When people ask ‘what does local government do?’, sometimes the answer is potentially saving lives.
written by Hello Lamp Post
Every local council has a duty of care to support its community with mental health and well-being. There are plenty of benefits to society of good mental health, such as people living longer, healthier lives, reduced pressures on healthcare providers and fewer suicides. But there’s a long way to go to achieve this. Finding new ways to provide mental health and well-being care is one of the key ways that local authorities can better support their communities.
It’s estimated that at any given time, one in six people live with symptoms of poor mental health. But reports show that only 1 in 3 people suffering from poor mental health receive treatment. As part of North Lanarkshire Council’s ‘Feel Well NL’ campaign, Hello Lamp Post is helping to ensure that everyone can access the mental health support they need.
What is ‘Feel Well NL’?
Feel Well NL is a campaign launched by North Lanarkshire Council to understand how its community are feeling and explore ideas and activities that enhance well-being. By hearing directly from local people, decision-makers become better equipped to improve the provision of mental health and well-being support services.
How is Hello Lamp Post supporting the campaign?
North Lanarkshire Council were looking for support with three main objectives; providing effective mental health support to its community, promoting well-being activities in the local area and gathering insight into people’s biggest concerns and challenges.
We launched in three locations across the region, enabling anyone to access 24/7 mental health support by scanning the QR codes with their mobile phone. Once scanned, each person can self-check their mental well-being and receive advice from organisations like Mind, Samaritans and the NHS, as advised by expert clinicians.
To ensure that everyone receives the advice they need, there are a number of pathways they can follow. For example, people who report feeling ‘Okay’ or ‘Bad’ are signposted to government-approved resources. Those who report feeling ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’ can also access this information, as well as tips on how to maintain good mental health with local sports and leisure facilities.
Traditionally, people can access mental health care and support only when they proactively seek it out from providers. With use cases like this, providers of mental health and well-being care - whether it’s local authorities, hospitals or charities - can more proactively support people, by reaching them in their own environment in times when it’s most needed. Mental health support isn’t accessible to everyone in society yet. By adopting a place-based approach, providers can start to break down these barriers.
The results so far
One in three users has reported symptoms of poor mental through our platform and received valuable support
In one location, one person was signposted to mental health support within the first 24 hours of activation
33% fewer suicides in the region since the start of the deployment
Stephen Penman, Head of Strategic Communication at North Lanarkshire Council says,
“So far, 22 people [one in three] have been signposted to potentially life-saving information through the Hello Lamp Post platform. Although this might seem low, when compared to the rising numbers of suicides in the region, this number is significant.”
Interested in finding out more?
We hosted a webinar with Stephen Penman back in December, discussing the benefits of place-based mental health support and the impact it has had on the local community. You can watch it by clicking here.
If you’d like to learn more about the work we do, please reach out to speak to a member of our team here.
