ANDOVER Mind will be forced to review its one-to-one support if Hampshire County Council’s proposed budget cuts are brought in.

In a joint statement, Andover, Solent and Havant Minds have said the proposed £132m budgets cuts will have the greatest impact on residents with poor mental health.

The proposed cuts include the loss of £656,000 in funding to Hampshire services delivered at wellbeing centres across the county.

This move will force the three local Minds in Hampshire to review its one-to-one support services, potentially impacting those in need of mental health assistance at a time when the need for support is rising.

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The organisations have said that the cuts to these services will also put more pressure on GPs, as NHS waiting lists continue to grow.

John Wilderspin, the chair of trustees for Solent Mind, on behalf of the local Minds, expressed deep concern about the ramifications of these cuts on the mental health of residents.

He said: "The decision to reduce funding for our Hampshire mental health services is worrying.

“Every year, we help thousands of residents across Hampshire with a range of complex mental health needs; our one-to-one service is key to understand individual challenges and enables us to provide the best service for each individual's needs.

“If the cuts went ahead, we would need to take difficult decisions between reducing our one-to-one sessions, which are fundamental to accessing our group sessions for some of our service users, or reducing the amount of people that we can help.

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“We work with individuals to de-escalate emotional crises and empower them to develop skills to manage future mental health issues.

“Our community relies on these services, and the council's own assessments confirm that residents with mental health conditions will suffer the most.”

The organisations are calling for the county council to undertake a ‘deeper review’ to “better understand the impact of any reducing the budget before any final decisions are made to take into account the nuances of their services.”

In its statement, the Minds have said: “In light of these developments, the three local Minds urge Hampshire County Council to reconsider these drastic cuts to services and the wellbeing centres and explore alternative solutions that prioritise the mental health and wellbeing of residents.”

They are calling for ‘transparent communication, collaboration, and a commitment to finding sustainable solutions that protect essential services for vulnerable residents’.