How can Rotherham improve mental health support? Health officials seek public opinion on community-based mental health transformation in the borough.

Kate Slater, primary care network manager, Rother Valley South; Vicky Howells, principal clinical psychologist, Rotherham primary and community transformation clinical lead at RDaSH; Jo Perkins continuous service improvement lead for RDaSH; Gemma Graham, RCG assistant director for psychological professions at RDaSH; Andrew Wells, head of service, safeguarding and mental health adult social care for Rotherham Council; Natalie Belt, head of change and transformation at RDaSH.

More than 160 people attended a “think-tank” event to help develop a major mental health transformation for adults and older adults living in the borough.

And those who couldn’t make it to the event can still have their say by filling in a questionnaire at www.tinyurl.com/RDaSHsurvey.

Organisations involved in providing community-based mental health services met some of the patients who benefit from their work at the day-long event at Rotherham’s Aesseal New York Stadium as part of NHS England’s “national community mental health transformation”.

Patients were able to share their thoughts on how to get services they need “in the right place, at the right time, first time”.

Natalie Belt, Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust’s head of change and transformation, said: “Our collective objective is to create a network of community mental health teams across Rotherham that bring together GP practices, social care, the voluntary sector and community groups and activities to support local people.

“We want Rotherham patients to help drive what will be major changes to local mental health services, so we are spending time listening and learning from them.”

Those attending the event also heard from speakers from Rotherham Council and the NHS and had the chance to talk to organisations involved in supporting patients, including Andy’s Man Club, S62, Touchstone and Age UK Rotherham.