Established in October 2019, UOK Brighton & Hove (previously kown as Community Roots) is a network of local community-based services working together to support good mental health and wellbeing in Brighton and Hove.
The first of its kind in Sussex, the citywide network brings together 17 separate organisations to strengthen, develop and integrate mental health support for different levels of need.
All our services are person-centred, responsive and flexible to meet people’s needs. In everything that we do, we aim to maximise hope, independence and resilience so that people can manage their mental health and realise their full potential.
One of our key aims is to ensure that no matter where people enter the mental health system, they can easily gain access to services and that there is no wrong door. We are committed to ensuring all of Brighton and Hove’s diverse communities, including minority and underrepresented groups, know what services are available and how to access them.
Our collaborative and integrated approach is based on recommendations in the Kings Fund’s 2014 report,"Transforming mental health: a plan of action for London'. The report highlights the value of incorporating the strengths of individual providers whilst working together to a shared agenda.
Who are we?
Sussex-based housing, care and support provider, Southdown, is the ‘lead provider’ for the five-year UOK Brighton & Hove contract, which is funded by NHS Brighton and Hove CCG and Brighton and Hove City Council.
The other 16 local organisations that make up, and provide services as part of UOK Brighton & Hove are: Allsorts Youth Project, Assert, Brighton Women’s Centre, Cruse Bereavement Care, Fabrica, Friends, Families & Travellers, Grassroots, The Hangleton & Knoll Project, Mind, Mind Out, Money Advice Plus, Trust for Developing Communities (TDC), Rethink, Switchboard, The Clare Project and YMCA Downslink Group.
As well as working with one another, Southdown and UOK Brighton & Hove's organisations work with partners in the mental health and wider health and care system (both clinical and other non-clinical services). Through collaborative working, we aim to ensure people access the most appropriate support, extend the pathways of mental health and wellbeing support and remove barriers to access.
About our services
Based on the recovery model for mental health, our services have a holistic, person-centered approach to mental health care that focuses on the person, not just their symptoms.
The concept of recovery is about people staying in control of their life despite their mental health challenges. Our services include prevention, wellbeing and recovery support for people with a range of mental health challenges. Support for carers and families is available too.
Visit ‘Our Services’ to find out more.
To help people navigate and access services, one of UOK Brighton & Hove’s first initiatives was a ‘central access point’ phone number and website.
Visit ‘Talk to Us’ to find out more.
Did you know?
At any one time, one in four adults will experience mental health challenges significant enough to adversely affect their health and wellbeing, potentially threatening their job, relationship or home.
In Brighton and Hove, the prevalence of mental health conditions is higher than the national average, with over 25,000 people living with common mental health conditions such as depression and over 3,700 living with severe mental illness in the city. Its impact, however, can be reduced dramatically with effective prevention and early intervention.
