Shropshire Star

Shropshire health bosses back Every Mind Matters campaign

Public health bosses in Shropshire are backing the new Every Mind Matters campaign.

Published

Public Health England (PHE) is working in partnership with the NHS to help residents take simple steps to look after their mental health and wellbeing.

It offers a range of useful resources that help spot the signs of common mental health concerns, provides practical self-care tips and guidance and, importantly, explains when to seek further support.

The Dukes and Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex have also taken part in the campaign video.

There is also a free NHS-approved online tool on the website, which helps people build an action plan to deal with stress and anxiety, boost their mood, improve their sleep and help them feel more in control.

Shropshire Council's director of public health Rachel Robinson said: “Good mental health is so important as it affects all aspects of a person’s life including their physical health, their social connections, education, personal relations and employment opportunities to name a few.

"As a rural county we have challenges around isolation which can have a significant impact on an individuals’ wellbeing.

Quality of life

“We want mental health to be openly discussed and supported and are committed to ensuring that residents have access to opportunities that really help promote good mental wellbeing.

"We are therefore really excited to support Every Mind Matters, which encourages people to be more aware of their mental health and help them discover simple steps to look after their mental health and wellbeing.”

Telford & Wrekin Council's health and social care chief Councillor Andy Burford said: “We are very lucky in in the borough to have a huge range of support available to help improve the quality of life for local people and help them to improve their wellbeing

"Improving our residents health is everybody’s business as someone’s mental wellbeing can be affected by so many things.

"Every Mind Matters can help anyone to make simple changes to improve their own mental health in the same way we would look after our physical health.”

In the West Midlands region 24 per cent of those who experienced signs of poor mental health waited at least six months before getting help and 74 per cent of those regretted not acting sooner.