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Derbyshire residents have 10 days to shape mental health help

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By Beehiveweb.co.uk Staff
Published 13 August 2026

Derbyshire residents have until Sunday 23 August to comment on the future of council-supported mental health services for people who need early, community-based help rather than crisis or hospital care.

The eight-week public mental health consultation asks residents, service users and families what works, where support may be missing, and whether existing provision overlaps. Feedback will be used in a strategic review of three current services.

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Detail Confirmed information
Deadline Sunday 23 August 2026
Who the review concerns People with lower-level mental health needs who do not require crisis support or hospital admission
How to respond Complete the council’s online questionnaire; telephone help and alternative formats are available on request

The review focuses on earlier, practical support

The services under review are designed to help people live independently in their communities while dealing with practical and personal issues affecting their mental health. The council describes them as support for people with “low levels” of need, before those needs become more complex.

Current help can include one-to-one contact in person or by telephone, drop-in hubs around the county, help joining community groups, and support with housing, routines, confidence and wellbeing. More intensive work can also cover finances and budgeting for people working towards independent living.

The consultation is therefore about community-based support services rather than emergency treatment. It gives people who have used the services, or know someone who has, a route to explain whether they are accessible and joined up in practice.

Three existing services will feed into a wider review

Derbyshire County Council currently provides one of the three services directly and commissions the other two. The commissioned contracts are due to end in March 2027, with an option for a one-year extension, prompting the council to review how all three services could work in future.

Derbyshire residents have 10 days to shape mental health help

No final redesign has been announced. The council says responses will help shape future commissioning and delivery, including any action on gaps or duplication.

Councillor Joss Barnes, the cabinet member for adult care, said the aim is to understand what works and make early support more accessible across Derbyshire. The council has already held public online sessions and 18 focus groups with service users, including sessions at a library and a local market.

The review sits alongside existing provision identified by the council, including Living Well Derbyshire, jointly funded with the NHS, and the locally provided mental health helpline through 111.

Send your response before the 23 August deadline

Residents can take part by filling in the online questionnaire on the council’s consultation page before the deadline. Anyone who needs help completing it can ask for telephone support, while alternative formats are available on request.

The council will use the consultation feedback to inform how the three services are commissioned and delivered once the current contracts approach their March 2027 end date.

Source: Derbyshire County Council News

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