People within Sheffield with lived experience, carers, mental health professionals, primary care (GP practices) and the voluntary sector worked together to develop this service - an integrated primary and community mental health offer for those with serious mental illness (SMI).

We have combined our experience and expertise to collaborate and create a new service model that will achieve the best possible outcomes for the people who use it. We have put people at the heart of this new service.

The partners working together are:

  • Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust
  • Primary Care Sheffield
  • Sheffield Mind

And we work alongside:

  • South Yorkshire Integrated Care System
  • Rethink Mental Illness
  • Sheffield VCSE Mental Health Alliance
  • Voluntary Action Sheffield
  • Union Staff Side representatives
  • Sheffield City Council
  • Primary Care representatives

National transformation

The NHS Long Term Plan and the Community Framework for Mental Health for Adults and Older Adults set out an ambitious programme of change for all community mental health services for serious mental illness (SMI) across England between 2019/20 and 2023/24.

Part of the national commitment is to improve access to and the experience of community mental health care, support and treatment for SMI.

The national transformation programme is a bold, collaborative and ambitious contribution to transforming the lives of people with SMI and those who support and enable them.

Click here to watch a video on the NHS community mental health transformation by NHS England.

What has happened so far?

To achieve this, we set out on a phased approach to transforming mental health care in the city.

Since September 2022, we have held 12 engagement events, both online and in person, in a wide range of venues across Sheffield.

We have collected the views, opinions, valuable challenges and most importantly the hopes for the future of over 300 members of service users, experts by experience and members of staff across a huge variety of departments and organisations.

This invaluable input has helped us to get to where we are today with our new model.

Map of Sheffield with colours denoting which areas are covered by which of Sheffield's 15 primary care networks

How have we shaped the service?

Through this transformation, we wanted to improve mental health care, support and treatment; to remove the barriers that many people currently experience and to join up provision.

A core mental health offer is now available within each of the 15 Primary Care Networks in Sheffield. It brings care, support and treatment to where service users live and their local communities.

Our teams are made up of people from different organisations including the NHS and voluntary sector - collaborating and working as one local community healthcare team - to deliver the most impactful service for you.

We have streamlined the assessment and referral process, so that people only need to come through our front door once. They can then be directed to the best part of the mental health system for them. We also ensure there is no gap between treatment provided by NHS Talking Therapies and community mental health teams and that everyone finds the right treatment for them.

We take a needs-led approach, and have invested more into the areas of Sheffield with the highest needs.

Everyone has a personalised care plan that looks at their mental health, physical health and social issues so we can help to respond to all of these. We also review the service with people who use it, in line with national measurements.

All the staff working within the community teams work from a clinical system which enables information to be shared easily and in a timely manner with wider community teams.

The transformation has brought together parts of the existing healthcare system, alongside VCSE colleagues and new roles to make a new integrated offer:

Mental health interventions for serious mental illness

  • Short Term Educational Programme
  • Primary Care mental health team

Talking Therapies

  • Ensure people continue to access Talking Therapies under existing service provision
  • Provide a pathway for unsuitable Talking Therapies referrals to be supported in Primary Care, including direct booking arrangements

Voluntary sector

  • Investment of new funds into VCSE organisation linked to serious mental illness priorities within each primary care network
  • Build capacity and services for serious mental illness to meet local population needs
  • Provide improved social support
  • Align as part of NHS service delivery structures

Primary Care

  • Provide a multidisciplinary team that is based within primary care and is seen as part of the core primary care team
  • Align mental and physical health care records
  • Improve communication, care management and outcomes
  • Development of primary care network mental health additional mental health practitioner roles

Related content

About the service

Looking for mental health support from your GP in Sheffield? Find out more here about Sheffield Primary and Community Mental Health Service.

Patient stories

Hear from patients about the experiences they have had with the Sheffield Primary and Community Mental Health Service.

Associated services

Find out about the services in Sheffield which are associated with the Primary and Community Mental Health Service.

Contact us

Need to get in touch or leave feedback? Find our contact details here.

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