The Welsh health secretary today announced new early intervention pilots to help reduce reliance by mental health patients on prescription medication.
Mind Cymru and the British Red Cross have been awarded a total of £1,351,066 to deliver projects to support adults who have low to moderate mental health problems across Wales.
The types of interventions could include non-clinical interventions such as mindfulness, referrals to advice and support for housing, debt and benefits, and community based wellbeing activities such as walking groups, arts and craft.
This is known as ‘social prescribing.’
‘These pilots will build on existing work across Wales to promote social prescribing, to ensure people have access to care and support which truly recognises them as an individual, and takes account of the full range of factors which could be affecting their mental health and wellbeing,’ said health secretary, Vaughan Gething.
‘They will provide valuable evidence about which interventions are most effective so that we can develop models to be used across Wales.’