More than 1.3 million people have participated in events and activities to improve mental health and tackle inequalities as part of the Thrive LDN movement since 2017.
Highlights positive results of meaningful relationships and interventions developed at a London, multi-borough and community or local level.
‘We can’t overlook the huge challenges in recent years which makes the public mental health agenda even more important’ says Thrive LDN’s leadership.
London’s public mental health partnership, Thrive LDN, today marks its fifth anniversary.
Since launching on 4 July 2017, more than 1.3 million people have participated in events and activities to improve mental health and tackle inequalities as part of the Thrive LDN partnership. The participatory approach to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of Londoners has demonstrably had a positive impact, say Thrive LDN leadership.
Two million Londoners experience some form of poor mental health every year. Suicide is the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 10 and 34 and every week around 12 Londoners take their own lives. There are many communities in London who are at higher risk of unfair treatment based on their identity, beliefs, or social class, and in some cases a combination of these.
These shocking and sad statistics were the reason the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and the London Health Board partners launched Thrive LDN, to work alongside Londoners to improve awareness and encourage more action around mental health and health inequalities.
Commenting on Thrive LDN reaching five years, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “When we launched Thrive LDN in 2017, no one could have foreseen the scale of the strains and pressures Londoners would have to face in the coming years. The pandemic and the ongoing cost of living crisis have had an unprecedented impact on the mental health and wellbeing of people across the capital. I want to pay tribute to Thrive LDN for the vital support they continue to provide to so many Londoners as we recover from the pandemic and work to build a better London for everyone – a happier, healthier and fairer city for all.”
Since Thrive LDN launched, the movement has grown and spread across the city. The Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) programme has trained more than 100 new Youth MHFA Instructors and delivered Youth MHFA training to more than 4,000 education and youth sector staff citywide. Schools and colleges are working with Thrive LDN to play a role in the prevention of poor mental health and promotion of wellbeing for this and future generations.
The Thrive LDN Suicide Prevention Group is made up of 36 organisations and 48 members who are undertaking several citywide projects. This includes the development of Thrive LDN’s Suicide Prevention Information Sharing Hub which allows vital information to be securely shared to enable effective bereavement support and helps increase understanding and knowledge for agencies involved when a person takes their own life.
The Right to Thrive initiative has created a broad range of partnerships and grant funded nearly £300,000 to 36 grassroot projects which collectively aim to support those communities and groups most likely to experience poor mental health to amplify their voices, share power and leadership, and address some of the health equity issues they are facing.
The citywide #ZeroSuicideLDN campaign has seen more than 300,000 Londoners take the Zero Suicide Alliance’s free, online suicide prevention training to break the stigma of talking about suicide, suicidal thoughts and suicide bereavement. The campaign continues to be supported by the London FA, Metropolitan and British Transport Police, the NHS, all London Councils, London Fire Brigade and many more.
Earlier this year, on Friday 28 January, London hosted the first ever Great Mental Health Day across the region. The day saw Londoners and community groups sharing ideas and ways in which they are supporting their own wellbeing or others in their community or neighbourhoods. Close to 10,000 people accessed the interactive map of London on Thrive LDN’s website to find out what is going on in their area. Thrive LDN will facilitate the next Great Mental Health Day on behalf of regional partners in January 2023.
Councillor Kaya Comer-Schwartz, Leader of Islington Borough Council, was recently appointed as Thrive LDN Co-Lead, succeeding Mayor Philip Glanville. Cllr Comer-Schwartz said: “Thrive LDN is one of the capital’s flagship health initiatives. As we mark five years, thank you to everyone who has been part of this movement so far.
“I’m excited to join the Thrive LDN leadership team at this crucial stage when the public mental health agenda has never been more important. I’m conscious of the task ahead of us, we are only at the beginning of this journey.
“There is substantial evidence that the coronavirus pandemic has simultaneously widened pre-existing inequalities whilst creating new ones, such as problem debt, rising unemployment or structural inequalities. We can’t overlook the many other huge challenges and pressures on Londoners which makes this even more important.
“By working together and supporting each other, I’m confident we can build a city where every Londoner feels supported to thrive.”
