Solent NHS Trust CAMHS’ invaluable partnership with Re:Minds is key to reaching families in need
Re:Minds supports families who have family members living with autism, ADHD, and/or other mental health issues. They currently support around 2,000 families from Southampton and Hampshire, with numbers growing weekly. Help is offered through support groups and advice clinics which provide education and advice on autism, ADHD, mental health, and adult mental health.
Solent NHS Trust’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAHMS) has been partnering with Re:Minds since 2018. Gill Waring, the CEO and founder of Re:Minds, says the partnership with Solent has given them more acceptance in the community. Gill says, “It opens up doors and puts us in touch with other services in a mutually beneficial way. It also helps us secure funding from other sources as they can see the work we do is valued and making a difference. We finally feel listened to and valued, and that inspires us to keep striving to do the best we can.”
Re:Minds works with Solent’s CAMHS team monthly to offer appointments to families, where they can get advice on any issues they are facing. Gill adds, “These clinics mean families can ask a question on things like referrals, advice on behaviour, self-harm, medication, autism, school issues - the list is endless. We have also been able support families further with better communication with CAMHS teams, giving them the chance to speak to a senior manager or clinician when needed.”
Laura Nisbet, Lead CAMHS ADHD Nurse at Solent, says the partnership with Re:Minds is instrumental and provides a gateway for our services to reach those who need it most. Laura says, “We provide regular talks at Re:Minds along with workshops and monthly drop ins so families can speak to specialists. We work closely with them on various topics so we can get feedback from parents and young people to help us better develop our services. After all it is our communities who know our services best and will help us shape our future care.
“Re:Minds help us reach families in a more accessible way that allows us to better understand what their needs are more effectively - speaking to them in a language they can understand, and the input they have into our services is invaluable. The partnership has really grounded us.”
Laura adds; “There is a high demand in the CAHMS ADHD service, so having this gateway allows us to connect and share resource.”
All the learnings are uploaded onto Re:Minds YouTube channel so families have a wealth of knowledge and information to help them whenever they need it. Gill says, “We represent our families views at meetings and in pathway redesigns and Solent gives us the opportunity to be the voice for our families.
“Being the link between Solent and families makes a huge difference. We can feedback the good and the bad and we can help families understand the difficulties the NHS are under. We work as a team with Solent and there is mutual respect. We all work together to do the very best we can and the positive impact this has for families is immense.”