About Living Well
The Living Well system of support
Why do we need new systems of mental health support?
During the Living Well UK programme, our team visited half a dozen local mental health systems across the UK. We saw, heard and learnt from brilliant people doing seriously difficult work with limited resources inside the current mental health system. Perhaps the most inspiring stories we heard are those of people recovering from mental illness, emotional distress and trauma, who all want to work for a system that is better.
We identified a set of false choices and gaps in the current system which drive how services are delivered.
What is a Living Well system of support?
The programme is helping to build Living Well systems of support that put people's strengths and lived experience at the centre and are designed to help people recover and stay well as part of their community.
Living Well systems of support are distinguishable by a set of key features:
Outcomes
Are accountable for people centred outcomes that promote choice, recovery and citizenship
Citizens
See people as citizens within communities, rather than ‘patients’ or ‘professionals’
Voice
Put the voice of lived experience at the centre of services and
the system
Networks
Activate supportive
social networks
Access
Provide timely access to
support where it is needed
Collaboration
Work collaboratively
and flatten hierarchies
Strengths
Work holistically, building up
and on people’s strengths
Learning
Have permission to test
and learn together