Hartlepool council leader Shane Moore opens up on his own mental health battle as chiefs discuss rise in referrals during covid pandemic

While there was an initial drop in demand for support at the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, referrals have since gone above and beyond pre-pandemic levels, a meeting of Hartlepool’s Health and Wellbeing Board heard.

Numerous support avenues were highlighted at the meeting, and Hartlepool Borough Council leader Cllr Shane Moore, raised the importance of ‘social prescribing’ and the benefits exercise can have.

Cllr Moore said he himself struggled with depression and anxiety a number of years ago, and he hailed the benefits taking up exercise had.

He said: “Myself a number of years ago, I struggled for quite a few years quite badly with depression and anxiety.

“The only thing that managed to break the cycle for me was the recommendation of taking up exercise again.

“I signed myself up to do the Great North Run and then I had to get out and start practising.

“For me that was a perfect way of breaking down that downward spiral and it was the beginning of getting back to some form of normality.”

Cllr Stephen Thomas, council mental health champion, noted despite positive steps taken, the pandemic has shown there is ‘still a stigma’ over mental health, and stressed the importance of people accessing support as soon as they can.

Health chiefs added social prescribing is among a ‘huge range’ of activities to help support residents, while primary care networks going forward will also be able to recruit ‘health and wellbeing coaches’.

It came following a presentation looking at the impact of Covid-19 on mental health issues and how it will shape services going forward.

Cllr Thomas said one of the ‘real significant areas of concern’ coming out of the pandemic is the impact it has had on mental health.

He said: “We have come a long way in addressing some of the stigmas attached to mental health.

“Some of the evidence that’s coming through from people experiencing mental health conditions for the first time really does illustrate some of those stigmas are still out there.

“The fundamental thing is people getting support at that earliest possible opportunity.

“There are people there who will help, the earlier people access those services, it’s better for them, it’s better for their families and it’s better for service providers.”

Dominic Gardner, from the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust, added they have seen a rise in referrals following an ‘initial suppression of demand’ following the Covid-19 outbreak.

He added this is only expected to rise and stressed the importance of all organisations working together on the issue.

He said: “We’ve seen that absolutely bounce back now and in terms of our urgent care services we’re seeing demand way in excess of pre-covid levels, probably around about the 10 to 20% mark in excess of what we were seeing.

“No single organisation has got the answers so we all need to work in partnership.”

He also noted a survey carried out in June and July among young people in Hartlepool showed 80% of respondents said coronavirus had made their mental health worse.

Meanwhile 41% had said it made it ‘much worse’ while 87% said they had felt lonely or isolated.

However praise was given to community hubs, Hartlepool Carers and a variety of groups across the region for their support offered to those with mental health issues, especially during the pandemic.

Support your Mail and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news, the latest on Pools and new puzzles every day. With a digital subscription, you can see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe.