This week is Mental Health Awareness Week, an opportunity to collectively focus on our mental health during these testing times. At the moment being aware of our own mental health, and that of others is extremely important as more people find themselves isolated from friends, family and their community.
Last week I caught up with the CEO of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Sam Allen, who runs all the local mental health services to find out how they are continuing to support those in need, despite the lockdown. Thankfully most services have remained open to allow ongoing support to patients. Like many, they have had to adapt to new ways of working and the Trust has been making good use of the newly launched Attend Anywhere service which offers digital consultations and assessments – so much so, that our Trust is number one in the UK for digital consultations. They also operate the Sussex Mental Healthline which is available to people in a crisis or for general support, it’s open 24/7 on 0300 5000 101. I passed on our thanks to Sam and her team for everything they are doing.
We’re all working out new ways to keep engaged and protect our mental health, from going on long bike rides and walks, to having online quizzes, drinks and dinner parties – I recently joined a virtual gin tasting around the Scottish Isles which was a fun way to spend the evening and perhaps even a future holiday.
Another great way to keep mentally positive is to help others. As an MP I am in a privileged position to hear about all the brilliant work ongoing throughout the constituency. In Selsey, Jo Hughes and her team at the Selsey Community Centre prepared party bags to help people celebrate VE Day and they actively support people every day with their well-organised buddy system. In Midhurst, the Angels are delivering food and prescriptions to those who can't leave home. These are just two of the many community groups tirelessly working for others in the area.
Last weekend the community came together to support the homeless charity Stonepillow, who are doing an incredible job supporting those most in need. Many people slept somewhere different in their home or garden as part of the charity’s socially distant Little Big Sleep Out, to raise money for homeless support services. My husband and I joined in by sleeping out on our garden furniture, which was a tad more comfortable than sleeping in the cathedral grounds.
The event has raised over £13,000 so far, which reminds me how lucky we are to live in a place with such a generous and giving spirit. The coronavirus has been devastating for so many people, but it has certainly reinvigorated the sense of community and charity across the Chichester district. So thank you to everyone!
