One in four of us will experience mental ill-health at some point in our lives, with mental illnesses constituting the largest single burden of disease nationally. GP referrals show that East Sussex has a higher prevalence of severe mental illness and depression than England as a whole, and Rye is in need of services alongside the rest of the county.
As well as the recent Government announcement about the roll-out of mental health walk-in centres, Rye is to be one of two locations in East Sussex to benefit from a new service for people experiencing mental health and well-being challenges. It is designed around people’s individual needs and will make accessing support as simple as possible.
Anyone can attend a UOK Wellbeing Walk-in Welcome Session without an appointment or a referral, while Saturday telephone appointments can be booked online. The service will also offer a range of support including one-to-one sessions, peer support groups, social and community activities, and help to connect with specialist services where needed.
The UOK Wellbeing Service is part of the wider UOK partnership, a network of voluntary and community organisations working together to improve mental health and wellbeing across East Sussex.
Stuart Reid, partnership lead for UOK East Sussex, said, “The launch of the UOK Wellbeing Service is an important step towards making mental health support easier to access for people. We know people want support that is welcoming, connected to their local community, and centred around what matters most to them.”
Walk-in sessions are at Tilling Green Community Centre every Tuesday from 11am to 2pm.
Find out more about the UOK Wellbeing Service in Rother here
Image Credits: James Stewart .