As a result of austerity, the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis mental health inequalities have widened in Bury and across Greater Manchester and the UK. Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership (GMHSCP), Bury Council and Centre for Mental Health are determined to improve health and wellbeing and have worked together to co-produce a mental health complex system map and set of suggested actions for the borough to take this forward.
Some people and communities are at much greater risk of worsened mental health: those living in poverty, poor quality housing or with precarious or no employment; those with drug, alcohol or gambling issues; older people who are more likely be bereaved by Covid-19 and may be at greater risk of social isolation; women and children exposed to violence and trauma at home; people with long-term physical health conditions; and people from racialised communities where many health outcomes are worse due to structural racism. These inequalities are largely the result of economic and social factors that put some people and communities at a dramatically higher risk of poor mental health. Being economic and social in nature these factors are therefore changeable. To support that change GMHSCP commissioned Centre for Mental Health to support boroughs take action to reduce mental health inequalities. Bury Council chose to use this resource to help co-produce, with over 70 local people from the community and services, a complex system map of Bury’s mental health and wellbeing risks and protective factors. In a second workshop local people co-produced a set of actions based on evidence and the gaps and assets identified by the map. The map and recommendations will now be taken to system leaders in a bid to influence policy and commissioning decisions.