Major boost for mental health services in Norfolk and Waveney with launch of new NHS Talking Therapies service | News and events

People in Norfolk and Waveney experiencing anxiety and depression will benefit from an enhanced new NHS Talking Therapies service, which launches on Monday 2 September 2024. 

Delivered as a partnership between Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust and the mental health charity Norfolk and Waveney Mind, the service will provide personalised care and support as close as possible to people’s home or workplace.

The new-look NHS Talking Therapies – formerly known as the Wellbeing Service – has been shaped by service users, families, carers and clinicians, and will provide help from an increased number of locations across Norfolk and Waveney. 

The service will still offer the same evidence-based, confidential treatments as before, delivered by trained clinicians, online, on the phone or in person. Depending on people’s symptoms, these include cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and counselling. There is a renewed emphasis on enabling those who may encounter challenges to accessing services to be able to access support through this refreshed model. 

The new multi-partnership approach brings together voluntary, community, social enterprise and statutory (VCSE) organisations and will ensure people in Norfolk and Waveney can get quick and easy access to talking therapies services, enabling them to live their lives with improved mental health.

People will be able to continue to self-refer into the new service or ask their GP or health professional to refer them. The services are available to anyone aged 16 or above and living in Norfolk and Waveney.

People currently using the service will see no changes to any support that they are receiving at present, and will continue to see the same clinician in the same way. 

As the new NHS Talking Therapies service develops, it will operate from an increasing number of sites across Norfolk and Waveney. Mobile access will also be provided, taking services out into local communities, making treatment and support as accessible and convenient as possible. 

The contract award for NHS Talking Therapies was confirmed in May by NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board (ICB). The new contract will be in place for a minimum of five years. 

Alex Michael, Interim Director of Operations at Norfolk and Waveney Mind, said: “This is a new, innovative way of collectively providing vital, early mental health support to the people of Norfolk and Waveney and we are delighted to be involved in this important collaborative partnership. 

“We look forward to working with our partners over the next five years to ensure greater equality in access to, and experience of, local mental health services. 

“I am confident the new model will deliver effective therapies to many more people across our region. This transformative approach to operating NHS Talking Therapies is a major step forward towards our ambition that no one in Norfolk and Waveney should have to face poor mental health alone.”

Caroline Donovan, Chief Executive Officer, Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust said: “I am delighted that this new innovative proposal has been selected to further improve and transform our NHS Talking Therapies services across Norfolk and Waveney. 

“Our engagement with service users, families and carers in developing this further improved and transformed service was essential in shaping the new model.

“As part of this engagement, not only did we receive vital feedback as to how we could increase our physical presence in local communities across Norfolk and Waveney, we were also told that the appearance of sites where we operate from is important to people who visit them.

“This is great news for our local NHS Talking Therapies services and testament to the work and support our staff and partner organisations are already providing to our existing and new service users, families and carers. 
“Collectively, we are determined to ensure that our service users, families, carers and wider communities across Norfolk and Waveney receive the right care at the right time and right place to achieve safer, kinder and better mental health services in the future.”

Tracey Bleakley, Chief Executive Officer, NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB, said: “Through engaging and listening to local people we heard that people wanted more accessible and equitable talking therapies services, an expanded online support offer and for more work to take place collaboratively with a wider range of services and VCSE organisations.

“This innovative new multi-partnership approach will provide the improvements that local people have asked for, resulting in an expanded and improved access to tailored treatment and support for people who would benefit from talking therapies.

“This is a really positive step forward in our ambition to improve outcomes and experiences for local service users, families and carers across Norfolk and Waveney, and will make seeking help as convenient, quick and straight-forward as possible.

“I look forward to working with the partners over the next few months and years to ensure our local communities across Norfolk and Waveney have access to high quality, safe and efficient mental health services, supporting them closer to home and in environments which are more tailored to their individual needs and requirements.”