This past year has been one of growth and change for Leeds Mental Wellbeing Service’s (LMWS) Inclusion Team. Our latest Health Inequality Impact 2023-24 (see below) lays out key highlights from this year. Read on for an intro to the report from LMWS Strategic Equalities Lead, Nick Burdett.
This year, the LMWS team welcomed several new staff members. We have a new leader for equality, a Peer Support Coordinator, an Inclusion Team Administrator, and two new Service User Consultants. We also added four new Inclusion Coordinators. These new staff members work with our existing teams and play an important role in our inclusion work.
The report also gives important updates from our Coproduction and Peer Support teams. These teams help make sure our service listens to and helps all the different communities we serve. They are key to making our service fair and responsive to everyone.
We also talk about some projects led by our Mental Health Support Workers. These projects help us reach out to communities that might not use our services much. By meeting people in their communities, we build trust and encourage them to use Talking Therapies.
Our main goal is the ‘Health Equity Action Plan.’ This plan helps us make sure everyone gets fair treatment and support. This year’s report shows the progress we’ve made on this plan but also shows that there is more work to do to make a lasting, positive impact for everyone we serve, including our staff.
The achievements in this report are thanks to the hard work of our entire team. But there is still more to do. We need to keep focusing on health equity to keep improving. The changes we’ve started over the past six months are just the beginning. With continued effort, we hope to make our services better for everyone, especially those who need us most.
As we move forward, we will keep working hard to support and uplift every member of our diverse community.
