Regional Mental Health and Wellbeing Programme

Mental Health and Wellbeing is one of the partnership’s priorities, on this page you can learn more about what the programme sets out to achieve as well as its workstreams.

To see our priorities click here.

Developing a More Joined-Up Approach to Mental Health and Wellbeing

Partners across West Glamorgan are working together to develop a new regional Mental Health and Wellbeing Programme that will support the delivery of a more connected, preventative and person-centred system of support for people living in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot.

The programme brings together Swansea Bay University Health Board, Swansea Council, Neath Port Talbot Council, voluntary and community sector organisations, people with lived experience, unpaid carers and other partners to shape areas of mental health transformation that require collective action across the region. 

This work builds on the West Glamorgan Emotional and Mental Wellbeing Strategy and aligns with the Welsh Government’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2025-2035, which promotes earlier intervention, improved access to support, stronger community-based services and better coordination between organisations.

Why Change is Needed

Feedback from people with lived experience, unpaid carers and communities across West Glamorgan has consistently highlighted challenges in accessing mental health support. People have told us they can find services difficult to navigate, experience long waiting times, feel passed between services and struggle to access help before reaching crisis point. 

The new programme responds directly to these experiences by bringing partners together to improve how services, support and community resources connect around the person, rather than operating in isolation. 

Our Emerging Priorities

Partners have agreed a number of early priorities for the programme, including:

Developing a Whole-System Approach

A key priority is the development of a regional whole-system model for mental health and wellbeing. This will build on the principles of prevention, early intervention and neighbourhood-based support, ensuring people can access the right help at the right time and as close to home as possible. 

The programme will explore how services across health, social care, housing, communities and the voluntary sector can work together more effectively to support emotional wellbeing and mental health throughout people’s lives. 

Strengthening Community Mental Health Support

Partners have identified the transformation of Community Mental Health Teams and alternatives to hospital admission as important areas for partnership working. The aim is to strengthen integration between health and social care services while improving people’s experience as they move between different forms of support. 

Aligning Commissioning and Investment

The programme will support a more coordinated approach to planning, commissioning and investment across the region. By taking a whole-system view, partners will work together to better understand local needs, reduce duplication and ensure resources are used effectively to improve outcomes. 

Communication, Engagement and Co-Production

People with lived experience, unpaid carers and communities will play an important role in shaping the future direction of the programme. A dedicated communication, engagement and co-production approach will help ensure that future developments are informed by the experiences and priorities of local people.

The programme is currently in its development phase, with partners working together to agree priorities, governance arrangements and a long-term roadmap for delivery. The plan is to work alongside existing transformation activity across the region, helping to create a more coordinated and sustainable mental health and wellbeing system for the future. 