How Everton aims to provide a benchmark in mental health provision

How Everton aims to provide a benchmark in mental health provision

L4 (Liverpool area) will soon be the proud home of a new purpose-built mental health and wellbeing hub with Everton in the Community’s People’s Place drawing nearer to completion. In mark of World Suicide Prevention Day, the charity’s newly appointed Senior Programme Manager of the People’s Place has revealed how its services will work towards improving the mental and physical wellbeing of members of its community. 

Jon Jones joined Everton in the Community’s health and wellbeing team earlier this year with an initial brief to helping shape the vital services which the building will deliver. Having previously worked alongside Everton in the Community’s research partner, Edge Hill University, Jones has already experienced working alongside EitC and was part of the team who set up Tackling the Blues in 2015. 

“I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Everton in the Community before so I’ve got a good understanding of its fantastic work, in particular its health and wellbeing projects.”(…) “You don’t often get the opportunity to shape something from scratch and try new things – so it gives me a real unique and exciting opportunity.”(…) “We want it to be the model of good practice of how you engage communities and improve mental health and wellbeing.” 

Jon Jones, Senior Programme Manager of the People’s Place

Speaking ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day, Jones explains how the building will aim to prevent participants from suicidal thoughts and needing crisis support: 

“Everything that is going to be delivered within the People’s Place and wider feeds into preventing suicide. Accessing the programmes will give people strategies and techniques – the peer-to-peer elements will help with social isolation and also the education and development side of it all feeds into preventing suicide by improving people’s mental health and wellbeing.”

“We hope that everybody who engages in the People’s Place and Everton in the Community is more aware of what works for them as a result and knows what they can do if their mental health and wellbeing is poor at that time – which will help them deal with certain challenges.”

“They will then be in a better position to look after their wellbeing, which will then put them at a lower risk of feeling suicidal further down the line. A lot of our work is preventative in terms of giving people strategies to help them. We’re aware that people’s mental health can vary monthly, weekly and even daily – so we can capture people when they’re at the stage of needing crisis support – and sign-post that crisis support there for them.” 

Jon Jones, Senior Programme Manager of the People’s Place

The People’s Place will house the charity’s mental health projects and allow for a huge expansion of its award-winning provision. The building will promote positive mental health and suicide prevention through an extensive range of evidence-based provision.  

As the first of its kind attached to a Premier League Club, the dedicated hub will provide a range of wellbeing activities – with a layer of professional care from Health and Wellbeing Practitioners, GPs and mental health professionals – alongside educational and employment support.  

Jones goes on to describe how the People’s Place will provide a holistic approach and how it will collaborate with key delivery partners. 

“We’ve started that foundation and base of provision that people can access and be referred on to, whether that is through the programmes we already have, it may be through additional provision we provide or whether that’s collaborating with other providers of mental health support and services such as financial and housing support.” 

“If it’s somebody who has never accessed EitC before, it’s important we have that solid foundation of mental health and wellbeing provision which they can access. Longer term, we want to try some new ideas around digital technology and building relations with NHS mental healthcare providers to establish that network of relationships around Liverpool and wider as well.”

“What makes Everton in the Community’s mental health provision stand out is the life course provision. I am a 33-year-old male and a dad, and I know there is support for me within programmes. Each programme takes into account each individual and the people around them too.” 

Jon Jones, Senior Programme Manager of the People’s Place