Priory UK teams up with national charity to help people access mental health support
Priory, part of MEDIAN Group, has teamed up with mental health charity in the UK called Chasing the Stigma to help people access a range of support via a unique and free online directory called the Hub of Hope.
Managed and maintained by the charity, the Hub of Hope connects people of all ages to more than 14,000 services and groups across the UK, directing them to the nearest relevant local support using either their postcode or the location of the web browser or mobile.
Also available as a smartphone app, it is the UK’s largest and most comprehensive directory of mental health services and aims to ensure everyone is able to find appropriate support before they reach a point of crisis.
Searches can be filtered by specific concern or type of support required, such as peer-to-peer groups or NHS, voluntary or independent services, as well as immediate help via a ‘Need Help Now?’ button that connects directly to Samaritans or the Shout 85258 messaging service.
Priory, the UK’s largest independent provider of mental health and adult social care services, will also have its private adult mental health, child and adolescent mental health services, eating disorders and addiction support listed on the database.
The partnership comes amid growing concerns about the UK’s mental health crisis and people’s ability to access the services they need quickly.
Last year, the National Audit Office reported 1.2 million people were waiting for help from community-based mental health services, while an estimated eight million people with mental health needs were not in contact with any support services.
As part of the project, the organisations will work together to raise awareness of critical issues in mental health, with Chasing the Stigma chief executive Jake Mills set to appear on an upcoming episode of Perspectives, a panel discussion programme released quarterly on Priory’s YouTube channel.
The episode, which will also feature Priory’s therapy director Debbie Longsdale and consultant psychiatrist Dr Victoria Chamorro, will focus on children and young people’s mental health and will cover everything from transitioning to adulthood to the challenges presented by social media.
It comes following the release of data by the Children’s Commissioner in March which showed more than a quarter of a million children and young people in England were waiting for mental health support – with 40,000 waiting more than two years.
Rebekah Cresswell, chief executive of Priory, said: “We are pleased to announce our partnership with Chasing the Stigma and help to broaden access to the Hub of Hope, which is an excellent signposting resource for a wide range of support options.
“We share the charity’s mission to normalise and humanise conversations about mental health and ensure everyone in the UK can access clear pathways to support, so we are excited about the opportunities this relationship presents to collaborate further.”
Jake said: “The Hub of Hope is the only app of its kind that brings local voluntary, grassroots, independent and third sector mental health support services together in one place, providing consistent signposting to mental health support across the UK.
“Hundreds of thousands of us struggle with fluctuations in mental health day-to-day, so it is crucial that we all know what to do and where to go if we feel we need help.
“This was true even before the pandemic but now with a whole range of other factors, including social media and the cost of living crisis exacerbating the problem, it is vital we all work together to offer a consistent and clear cut route to help and support for everyone.
“By working in partnership with organisations like Priory, we are confident that we will serve people across the UK better than ever before and ensure that it is as easy as possible to access the mental health support they need.”