Background and Context for Social Care Market for Adults of Working Age with Mental Ill Health

Background

All care and support for adults of working age with mental ill health is provided by West Sussex County Council within relevant legislation, national policy and guidance, and the County Council’s overall strategies, frameworks, and policies around adult social care and health and well-being.

Policy

In terms of national policy there are a number of strategic documents which have been and are being used to shape the way we work. These include the Department of Health and Social Care’s 2016 ‘Social Work for Better Mental Health’ strategic statement, the Government’s ‘Suicide Prevention Strategy for England, 2023-2028’, and the Centre for Mental Health’s 2022 policy paper ‘No Wrong Door – A vision for mental health learning disabilities and autism services in 2032’.

The 2016 strategic statement has been used regionally to enable local authorities to develop their mental health offer, and an action planning approach has been promoted that is kept under review. Changes to both the Mental Health Act and the Mental Capacity Act’s Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards are under consideration and have been proposed by the UK Government.

The 2019 National Workforce Plan for Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs) makes reference to a number of key areas relating to the sustainability of a robust AMHP workforce.

The World Health Organisation highlights suicide as a major public health risk, accounting for one in 100 of all deaths globally. They estimate that for every suicide there are 20 non-fatal suicide attempts.

Every death by suicide is an individual tragedy and a cause of huge distress to friends, families, and communities (references for this data are in the Sussex Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan 2024-2027, published by Sussex Health and Care).

Mind and Rethink promote an annual ‘Time to Talk’ day as the nation’s biggest mental health conversation – to support ourselves as well as others.

Legal duties

The council has duties to meet the needs of adults of working age with mental ill health through the Care Act 2014, Mental Health Act 1983 and Mental Capacity Act 2005 which it fulfils. Further information about how the Council fulfils these duties can be found in Appendix 1.