Mental health and wellbeing refers to a combination of feeling good and functioning effectively. Good mental health is the foundation for wellbeing and the effective functioning of individuals and communities. It impacts on how individuals think, feel, communicate and understand, and is fundamental to physical health, relationships, education, work, and to achieving our potential. It enables us to manage our lives successfully and live to our full potential.
Poor mental health is the lack of feeling good and functioning effectively. Poor mental health affects a high proportion of the population, of all ages and from all stages of life. Its impacts are felt across society on family life, friends and relationships, education, finding work, working, caring for others, leisure pursuits and retirement.
As we tackle the challenges of mental health in society post Covid, a Public Mental Health approach is essential in taking a population-based preventative approach that considers primary, secondary and tertiary prevention and the interplays between all three. A public mental health approach is concerned with promoting mental wellbeing, preventing future mental health problems and with recovery from mental illness.
In summary, Mental health is more than the absence of mental illness. It is a state of wellbeing in which an individual realises their own assets, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to their community. Mental health is therefore of universal benefit to all, underpinning our health and functioning throughout life and as our circumstances change so does our mental health.
Mental health, resilience and wellbeing data report: Click the report tabs to explore more data around mental health and wellbeing in County Durham. Click on the expand button in the bottom right of the box to open in full screen mode.
Audits and Assessments
County-Durham-HIA-Health-Inequalities-COVID-Final (PDF; 2Mb)
Our strategies, plans and groups
The Health and Wellbeing Board’s Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2023-28 contains four priorities. One of these is ‘Improving mental health, resilience and wellbeing’. The strategy lists the following differences which we can expect to see in the life of the JLHWS (2028):
● Improvement in self-reported wellbeing
● Reductions in reported anxiety levels
● Reductions in depression levels
● Reductions in demand for specialist mental health services
● Reduction in suicide rates
● Increase in people reporting they can access the right help when they need it
● Reducing premature mortality for adults with Severe Mental Illness
County Durham Care Partnership Plan
Strategic Assets
Coming soon….
Other Intelligence Tools
Average (mean) personal well-being ratings, UK, year ending March 2012 to March 2022
Our strategies, plans and groups
The Health and Wellbeing Board’s Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2023-28 contains four priorities. One of these is ‘Improving mental health, resilience and wellbeing’. The strategy lists the following differences which we can expect to see in the life of the JLHWS (2028):
● Improvement in self-reported wellbeing
● Reductions in reported anxiety levels
● Reductions in depression levels
● Reductions in demand for specialist mental health services
● Reduction in suicide rates
● Increase in people reporting they can access the right help when they need it
● Reducing premature mortality for adults with Severe Mental Illness
County Durham Care Partnership Plan
The Evidence base
- The NHS Long Term Plan (2019)
- NHS Mental Health Implementation Plan 2019/20 – 2023/24
- Five Year Forward View for Mental Health
- Prevention Green Paper: Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s.
- Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health (Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, updated Feb 2023)
- NHS England and the Department of Health published Future in Mind in 2015
- No Health Without Mental Health: a cross-government outcomes strategy (2011)
- Health Equity in England: The Marmot Review 10 Years On – The Health Foundation
- Wellbeing and mental health: Applying All Our Health – GOV.UK
- Mental health promotion and mental illness prevention: the economic case – GOV.UK
- NICE Mental Health and Wellbeinghttps://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/lifestyle-and-wellbeing/mental-health-and-wellbeing
- An overview of systematic reviews on mental health promotion, prevention, and treatment of common mental disorders for refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced persons.
- Associate Directors of Public Health – What we say about mental health
Other relevant links
- Mental Health, Dementia and Neurology profiles, PHE
- Public Health England: Mental Health,Dementia and Neurology
- Children’s and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Profiles
- HES (Hospital Episode Statistics) data, NHS Digital
- Quality Outcomes Framework, NHS Digital
- LG Inform: Health and Wellbeing report