Commenting on the fifth anniversary, Thrive LDN director, Dan Barrett, who supported the launch of the partnership in July 2017 said: “In 2017, things began with a series of open discussions with Londoners – to encourage everyone to think, talk and act more when it comes to mental wellbeing. Five years on from these initial community conversations, there has been real progress, demonstrating that we can achieve great things when we work together. Of course, there is still much more for us to learn and do but we believe our foundations and purpose are stronger than ever.
“Thrive LDN exists to drive and facilitate change. As we emerge from the coronavirus crisis, we must continue to put people and communities in the lead, allowing us to develop meaningful and trusted relationships at a London, multi-borough and community level. Doing so will allow us to support the wellbeing and resilience of all Londoners who need help and support now and beyond the pandemic.
“We look forward to continuing to work with partners inside and outside of health and care systems to find new ways of reaching, involving, and supporting Londoners to improve mental health and prevent a decline in wellbeing.”
Thrive LDN is one of many initiatives to improve mental health across the globe. Cities such as New York, Toronto, Edinburgh, Barcelona and many more have been leading new ways of improving the wellbeing of citizens and to tackle the inequalities and challenges that can lead to poor mental health. Explore Thrive LDN’s activities and events at www.thiveldn.co.uk.
ENDS
For further media enquiries, please contact ludley@nhs.net / 020 8148 5123
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Thrive LDN is a citywide public mental health partnership to ensure all Londoners have an equal opportunity for good mental health and wellbeing. Launched publicly by the Mayor of London and the London Health Board partners in 2017, Thrive LDN has evolved and grown significantly in the past five years. More information can be found at thriveldn.co.uk.
Councillor Kaya Comer-Schwartz, Leader of Islington Borough Council, is also London Councils’ Thrive LDN lead. She succeeded Philip Glanville, Mayor of Hackney at the end of June 2022. London Councils is a cross-party organisation representing all 32 London boroughs and the City of London Corporation.
Two million Londoners experience some form of poor mental health every year and Londoners’ life satisfaction and feelings of self-worth are lower than the national average. Thrive LDN was established in response to this, with the aim of reducing the number of Londoners affected by poor mental health.
In July 2017, Thrive LDN launched Thrive LDN: towards happier, healthier lives (2017), a summary of work engaging with hundreds of experts by profession and by experience across London’s public, charitable and business sectors to identify what would make a difference to Londoners’ mental health and wellbeing.
Thrive LDN’s campaign, Are we OK London?, started an open conversation with Londoners about mental health and wellbeing. As a result, it generated over 420,000 interactions and are now working with partners on several citywide and local projects across London. Thrive LDN also held community workshops, in partnership with the Mental Health Foundation, in 17 of the 32 London boroughs to start conversations on a community level.
Thrive LDN’s 2018 campaign engaged with a more diverse audience, grew our followers and subscribers and increased discussion and action around how inequality and discrimination can affect Londoners’ mental health and wellbeing, with a potential reach of over 23 million people. The campaign culminated with a festival of cultural activity organised by young Londoners.
In 2019, more than 200,000 people took part in events and activities to improve mental health and tackle inequalities as part of the Thrive LDN movement. Read more about our campaigning in 2019 here.
Also in 2019, Thrive LDN began leading the #ZeroSuicideLDN campaign with support from the Mayor, the NHS in London, London Councils, London’s police forces, Transport for London, and other emergency services, such as London Fire Brigade and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, alongside voluntary and community groups, such as Mind in Haringey, and many others. For more information visit thriveldn.co.uk/zerosuicideldn.
Since 2020, Thrive LDN has awarded nearly £300,000 to 36 community and grassroot projects across London to help support the mental health and wellbeing of those who are experiencing higher levels of unfair treatment and discrimination through its Right to Thrive initiative.
In March 2020, Thrive LDN was asked to lead the regional coordination of the public mental health response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Thrive LDN developed a response plan and agreed business cases with health and social care partners. Between April 2020 and March 2021 more than 685,000 people took part in projects, events, and activities on which Thrive LDN has led or collaborated on.
In May 2021, the London Health and Care Leaders’ Group commissioned the Thrive LDN Advisory Group to undertake a comprehensive review of regional public mental health across three main areas:
Review available public mental health research and insights.
Review the strategic and policy landscape to identify opportunities and levers for collective action around public mental health.
Review the public mental health literature to define how we can collectively approach and achieve change.
