary Griffiths, Development Manager and co-CEO said: “Since the pandemic, we have seen a significant growth in the numbers of people accessing our services and a significant increase in the complexity of their needs.  Without more longer-term funding provided to proven quality suppliers like ourselves we will not be able to meet the mental health support needs of people locally.”

The support local Minds provide in Wales varies from crisis support and life changing therapy to counselling and education, dependent on local need. But with services delivered through small teams of staff and volunteers, many are finding it a struggle to keep up with need. Current funding comes from: 69% public sector; 16% from grants; 14% from other sources and 1% from public donations.

Local Minds work with the public sector to deliver services. But new statistics show charities are funding 35% of every public sector contract. A February survey carried out by New Philanthropy Capital states that UK charities are having to draw on £2.4bn of their own funds annually to subsidise the shortfall in public sector contracts.

This is backed by a Wales Council for Voluntary Action survey, which revealed this to be the case for 93% of respondents subsidising contracted and grant funded services.

Shift

Jen Caton is Chief Executive Officer at Llanelli Mind, which has been running in the town for 38 years. Their town centre offices are located in one of the top 10% most deprived areas across Wales.

She said: “Many funded contracts from the local authority and the local health board used to roll over for three years, but we’ve seen a real shift from this. It used to be a lot easier to secure funding, because there weren’t so many charities competing.

“My vision remains that one day we can offer a service 365 days a year, so that anybody can come in and ask for help, at any time. Without funding, we will be unable to sustain this. Many of our service users tell us that they wouldn’t cope without us.” 

Former mechanic Dwein Davies, 34, is a firm believer that mental health healing involves knowledge and understanding. His life as a married father of four fell apart and within the space of a year, he lost his business, home and access to his children, having to resort to living between a garden shed and camping out in a forest.

“My life fell apart,” he says. “I suffered with anxiety and depression. I took out a life insurance policy to provide financial security for my children and the policy specified no payout for claims within 12 months. I intended taking my own life when that period came to an end.

“But Llanelli Mind helped me reassess. I am now back in the family home with full custody of my children. It’s amazing, the growth. I feel like I’ve done five years’ work in a year.”

Lifesaving

Christopher Jones, 38, of Llanelli credits Llanelli Mind with saving his life. He shared: “What triggered it all for me was finding out on my 18^th birthday, that I had been sexually assaulted by a family member as a child. That’s what started the spiral for my mental health. 

“I ended up just crying out for help and trying to take my own life. I found myself homeless for a period of time. I realised I just couldn’t hide it anymore and pretend it didn’t exist. I needed help. I went back to Llanelli Mind and they supported me through it all.

“It (Llanelli Mind) means the world to me. As well as more volunteers, this place needs more people to realise it’s okay to ask for help and come here. Because the help you get here is really good.

Volunteers are crucial to Llanelli Mind, as they are to all local Minds in Wales. 

“We couldn’t do our jobs without them,” says Jen Caton. “We really rely on our volunteers. We rely on them. Without them we just couldn’t reach half of the people that we reach.

“Sometimes people are at the depths of despair and just can’t manage. People aren’t forced to come here. I’m very proud of that – they come because they recognise our support makes such a difference to their mental health.”

For more details on local Minds activities in your area and throughout the year, follow #YourLocalMind or go to mind.org.uk/cymrulocal (Cymraeg: mind.org.uk/cymrulleol)