As part of our ongoing efforts to improve mental health care across Croydon, Citizens Advice Croydon hosted a GP mental health summit to develop ways to improve mental health care in primary care. The event was attended by key stakeholders including Mayor Jason Perry, Place Based Leader for Croydon, Matthew Kershaw and Director of Public Health Rachel Flowers.
The day also brought together key health and social care partners and residents from across the borough to collaborate on solutions to improve mental health services to meet the needs of local people.
The event highlighted the mental health inequalities that exist within the Black community and provided a forum to discuss approaches to tackling this collaboratively, with community-based initiatives such the Ethnicity and Mental Health Improvement Programme (EMHIP), which works to reduce inequalities in access, experience and outcomes of mental health care for ethnic minorities.
“It’s important we talk about mental health. Sometimes there’s a stigma and there shouldn’t be. Here in Croydon we’re trying to do absolutely everything we can to address the significant needs that we have.”
Matthew Kershaw, Chief Executive, Croydon Health Services, and Place Based Leader for Croydon
With a brilliant range of voices and experiences in a room, it was a perfect opportunity to scope ways to improve primary care services and use feedback to inform our 2023 mental health priorities, including the refreshed health and care plan and joint forward plan.
In this video, Mayor Jason Perry and others share some of the key takeaways from the event.