Community Wellbeing Connectors

The Community Wellbeing Connector (CWC) Service at Touchstone serves the HATCH area of Leeds; Burmantofts, Chapeltown, Harehills and Richmond Hill.

Touchstone is currently establishing a Community Wellbeing Connector Service in Leeds. The service will work with people experiencing Serious Mental Illness (SMI) in the HATCH area of Leeds (above). Please see the referral guidance below and any enquiries can be emailed to hatchcwc.lypft@nhs.net.

For people living in the community, if you think this is a service that you or someone you know would benefit from, please speak with a registered GP practice or a health care professional about a potential referral.

Community Wellbeing Connector’s Referral Guidance

Within the national guidance for the Community Mental Health Transformation, Community Wellbeing Connector roles are a key part of the new model, helping bridge gaps between people and support in their communities.

Our purpose is to work with people to promote mental health and wellbeing, increase their independence and support their recovery.

The Community Wellbeing Connectors will work with those with ongoing and complex Severe Mental Illness (SMI’s). We support people to consider and navigate the different types of community support available to them. We also offer practical support, i.e. accompanying people to activities/assessments if needed.

For healthcare professionals who make contact with us, we will send a short referral form back to begin the process of supporting the person referred. Referrals can be made through registered GP practices, Social Prescribing Services or Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs) in the ‘HATCH’ area.

Examples of patients suitable for Community Wellbeing Connector referral:

• People who are on the SMI register
• Ongoing severe/complex mental health issues
• Transition from Community Mental Health Teams to Primary Care Mental Health
• Redirected referrals from secondary care services
• The above plus people who may benefit from longer term support and/or where talking therapies are not appropriate at that time

Examples of patients not suitable for Community Wellbeing Connector referral.

• People who are already accessing/waiting for Leeds Mental Wellbeing Service therapies
• Mild/moderate mental health issues that can be managed with Primary Care Mental Health
• People needing urgent crisis support (refer to Single Point of Access).