A new campaign ‘Kind to Your Mind’, to help lift people’s people spirits during the Coronavirus outbreak, has been launched in Sefton.

Designed to support mental wellbeing of people living and working in Merseyside and Cheshire, ‘Kind to your mind’ links to the new ALMA wellbeing website, an online portal with a suite of mental and physical wellbeing resources.

When they visit ALMA, people can access a range of online therapy courses, developed by medical professionals, to help them work on their mental wellbeing. The site also includes a knowledge base of free health and wellbeing apps that have been evaluated by a medical professional for their clinical effectiveness.

The multimedia ‘Kind to Your Mind’ campaign, is targeting key workers and the general public in Sefton and will be promoted using radio, press and social media. People will be directed to a campaign microsite, kindtoyourmind.org , which will signpost to the national ‘Every Mind Matters’ website and the ALMA wellbeing portal.

A series of podcasts will also be developed covering topics such as building resilience, mental health, nutrition, physical activity and sleep. These will feature special interviews with experts and be promoted through targeted social media including Facebook and Instagram.

Cllr Ian Moncur, Elected Member for Health and Wellbeing for Sefton said: “I am very pleased to see the launch of the ‘Kind to You Mind’ campaign and the resources it makes available for local people at this difficult time when they are having to stay home or self-isolating or are busy carrying out vital roles helping the most vulnerable in our community.”

Margaret Jones, the Interim Director of Public Health for Sefton said: “Key workers and members of the public are likely to be feeling stress or anxiety at this difficult time as we make major changes to how we live and work. It is more important than ever that we look after our mental wellbeing and encourage others to do the same. This will help us during the pandemic and aid our recovery.”

Fiona Taylor, Chief Officer for NHS South Sefton and NHS Southport and Formby Clinical Commissioning Groups, said: “The Kind to Your Mind campaign highlights the importance of mental wellbeing, something that is needed now more than ever. While there has been a large focus on the physical effects of both coronavirus itself and the government guidelines around it, we can’t forget the toll it takes on our mental wellbeing. This campaign provides all our people in Sefton with support and information to help them look after their mental wellbeing.”

Sheena Cumiskey, Chief Executive of Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Lead for Mental Health in Cheshire and Merseyside commented: “Taking care of your mind as well as your body is crucial. Complementing the launch of this wellbeing campaign are new telephone helplines for urgent mental health support, which will be available in each area of Cheshire and Merseyside. The helplines will operate 24/7 to enable people to receive appropriate and timely support.”

For more information visit www.kindtoyourmind.org.uk