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
The Health and Wellbeing Framework has been developed to support schools and education settings in County Durham to improve the overall health and wellbeing of their children, young people and staff. It will provide structure and guidance for schools and education settings to enable the promotion and development of good health and wellbeing.
Strategic assets – Mental Health and Wellbeing
Strategic assets are:
- services, activities, and initiatives that we commission or grant fund for the benefit of communities across County Durham
- resources that we have available to us to support communities across County Durham such as workforce, training, or partnerships
- knowledge and insight that our communities and workforce have that they have told us about through research, consultation or other forms of engagement
- experience that our communities and workforce have of living or working in County Durham and/or services that are provided
For more information visit our Strategic assets page.
Children and Young People’s mental health and wellbeing strategic assets: Click the icons to explore the strategic assets identified for Children and Young People’s 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
Adult’s mental health and wellbeing strategic assets: Coming soon…..
The evidence base
- Association of Directors of Public Health: What we say about… mental health
- Cochrane Library: An overview of systematic reviews on mental health promotion, prevention, and treatment of common mental disorders for refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced persons
- Department for Education Guidance: Relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education
- Department of Health and Social Care Guidance: Future in mind – promoting, protecting and improving our children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing
- Department of Health and Social Care Policy Paper: Mental health promotion and mental illness prevention: the economic case
- NHS England Plan: NHS Mental Health Implementation Plan 2019/20 – 2023/24
- NICE guidance and quality standards on: Mental health and wellbeing
- Office of Health Improvement and Disparities Guidance: Wellbeing and mental health: Applying All Our Health
- Office of Health Improvement and Disparities Collection: Prevention Concordat for Better Mental Health
- Office of Health Improvement and Disparities and Department for Education Guidance: Promoting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing
Other relevant links
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- LG Inform: Health and Wellbeing report
- Office of Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID): Mental Health Intelligence Profiles
- Office of Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID): Children’s and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Profile