KIRCUBBIN-based Peninsula Healthy Living Partnership is spearheading a project which aims to empower people living with long-term health conditions to improve their mental health and wellbeing.
The Wee Group Peer Support Project brings together people who live with a long-term condition with the aim of enabling them to overcome the many barriers to re-establishing their previous active and productive lives and livelihoods.
Peninsula Healthy Living Partnership (PHLP) is one of 12 Healthy Living Centres that will be delivering the project over the next three years to 300 people.
PHLP manager, Sheila Bailie, said: “This project will bring together people with similar experiences who can share and learn from each other. My colleagues, Allan and Julie will facilitate the group. Participants will explore ways to live better with a long-term condition.”
The project is funded through the Community Fund and is a partnership between the Healthy Living Centre Alliance, Mental Health Foundation, and managing partner, the Northern Area Community Network.
The Wee Group project will complement the work of the successful Better Days Pain Support Programme by supporting people to further embed the self-management techniques into their lives in a safe and supported environment.
Tony Doherty, regional Co-ordinator of the Healthy Living Centre Alliance said: “I am very pleased that we secured the resources to initiate and sustain the Wee Group Project from the National Lottery Community Fund as we are confident that, in the right circumstances, we can assist people recover better from long-term conditions and set their lives on course again. It is also a genuinely collaborative project and the Alliance is looking forward with confidence in ensuring its long-term success.”
According to the Healthy Living Centre Alliance, people living with long-term physical health conditions are more than twice as likely to experience mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.
These challenges often stem from factors like chronic pain, social isolation, and the stress of managing ongoing treatment. Integrating mental health support into care for long-term conditions is essential to improving quality of life and reducing health inequalities.
