Promoting mental well‐being in Greenwich — a strategic approach
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17465729200400018 |
| Published date | 01 September 2004 |
| Date | 01 September 2004 |
| Pages | 37-44 |
| Author | Carol‐Ann Murray‐Mohammed,Hilary Guite |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
ABSTRACT
This article outlines the mental health promotion strategy developed by Greenwich teaching Primary Care Trust (tPCT). The strategy focuses
on four themes: isolation, anxiety and depression, sleep, and stigma and discrimination. The aim is to address mental health promotion for
all as well as targeted action for higher risk groups, in recognition of the great contrasts, diversity and significant economic inequalities that
characterise the borough. A key challenge has been to integrate mental health promotion with wider agendas and it is intended that the
strategy will inform other important areas of work in the borough, such as the neighbourhood renewal and health benefits regeneration
programmes.
Carol-Ann Murray-Mohammed
Programme manager – mental health
promotion
Greenwich tPCT
Hilary Guite
Public health consultant
Greenwich tPCT
journal of mental health promotion •volume 3•issue 3 •september 2004 © Pavilion Publishing (Brighton) Ltd 37
Promoting mental well-being in Greenwich – a
strategic approach
Greenwich in south east London is a highly diverse
borough with significant social and economic contrasts
and inequalities. In 2001 there were 214,450 residents
(Office for National Statistics, 2003) and by 2014, with
new housing developments planned in Greenwich and
along the Thames Gateway, this number is expected to
increase by 25%. The population is varied in terms of
age structure (nearly one in four are children and
young people aged 0-19 years and one in seven are
older adults aged over 64 years), ethnic structure (23%
defined themselves as non-white in the last census) and
social and economic needs (overall nine per cent were
receiving income support, rising to 15% in some
wards). Greenwich Primary Care Trust was formed in
2001 and in 2003 became a teaching PCT, giving it a
lead role in supporting the whole sector to develop
innovative ways of working and a learning culture. We
were recently rated as a two star trust.
The development of a strategy to promote mental
well-being in Greenwich began in 2001, in response to
standard one of the national service framework for
mental health. From the outset the strategy was based
on a clear use of local evidence to demonstrate need, a
mapping of existing activity and linkage of the strategy
with the wider public health agenda across agencies.
To capture views of the local population, the needs
assessments and mapping exercise focused on:
•the general adult population, including vulnerable
groups
•children, young people, families and schools1
•workplaces
•specialist mental health and social services
•physical environment.
The findings of the needs assessments are discussed in
six reports available from the public health department
of Greenwich PCT (Guite, 2002a-f).
Each of the six reports followed a similar format to
identify markers of need for mental health promotion
in Greenwich at the individual level, at the community
level and at the policy level.
At the individual level we applied epidemiological
findings from the national psychiatric morbidity survey
(ONS, 2001) to our local population and summarised
the evidence base for protective and risk factors
(drawing on the source document Making It Happen
(DH, 2001a)). For the community level we identified
local data to attempt to describe baseline levels of trust
Strategy
1The strategy recommends that a separate more detailed strategy to promote the mental health and well-being of children be developed in the first twelve months
of implementing the overall strategy.
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