The toolkit, commissioned by NMHDU and Developed and produced by Karen Newbigging and Chris Heginbotham, The International School for Communities, Rights and Inclusion - University of Central Lancashire, provides a resource for local authority and health commissioners to improve the mental wellbeing of people living in their areas.
Population mental wellbeing has been the focus for research and development over the last decade both in the UK and internationally. It has been shown to have real potential to improve the quality of people's lives, relationships and communities. This will only be further realised if health service and local authority commissioners think more about and act on the mental health and wellbeing of the wider population, as well as on preventing or ameliorating the effects of mental illness. Taken together these activities are not in conflict with each other, in fact they are mutually supportive and reinforcing and help achieve the wider social and economic outcomes we desire.
This toolkit will help with this real and emerging arena and provides some helpful resources and pointers to appropriate strategies and interventions. It is intended to be a helpful guide for moving this agenda forward locally and to be a step on the road to improved strategic commissioning for mental wellbeing.
Gregor Henderson
Wellbeing and Population Mental Health Lead National Mental Health Development Unit December 2010