Healthy Together Peer Support

Our Healthy Together Peer Support is for people living with serious mental health illness (SMI). We work in partnership with GP surgeries and with the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust’s (NSFT) SMI Suffolk Physical Health Team (SPHT). When you attend your annual health check at your GP surgery or with the NSFT Suffolk Physical Health Team, they can arrange additional support for you through with our Healthy Together Team. Our Healthy Together Staff can give you additional time and support to help you to arrange your health care appointments and to achieve your physical health and wellbeing goals.

• One to one support by telephone to discuss health care and wellbeing goals.
• Support to find out information, discuss options and choices for improved health and wellbeing.
• Practical help to arrange appointments.
• Support on the day to attend appointments.
• One to one time to talk through how things are going, to identify any problems and barriers to accessing healthcare,
• Flexible support based on individuals preferences, needs and wishes.
• On going support and follow up.

We believe that living with a mental health problem should not mean people have any less right to good physical health.

As a trusted user led organisation, all our staff have lived experience of mental ill health, so can better understand some of the barriers to accessing healthcare. We know people have difficulties contacting statutory services, arranging appointments and travelling to unfamiliar places as this can cause anxiety.  Working with people we will better understand their individual support needs and work to minimize barriers to improved healthcare.

We believe in continuous coproduction, delivering a personalised approach, which is welcoming, accessible, approachable, safe, trauma informed, flexible and adaptable.

Together we make every contact count, providing information, building knowledge and self confidence for self advocacy and providing additional support for people to achieve their healthcare goals. This includes accompanying people to their appointments.

Equally Well UK

We actively support the work of the national charity Equally Well UK who aims to reduce the physical health inequalities for people with severe mental illness. SUF has coproduced our Equally Well pledge and signed the Equally Well Charter. To find out more about Equally Well use this link https://equallywell.co.uk/

Our Coproduced Equally Well Pledge

Suffolk User Forum is a service user led mental health charity and proud to be part of the Equally Well initiative.

We are committed to seeing people as a whole and believe that people must always be seen as more than mental health labels. Physical and mental health must be given equal respect and attention.

We offer peer support that empowers people to have a voice to address their physical health needs.

We will continue to embrace coproduction and to encourage services to respond to people’s individual needs; ensuring they receive an all-inclusive service.

We will continue to listen to everyone and to make sure their voices are heard.

We will play our part in ensuring that service user feedback leads to better services now and in the future.

Guenever Pachent

Chair of Suffolk User Forum.  14^th June 2021