Mental Health Awareness Week

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and we are taking the opportunity to raise awareness of those caring for a person or individuals who have a mental health condition, also the importance of carers taking care of their own health and well-being. As well as carer services which includes a dedictated Community Mental Health Team, we also have Health and Wellbeing Services; Social Prescribing and WorkWell covering the Redditch areas. Find out more here:

Health and Wellbeing Services

The Mental Health Foundation has this to say:

"This Mental Health Awareness Week we're asking people to join us in taking action to support good mental health. Even small actions can help us feel hopeful and less powerless. And while our individual actions matter, when we come together we are even more powerful.

We’ve chosen Action as this year's theme for Mental Health Awareness Week because, while awareness is vital, real change comes when we take action too. Together, we’ve come a long way on mental health, but we can’t risk going backwards. There’s still much we can do to prevent people becoming unwell in the first place."

Read more here:

Mental Health Foundation

If you are caring for a person with a mental health condition, and would like to take action for yourself, we are here to support you. We have an experienced team who will be able to offer information, advice and support to you in your caring role. They will be able to talk you through what events, sessions and carer groups there are available to support you and we have lots of Carer Information available on the website.

We know carers are more susceptible to stress and low mood. We also know carers don't always have access to the break they need to help manage this.

• Carers UK research in 2024 found that a significant proportion of carers feel overwhelmed. 57% of carers stated that they feel overwhelmed often or always. The main reason carers feel overwhelmed is because they are not getting a break from caring. 65% of carers said that they felt overwhelmed because they haven’t been able to take a break from caring.

• Caring can have a negative impact on physical and mental health. Research by Public Health England has shown that caring should be considered a social determinant of health.

• Caring can come with high personal costs. Many carers find that their friendships and relationships are impacted, with less time to spend with family and friends. This can lead to loneliness and isolation. The State of Caring 2025 Cost of Caring report found that 43% of carers feel lonely, and 59% said their caring role has meant they have lost touch with family and friends

• Some carers feel that the demands of caring mean they are unable to prioritise their own health and wellbeing. According to State of Caring 2023, 73% of carers said

  that they continued providing care even though they felt they were at breaking point.

These key facts and figures highlight why carers getting the support they need is vital. If you are a carer, please reach out and get in touch. If you are not in a caring role, you can support too! Being carer aware will really help in conversations you have with carers. If you would like information about Carer Awareness, please also do get in touch.