South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

05/02/2026

Our recent Empowering Partnerships in Communities (EPIC) research project, a targeted engagement initiative was commissioned to improve outcomes for patients and reduce detentions under the Mental Health Act (MHA).

The project specifically focused on exploring the lived experiences of Black, Asian, and Mixed Ethnic men (aged 18–65) with serious mental illness, alongside their carers, families, and community leaders in the Huddersfield, Halifax and Dewsbury areas.

The findings will guide future work to ensure people receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time 🫶

Find out more about our project, engagement and key themes on our website👉 https://buff.ly/HzrdknE

05/02/2026

NHS Talking Therapies can help with feelings of anxiety or depression. It’s a friendly, free and confidential service. We have services in Kirklees and Barnsley. 💬

Refer yourself or speak to your GP. Find out more at buff.ly/3WVBSSs

04/02/2026

PCREF is the NHS patient and carer anti-racism equality framework to improve people’s experiences of mental health services, making them more racially inclusive and culturally appropriate 🫶

Our aim is to make sure diverse and minoritised communities are working together in partnership to make the PCREF part of standard practice 🤝

We are open about having conversations about race and inequalities, listening to the feedback from the people we serve and developing the skills and practices within our Trust to address racism and racial inequality 💙

Find out more about our work on PCREF 👉 https://buff.ly/SDNNUkB

04/02/2026

It’s important that you know:
❔ How to look after your mental health and wellbeing
👋 Who else can help and support you
📍 Where to go for help and support

That’s why we’ve created a choose well for mental health guide to help: https://buff.ly/41bIRcx

03/02/2026

We recently held our annual Connecting People celebration event to raise awareness and celebrate the achievements from our programme over the past year. Our newly trained community connectors were also presented with their certificates by Chief Executive Mark Brooks and Chair Marie Burnham 👏

There were opportunities to hear about the significant contributions and impact made by our 124 connectors, network and learn more about new programmes and upcoming opportunities. The day was closed with a powerful poem by Martyn Haymonds from connector partner Serendipity Creative Writers, to summarise the event and highlight the importance of the programme 🫶

Read more about the event and find out how you can get involved with upcoming training dates in 2026 👉 https://buff.ly/bTTKNzi

03/02/2026

Our Recovery Colleges offer free courses, from discovering new hobbies to understanding more about mental health and wellbeing. 🎨🖍️

Enrol on a course in:
Barnsley - https://buff.ly/4aVhO8H
Wakefield - https://buff.ly/4bfoSxb
Calderdale & Kirklees - https://buff.ly/3CYgCVh

03/02/2026

Our Connecting People programme gives our communities a voice to help us improve the health and care services in their areas. Our diverse set of connectors engage directly with our Trust by sharing lived experience, information and feedback, to make a difference 🫶

If you are passionate about health services in your local area and would be interested in becoming a community connector, find out more on our website: https://buff.ly/mNKrZc3

02/02/2026

Our Volunteering Team was delighted to welcome a fantastic turnout at last week’s Volunteer Champions Network meeting, bringing together colleagues from across the Trust to share updates, exchange ideas, and celebrate the invaluable contribution our volunteers make every day.
The session covered:

A collaborative discussion on the co‑production of our new “Volunteer with Us” leaflet
A review of the Terms of Reference, including how we can continue to strengthen volunteer support across services
Sharing examples of best practice from teams across the Trust
Time for Champions to connect, ask questions, and raise any challenges or opportunities

Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed. Your commitment, insight, and enthusiasm play a vital role in enhancing the experience of our volunteers and the services they support.

02/02/2026

We've created a Choose Well for Mental Health guide for children and young people in Barnsley, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield 👉 https://bit.ly/CYPchoosewellformentalhealth

02/02/2026

At our Trust, we acknowledge the impact of racism on our staff, service users and our communities.

In read our anti-racist statement, which sets out our commitment to stand united against racism. 🤝

At our Trust we acknowledge the impact of racism on our staff, service users and our communities. It’s our ambition to become an anti-racist organisation that will proactively challenge behaviours and known prejudice, work with our communities to understand impacts, and change policies that perpet...

02/02/2026

This our Trust aims to inspire progress and address race inequality through collective action and awareness.