A parish council in Wokingham was one of the partners in the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care System (ICS) which helped flyer drop more than 10,000 leaflets in an area where mental health problems were growing.

Working together the local authority, Citizens Advice and colleagues across healthcare, identified an unusually high increase in mental health problems in the Earley region of Wokingham.

They began a campaign to promote a new Citizens Advice service to residents called ‘One Front Door’ where people could ring for advice and be signposted, for example, to their GP, local food banks, mental health services, employment or financial support.

The parish council helped drop over 10,000 leaflets to homes, and colleagues worked with GP practices to promote the service to patients. Those with highest need were referred to their GP. So far 400 people have used the service and reported improvements in their mental health status following a four week follow up. It is likely that this model will be rolled out across other areas in the system.

Find out more about Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICS.