Community Mental Health Services transfer to Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust
After months of planning, on 1 July the management of Community Mental Health Services will transfer from Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust (BWC) to Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust (BSHMFT).
The change follows feedback received last year about the provision of mental health services in Birmingham and Solihull. Responses were received from parents, carers, young people, NHS staff, education providers, local authorities and those working in the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFE) sector.
The move towards a new all-age model is part of our wider efforts across the whole of Birmingham and Solihull to strengthen and align mental health provision – streamlining care between services for children and young people and services for adults in order to provide better support and care.
Importantly, the way patients and families access services, currently provided by Forward Thinking Birmingham (FTB), will stay the same and there will be no changes to the clinical teams currently looking after children and young people during the transfer of services,
All of the fantastic staff within FTB will transfer to BSMHFT and care will continue to be provided from the same locations
Matt Boazman, BWC Chief Executive, said: “I’d like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to our colleagues in Forward Thinking Birmingham for the ambition, bravery and compassion they’ve consistently shown during their time at our Trust.
“It’s been more than nine years since FTB launched. During that time, the passion and commitment the team has demonstrated for continuing to improve their services and ensuring that they deliver the best possible care for our children, young people and their families has always shone through.
“I know this will remain at the forefront of everything the team does during the next exciting chapter as they transfer to Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust.”
Chief Executive of Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Roísìn Fallon-Williams, said: “This is an important new chapter for children and young people’s mental health care in Birmingham, agreed by both Trusts and the ICB as the best next step to enable an all-age approach to mental health services in Birmingham and Solihull.
“Bringing these services into BSMHFT allows us to strengthen the continuity and quality of care across all ages - from early support through to adulthood and build on the great work the Children and Young People teams have achieved as part of BWC.
“Our priority is, and always will be, to deliver safe, compassionate and inclusive care to every person who needs us.
“I’d like to warmly welcome the dedicated colleagues from Forward Thinking Birmingham, who are joining Team BSMHFT as part of this move and would like to thank all BWC colleagues involved in the planning for a safe transfer of services.”