Sefton Council

Mental Health Matters (MHM) has successfully launched Talking Matters Sefton. Talking Matters Sefton is the new name for the support service that borough residents can access for help with their mental wellbeing.

Developed in partnership with NHS South Sefton and NHS Southport and Formby Clinical Commissioning Groups, the service ensures that patients can continue to access high-quality talking therapies as conveniently as possible, which is more important than ever in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and its impact on mental wellbeing.

Talking Matters Sefton (TMS) is designed to help anyone aged over 16 in the borough, to deal with common mental health difficulties. These may include depression, anxiety, panic, phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or post-traumatic stress disorder. Staffed by a team of highly skilled mental health professionals, the service is focused on delivering a person-centred approach to help people achieve positive outcomes.

Individuals looking to access support from the service can self-refer online, via email, or over the phone. Referrals can also be made through a Sefton GP.

Those that were accessing the previous talking therapies service have been contacted to confirm that they can expect a consistent level of care and continuity of support.

Victoria Malone, Head of Talking Matters at MHM, said: “We are proud to be running Talking Matters Sefton and to be able to support those in need. Our priorities are to deliver a high-quality service to those already accessing support and to reach out to people across the community, to ensure that residents know that we are here to help during difficult times”.

Dr Hilal Mulla, mental health lead for NHS Southport and Formby CCG, said: “Mental Health Matters has worked hard to ensure that existing patients won’t notice any difference to the high quality of support they receive from professionals as a result of the organisation taking over the running of our talking therapies service on 1 January, so services continue to be there for our residents when they need them.”

Dr Sue Gough, mental health lead for NHS South Sefton CCG, added: “Talking therapies provide a range of support for our residents who’re experiencing common mental health issues and these services are particularly important as we deal with the impact of COVID-19.

“We would encourage anyone experiencing things like stress, anxiety or depression to make contact with Talking Matters Sefton, it’s easy to do and the skilled team of professionals can really help.”

Mental Health Matters is a third sector organisation providing a wide range of support to people with mental health needs offering a welcoming, safe, comfortable, non-judgmental, and non-clinical environment.

MHM has experience in successfully delivering IAPT services for over 12 years and continue to leverage their wealth of experience and clinical best practice to expand services and reach more patients in need.

Learn more: https://www.mhm.org.uk/

Sefton residents with NO coronavirus symptoms planning on getting a COVID-19 test can now find details of the Borough’s SMART test sites on a live map.

As well as showing the precisely location of the Bootle Leisure Centre, Southport Splash World and Aintree Racecourse sites, the NHS Find a Test Centre map also gives an indication of how busy they are and the likely waiting time. At the moment, they are all showing green with a waiting time of less than 15 minutes but if they get busier, Sefton Council will update the map to help people make a choice.

Check out the Live map here.

Each site is open from 9am to 6pm every day apart from Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Monday 28th December and New Year’s Day. No appointments are necessary so people can just turn up.

SMART tests identify if people have COVID-19 but don’t know it because they don’t have symptoms. Results take just 30 minutes to come through.

Sefton Council’s Director of Public Health Margaret Jones has described getting a SMART test before Christmas as a way to reduce the chance of passing on the COVID-19 virus to relations who may be vulnerable to what is still a dangerous virus over Christmas.

She said she understand why people might be reluctant to get a test because a positive result will spoil our Christmas but it’s a question of weighing up a few days’ disappointment against the possibly devastating effects of knowing we’ve given COVID-19 to an elderly or vulnerable relative for whom infection could be very serious and even life-threatening.

“Get a test before getting together,” she added.

Read Margaret Jones’ comments in full.

SMART coronavirus testing’s successful roll-out to Sefton and the City Region, has helped the area stay in Tier 2 – and may help reduce restrictions further in the future.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced today (Thursday 17th December) that Liverpool City Region would stay in the Government’s Tier 2.

The leaders of the six Liverpool City Region Local Authorities and Metro Mayor, Steve Rotheram, are urging people to continue coming forward for the rapid SMART testing as it is repeatedly testing people who have no symptoms in a targeted way which will have significant effect during the coming weeks and months as we strive to keep the spread of virus low.

Liverpool City Region is one of the few places not in Tier 3, where anyone can turn up for rapid, regular and free testing without having symptoms of Covid-19.

Sefton and the opther five City Region councils are taking part in the extended programme which aims to use targeted testing to enable people to live more normal lives.

In addition to identifying people with the virus, who could unknowingly pass it on, regular testing will hopefully allow residents to return to the things they love – and continue to miss as a result of national and local restrictions.

In Sefton, SMART COVID-19 testing for residents who DON’T have COVID-19 symptoms is now taking place at:

• Splash World in Southport
• Bootle Leisure Centre
• Aintree Racecourse.

Each site is open from 9am to 6pm every day apart from Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Monday 28th December and New Year’s Day. No appointments necessary so you can just turn up.

“SMART” testing refers to Systematic, Meaningful, Asymptomatic, Repeated Testing, with the approach being based on the learning of the pilot in Liverpool which continues to inform how testing can be developed nationally.

Covid-19 infection rates have fallen across the city region’s 1.6 million people, now standing at around 100 per 100,000 people. At their peak in October rates were around 700 per 100,000.

Testing in this way does not mean that people should not continue to be vigilant, but the benefits of identifying those who are carrying the virus, without knowing, are already showing through.

In a joint statement today , Sefton Council leader, the Metro Mayor, Acting Mayor of Liverpool and Leaders of the other Local Authority Leaders, said: “When our region went from the highest tier into Tier 2 restrictions after the national lockdown ended, we said it was a vindication of the hard work, sacrifice and dedication of the 1.6m people who live in our region.

“Today’s announcement that we are to continue in Tier 2 is a credit to all of those people that acted responsibly to help reduce our transmission rates. Now is not the time to be complacent.

“Tier 2 is not without restrictions, but it does mean that people are able to enjoy a more ordinary Christmas. We cannot afford to undo all the hard work and sacrifice that people have made over the past few weeks.

“It is really important that we remain vigilant, celebrate responsibly and safely, especially if we are to avoid more severe restrictions in the new year. So please keep following the advice, get tested and keep each other safe.

“Coronavirus is the worst present you can give anybody this Christmas, so please look out for each other.”

Director of Testing and Mass Vaccination for Cheshire & Merseyside, Terry Whalley, said: “SMART is a huge opportunity for the Liverpool City Region and I’ve no doubt that the unprecedented amount of testing we’ve been doing has helped us get the R down and allowed us to stay in Tier 2. We continue to lead the way on testing those without symptoms across the region.

“I believe that targeted repeat testing, two or three times a week, of certain groups of people can make a real difference to the way we live with Covid-19 as we continue to roll out an effective vaccine.

“We can make use of SMART to be as sure as possible that we are not carrying Covid-19 to the Christmas table or spreading it to our loved ones as we enjoy the festive period.

“Together, let’s keep proving that additional testing of those without symptoms can help protect lives and livelihoods, while of course still being careful to do the basics – hands, space, face.

“Look after your family and friends this Christmas and get tested to protect them and others now and into the new year.”

Find out more about SMART testing in Sefton.