Team celebrates double award win for wellbeing support on offer to patients

A Swansea team has a double cause for celebration after receiving two national awards for their focus on supporting patients’ wellbeing.

The Cwmtawe Local Cluster Collaborative (LCC) picked up two accolades at the latest NHS Wales Awards.

It comes after staff were presented with another NHS Wales award in 2023 for the Cwmtawe Pathway Service, which helps people with complex health and wellbeing needs while taking pressure off GPs.

The project is funded by the LCC and works in partnership with Swansea Council for Voluntary Service (SCVS), which is the umbrella organisation, supporting development of the voluntary sector within Swansea.

Pictured: Members of the cluster and SCVS with NHS Wales chief executive Judith Paget.

This time, the Cwmtawe Cluster, which covers Clydach, Llansamlet and Morriston, had been shortlisted again, in the Whole Systems Approach category in recognition of all the mental health and wellbeing support available to patients.

In 2023, the Cwmtawe Pathway Service won the NHS Award for delivering person centred care, this service is part of the mental health and wellbeing hub based at Strawberry Place Surgery, on behalf of the cluster.

It acts as a one-stop-shop for patients who can access support from a range of services and initiatives.

The cluster is also home to the health board’s first community psychologist, who provides early intervention to support mental health and wellbeing in the community.

While patients can also benefit from wellbeing practitioners, support for complex needs, the mental health virtual ward, an all-age counselling service and social prescribing service and a community wellbeing programme that compliments the work of the hub.

Now, the cluster has been recognised for the second year running after picking up the award in the Developing a Whole Systems Approach category.

Not only that, the team were also presented with the Outstanding Contribution to Healthcare Improvement award for their work too.

Mike Garner, Cwmtawe LCC lead, said: “There has been a huge amount of support and a lot of interest in our mental health and wellbeing hub being rolled out across the region.

“It has been fantastic because we want this service to become available to everyone as it has proven to be so successful.”

The cluster team works alongside colleagues from SCVS, as well as staff from multiple services and organisations such as the charity Mind, Swansea Carers Centre and Fertility Network UK, among others.

SCVS Director Amanda Carr said: “Our longstanding partnership with Cwmtawe Cluster continues to go from strength to strength and we’re delighted to see that again our partnership has received national recognition.

“It’s another demonstration of the added value for patients that comes about when the third and public sectors combine their energies and expertise.”

Bringing the services together in one place has made them more accessible to patients.

This in turn has reduced the demand on GPs for low level mental health needs as patients can seek support and information from the hub where appropriate.

Karen Edwards, health board planning and cluster development support manager, said: “We wanted to change the way people with mental health issues were supported in primary care as the number of patients was increasing.

“The services and support the cluster now offers has all been as a result of patient feedback, where they told us about the types of services they would use.”

Debra Morgan, business and development implementation manager for Cwmtawe LCC, added: “We have heard from patients about the difference it has made to their lives.

“For a lot of people who have been helped by the mental health and wellbeing hub, there hasn’t been another service to help them.

“It has all been about a whole-system approach and improved communication for the benefit of our patients to make sure none of them fall through the net.

“It has very much been a partnership approach, particularly with the third sector. It wouldn’t have been so successful without those close links working together.”

Sharon Miller, Associate Service Group Director for primary and community services, said: “I am delighted that Cwmtawe Cluster have once again been recognised for their innovative work.

“This prestigious award recognises that clusters are ideally placed to respond to the needs of their local population and identify solutions that impact positively on people’s lives.”