NHS APA calls for urgent action to support people living with co-occurring conditions, this World Mental Health Day

The NHS Addictions Provider Alliance highlights lived experience voices and promotes its Co-occurring Conditions campaign, with updated training resources to support the reduction of stigma in mental health and addiction services.

This World Mental Health Day, the NHS Addictions Provider Alliance (NHS APA) is calling for urgent system-wide action to address persistent challenges faced by people experiencing co-occurring conditions, including insufficient access to integrated care.

The NHS APA stresses that stigma remains the underlying barrier preventing people from accessing the joined-up, compassionate support.

As part of its wider Stigma Kills: Co-occurring Conditions campaign, the NHS APA provides a Co-occurring Conditions Training Guide.

The training guide has been designed in order to support NHS staff, particularly those who work in mental health services, to recognise and apply the skills they already have to support people with co-occurring conditions.

The NHS APA invites NHS and healthcare providers, policymakers, and community organisations to download and share the Co-occurring Conditions Training Guide and materials. These tools provide actionable steps to challenge stigma and ensure that people with co-occurring conditions receive the care they need.

‘Today marks World Mental Health Day – a moment to reflect, share, and re-mobilise ourselves in support of better mental health for all. There has been significant, positive movement in recent years to reduce the stigma many feel around mental health. As chair of the NHS Addictions Provider Alliance, I want to call for similar progress to be made in reducing the stigma faced by those who experience co-occurring mental health and drug or alcohol use. We know that all too often people who use drugs or alcohol who also have a mental health need do not receive the care and support they need, and that stigma can be a powerful barrier. This needs to change, and we encourage colleagues across the NHS, the wider healthcare world, policy-makers and commissioners to consider the specific needs of people who experience co-occurring mental health and drug or alcohol use, and to support our campaign to reduce stigma.’

Danny Hames, NHS APA Chair

World Mental Health Day is held every year on 10 October as a reminder of the importance of good mental health and the need for investment in mental health services.

This year’s theme – “Overwhelm: when global events and relentless bad news become too much” – resonates with the NHS APA’s call for compassionate, trauma-informed practice. As the world faces crises that heighten stress and anxiety, the NHS APA is asking colleagues to mark World Mental Health Day by sharing and promoting the Co-occurring Conditions campaign resources, helping to ensure that those experiencing co-occurring conditions are not left behind.

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