What is Mental Health Alliance for Milton Keynes

Community Action: MK have been working closely with other VCSE (Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise) Sector organisations and the NHS (the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Clinical Commissioning Group [BLMKCCG] and Central North West London Trust [CNWL], provider of mental health and community health services in Milton Keynes, to develop a Mental Health Alliance to help implement the Community Mental Health Transformation Plan for Milton Keynes.

Watch a short film about the Mental Health Alliance. kindly produced by Living Archive Milton Keynes (thank you to Rogert Kitchen!) in October 2022. The film illustrates how the alliance has been co-produced and what its achievements and the impact has been so far:

Watch on: bit.ly/CAMKMHAllianceFilm2022

Community Mental Health Transformation is happening across the country. The aim is to provide integrated support as close to home as possible. The local plan for Milton Keynes has a vision for adults and older adults with severe mental illness to lead their recovery, surrounded by their families, carers, and social networks and supported in their local community. You can find out more about the Milton Keynes plan here. The work is currently centred around the three main workstreams, which are:

  • Complex Emotional Needs
  • Primary Care Network (PCN) Hubs (also referred to as Neighbourhoods)
  • Eating Disorders

However, this will extend over time to include Young Adults, Older Adults and Rehab.You can find more information about the 3 workstreams here.

The MK Community Mental Health Hub, with the main location in Wescroft, opened at the end of March 2021 and started receiving referrals to its Single Point of Access (SPA) function – you can find out more from the launch letter here.

If you would like to find out more about the mental health services across Milton Keynes, contact Nav Ranautta, Clinical Effectiveness Coordinator ((Milton Keynes Mental Health Services)) at CNWL here.

Mental Health Alliance: the structure

The aim of the Mental Health Alliance is to help put the local plan in practice and to help the NHS see the VCSE as a vital partner in designing and delivering Mental Health Support in Milton Keynes.

This diagram on the left illustrates the proposed structure for the Alliance, co-produced between the NHS and some of the key local VCSE partners.You can also see the diagram here

Who can get involved and how to get involved?

We are inviting and encouraging all local Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise groups and organisations in Milton Keynes to join this collaborative initiative. You will have a chance to help shape how the Alliance develops going forward and participate in collaborative funding programmes, working towards its aims, which you can read about in the Alliance Terms of Reference document here.

Open to all VCSE groups!

No matter how small or big your organisation is and you structure is (e.g.whether you are an unincorporated community group or a registered charity), you are welcome to join the Alliance. Your group or organisation doesn’t need to provide mental health related services or activities (although the groups providing these services are of course welcome) – any local groups or organisations that engage with and support the local residents in Milton Keynes through a range of services or activities and are well-placed to represent their lived experiences are encouraged to join the Alliance. If you are interested in joining…

  • Complete the Membership Form – before doing so, we recommend that you review the Terms of Reference and the Funding Process documents, which set out the values and the governance structure for the Alliance – please see these resources below.
  • Or, if you would like to find out more before you join as a member, please contact Community Action: MK Team at networks@communityactionmk.org or call 01908 661 623.
  • See the Mental Health Alliance leaflet, including some of the testimonials from the groups involved, here

Governance, Resources and Updates:

We have been developing the Alliance based on the co-production and open learning principles. You can access all of the relevant documents and resources through this website. If you have any issues with accessing these, please email us at networks@communityactionmk.org. or call 01908 661623.

  • Governance of the Mental Health Alliance – access the Terms of Reference and the Funding Process documents here. The governance documents have been co-produced with the VCSE groups and organisations that have joined the Alliance meetings between May – November 2021.
  • Shared Drive – you can find all the documents and resources from the previous meetings of the Alliance here.
  • Membership form – you can access and submit a form to become a member of the Mental Health Alliance here. The Alliance is open to all Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sector groups in Milton Keynes. In order to join, you will need to have the relevant governance documents and policies in place (or seek Community Action: MK’s support with setting these up).
  • Meetings: in 2023 there will be monthly meetings, taking place Thursdays (different times) – see our schedule here. If you would like to join, please emails networks@communityactionmk.org.
  • Funded projects: we currently have four collaborative funding projects underway and are in the process of co-producing a new Health Inequalities funding brief and proposal. More information about these will be shared on this page soon. Regular updates about the current projects and future opportunities will be shared and discussed at the monthly meetings, and at specific project-related meetings.
  • Ongoing updates: we will also be posting updates about the Alliance on this page and also through a dedicated section in our Latest News and our weekly newsletter. We are also sending out regular roundup of news and updates emails – if you would like to receive those, email us at networks@communityactionmk.org.

Other resources:

  • Visit our Signposting Directory to find a list of local organisations and services in MK related to mental health. We are hoping that the work and collaboration as part of the Alliance will help us build up this list of local mental health services in Milton Keynes. We are also keen to hear from organisations that offer services, so please do get in touch if you would like to be listed – email support@communityactionmk.org.
  • See our Information Sheet with details of the support available for groups and organisations that are supporting people affected by ill mental health, or are struggling with mental health difficulties

Members:

Here are the groups and organisations that have joined the Alliance as members so far…

Join the Mental Health Alliance as a member here

Upcoming Meetings and Events:

Monthly meeting

The next meeting will be on Thursday 7th September, 12 – 2pm (online via MS Teams). Email us at networks@communityactionmk.org if you would like to join.

What groups have said about Mental Health Alliance ….