The latest edition of the government’s strategy for improving islanders’ mental health and wellbeing was last night launched amid a backdrop of rising demand for services and unmet need.

Encompassing the period 2026-2030, the All Age Mental Health Strategy is focused on prevention and early intervention, as well as achieving more effective responses to crisis situations and improvements in rehabilitation services to aid recovery.

Preparatory work for the strategy, which covers a person’s entire lifespan, included surveys and focus groups that identified some of the challenges that exist.

The strategy document cites feedback from children and young people about crisis support being hard to access and not always available when needed, inequality caused by financial barriers and the transition from CAMHS to adult services being “abrupt and poorly supported”.

Professionals working in adult mental health and members of the public reported that services were not joined up, and often did not communicate or work well together, with an insufficient focus on prevention.

Individuals with complex or overlapping needs were often passed between services or fell between gaps, the strategy notes, with criticism over the need to attend the Hospital’s Emergency Department for mental-health crisis as “distressing and often a poor experience” and a call for a greater focus on dementia.

The ministerial duo behind the strategy, Health Minister Tom Binet and Children’s Minister Richard Vibert, said the work was reflective of “a shared vision of a Jersey where everyone, regardless of their age or diagnosis, has the right to good mental health, care, and support”.

Four priority areas are spelled out:

  • Prevention, early intervention and building resilience.
  • Integrated pathways and quality interventions.
  • Crisis and urgent care response.
  • Recovery, rehabilitation and transitions.

Deputy Binet and Constable Vibert said: “Over the next five years, we will continue to build a community where mental health and wellbeing are understood as everyone’s business, where services are joined up, and where no one is left behind.

“The Government cannot achieve these changes alone. We must collaborate with our partners and Islanders to champion and improve care and support for all.”

Deputy Binet added: “Supporting islanders’ mental health is a fundamental priority for this Government. The All Age Mental Health Strategy sets out a clear, coordinated pathway to improve mental health and wellbeing at every stage of life. It has been shaped by islanders and by the expertise of those working across our health and care community sectors.

Mr Vibert said: “Many of us experience mental-health challenges at some point in our lives. We know these difficulties often begin early, and they can shape the way a child grows, learns, and moves into adulthood.

“That’s why this new Mental Health Strategy is so important – it’s designed to make sure support is there for people of all ages, from early childhood right through to later life.

“We want to build a community where mental health is understood, where help is easier to find for families and individuals, and where no one feels they have to cope alone.”

Read the strategy document here.

More to follow…