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In a time that’s been tough for many, an additional £500,000 is being invested to help improve people’s mental health across Barnsley, Bassetlaw, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield.

The South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Integrated Care System will be investing the extra national funding to support a range of projects, including additional psychologists for children, providing additional 24/7 crisis support and funding a housing worker to help support those discharged from mental health wards.

Rachel Gillott, South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw ICS lead for Mental Health and Learning Disabilities, said: “The additional funding is terrific news for patients across South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw. Not only will it go towards enhancing some of our existing local mental health services but also to supporting new projects.

“People in our region will benefit directly from this funding in the coming weeks and we are confident about the positive impact it will hopefully bring”.

Examples of the services which will be helped by this additional funding include:

·       In Bassetlaw the funding will be used to help engage with the BAME community and to raise awareness of their local mental health services.

·       Funding will be used in Barnsley to employ a dedicated housing worker who will support the discharge of patients from mental health wards who were admitted while homeless or lost their homes whilst in hospital. The housing worker will also give advice on tenancy and bill management and will link in with occupational therapists to look at function assessments and budget management.

·       Funding in Doncaster will provide increased 24/7 support for people in crisis and will help manage the increase in mental health referrals due to the pandemic and during the winter period

·       The funding will enhance the promotion of the ‘RotherHive’ digital platform in Rotherham as well as wider mental health messages including crisis support, suicide prevention, and the IAPT psychological therapy courses. RotherHive provides a range of practical mental wellbeing information and support for issues surrounding alcohol, bereavement, dementia and debt, which for many have been exacerbated by the pandemic.

·       In Sheffield the funding will support the appointment of two assistant psychologists. The first will work in the Paediatric Clinical Psychology Generic service and will support staff to run online groups and to develop online resources for the children.  The second assistant psychologist will work in the Neuro-Developmental service delivering cognitive assessments. These are vital to ensure that the children have the right support and adjustments in place within education.

If you are struggling and in need of mental health support you can call Samaritans 116 123. Alternatively you can find other ways to contact them through their website.