Melanie Costas - Rural Mental Health Matters

Melanie Costas is the founder of Rural Mental Health Matters, a social enterprise focused on tackling mental and physical health inequality in the UK.   Episode Summary: 00.45  Melanie tells us about her professional background and how she became interested in rural mental health 02.55  Why did she start Rural Mental Health Matters? 06.45  What does Rural Mental Health Matter do? 10.15  What are some of the challenges faced by rural citizens when trying to access mental health support? 14.45  What is it like when people do access local mental health services? 17.00  Is mental health stigma more prevalent in rural areas? 19.10  How much does social isolation contribute to poor mental health? 20.45  Are the mental health needs of the elderly being addressed? 27.15  What could we do to improve mental health access in rural areas? 29.40  Are there any initiatives that she would like to highlight? 32.55  How does disability impact rural citizens? 38.25  Who should be involved in discussions about disability and accessibility? 44.30  How could clinicians better support people with their mental health and disabilities?   Key Messages: "Save our mental health" was a campaign in North Dorset to highlight the issue of a lack of mental health services in the area following a review of mental health services in the region.  Received 800 responses to the government consultation, as a result a service was put in place in Shaftesbury (North Dorset). Rural Mental Health Matters is representing the rural voice in England and Wales.  They would like to have rural community wellbeing centers in larger rural towns and mobile outreach vehicles to go into more rural and remote areas.   Currently working on an accreditation for organizations that provide services that are rurally inclusive.  Many national organizations currently do not think about rural inclusivity.   Rural citizens are less likely to access services as they are further away, they have longer wait times to see GP and there is less opportunity to access support. Cuts to public transport have made services less accessible for many.   There is no mandatory mental health support for people following a cancer diagnosis.  The referral letter from the GP could include information about mental health support services. Cancer patients living in rural areas can find it very difficult to access mental health support.  More focus needed on mental health outreach.  Rural patients can be told that the service does not come out that far.   Because of the lack of visibility and accessibility of mental health support, rural citizens have expressed that they do not want to burden their family and friends, so they don't want to talk about it. Carers in rural areas take longer to travel between clients, they can see fewer people and they spend less time with rural clients.  This sometimes leads to rural people choosing not to take up those services.   Rural areas and local authorities receive less funding to provide care services.   Organizations need to focus on how they can be more rurally inclusive.   Rural people with disabilities can struggle to access nature, open spaces, and public buildings.   There is a lack of disabled parking, and other accessibility support, especially when we know that 1 in 5 people have a disability.  Organizations sometimes do not think about disabled access, having an elevator or ramp in the building is often not sufficient.   27% of the population has a visual impairment. More education is needed that develops understanding about the connections between mental and physical health.   Thank you for listening to the Rural Road to Health! Rural Health Compass