Sheffield mental health service urges people to come forward after huge fall in numbers accessing support

Bosses at Sheffield Health and Social Care say they have seen a huge decrease in the number of people contacting the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies or IAPT service since the start of lockdown in March.

IAPT provides mental health support for things like anxiety, stress and worry, and in April only 537 people contacted them for support, down 74 per cent from 2,057 in January 2020.

To coincide with World Mental Health Day this Saturday, they are now calling on people in the city who are struggling with their mental health to come forward and ask for help.

Toni Wilkinson, head of Sheffield IAPT, said: “Coronavirus has had a huge impact on our lives in many different ways, including our mental health. So much has happened over the past six months, and with cases in Sheffield rising again, it’s understandable to not be feeling yourself. We know that people are struggling, but they aren’t asking for help.

“You or your family may have had Coronavirus, have lost your job, had to cancel holidays or just struggling with not being able to the things we normally do or see the people we want to see. All of this can be really difficult to cope with and our message to you is that it’s okay to not be okay, we are here if you need us.”

As well as the IAPT service, the trust offers a wide range of support for those feeling stressed, anxious or down, and has also launched a ‘Coping with COVID’ course to help people manage feelings of uncertainty.

“Our team are ready to talk to you today, there’s no long wait to access support, but we need you to get in touch and ask for help,” she added.

“Don’t bottle up how you are feeling, speak to someone. Sheffield IAPT offers free NHS support to anyone living or working Sheffield.”

To find out more about the support on offer call 0114 2264380 or visit www.iaptsheffield.shsc.nhs.uk.

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