Most importantly, in response to the above, Thrive LDN developed a series of actions where opportunities could be maximised in the short, medium and long term. Subsequently, the Towards Happier, Healthier Lives (2021) report was endorsed by the London Health Board in November 2021.
On Friday, 28 January 2022, Thrive LDN supported the facilitation of London’s first ever Great Mental Health Day. On the whole, Great Mental Health Day was a huge success and provides a strong platform for us to collectively build upon:
Close to 10,000 people accessed the interactive map of London on Thrive LDN’s website to find out what is going on in their area.
On the day, there were more than 750 individual tweets using #GreatMentalHealth and more than 20,000 video views on Thrive LDN channels alone.
More than 60 events took place across almost every borough in London, many of which were held in person, involving local walks, coffee mornings and workshops.
More recently, Thrive LDN has supported the public mental health response to emerging crises on behalf of the region, from the pandemic to the climate emergency, to the current cost-of-living crisis, to geopolitical crises in Afghanistan, Hong Kong, and Ukraine. All these crises are putting pressure on Londoners and creating devastating mental health consequences of wider inequalities, disproportionately affecting Londoners with lived experiences of marginalisation and disadvantage.
In the below playlist of videos, taken from a recent series of webinars, expert speakers use clear and simple terms to explain some of the most complex issues about COVID and about the vaccinations that can protect us against it.
To skip onto the next video, simply hit the icon in the top right-hand corner and select which video you’d like to watch.
This section brings together a range of resources that use clear and simple terms to explain some of the most complex issues about COVID and about the vaccinations that can protect us against it.
How to have confident COVID-19 conversations: This is for any person who needs to discuss the issues relating to COVID-19 vaccinations with others such as work colleagues, family, friends, or patients. It has a range of guides to having confident COVID-19 conversations that will give you the facts you need to have these conversations with confidence,
COVID-19 made simple videos: These are recording from webinars featuring leading experts that explain some of the key concerns colleagues have about COVID-19 vaccinations – such as vaccine side effects, the impact on having a child, and how the effectiveness of immunisation. Ideal for anybody who has hesitations or unanswered questions about how vaccines work.
BSL COVID-19 videos for Deaf people: These are BSL videos specifically developed with leading BSL for both colleagues and the public in the Deaf community, which adapt and build on the original COVID-19 made simple playlist. Ideal for anyone living with hearing loss who has hesitations or unanswered questions about how vaccines work.
People experiencing homelessness are among the most vulnerable and isolated in our society, with the poorest health outcomes. Traditional systems of health and care often struggle to meet their needs. Consequently, they are more likely to die young, with an average age of death of 45 for men and 43 for women (ONS, 2019).
Transformation Partners in Health and Care works with our regional partners with the aim of improving access to healthcare and the capacity and capability of the system to respond to the needs of people who are homeless, to improve their health and reduce their hospital admissions.
Browse this playlist of podcast episodes exploring homelessness and health, produced by the Transformation Partners in Health and Care Homeless Health programme team.
Personality disorders have been called the most misunderstood mental health condition. They have a legacy of confusion and controversy around diagnosis, language, what it means and how it impacts on individuals, even what they should be called.
Yet it is estimated that worldwide, around 8% of the general population report having complex emotional needs These figures rise to around 25% of people accessing primary care services and 50% accessing community mental health services will experience symptoms or behaviours related to the formally diagnosed.
This podcast series talks to people living with them – aiming to raise hope and understanding.
Good Thinking supports Londoners to look after their mental health and wellbeing in a way that works for them. Since its launch in 2017, more than half a million people have used our digital service to tackle anxiety, stress, low mood, sleep problems and other concerns.
Their podcast series captures the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of Londoners directly or indirectly affected by coronavirus. They ask them about the approaches they are taking to stay mentally well and share with you top tips on what you can do to stay mentally healthy.
The #AskAboutAsthma campaign encourages children and young people, their families, and those involved in their care, to ensure four simple and effective measures to help them control their asthma.
Their podcast below talks to people about their connection with the condition.
Personality disorders have been called the most misunderstood mental health condition. Now a team of people who have mental health and social difficulties commonly associated with a diagnosis of personality disorder, supported by Healthy London Partnership, is launching a campaign on Wednesday 25 May 2022 to raise awareness of a condition which affects an estimated 10-13% of the population, but which can result in rejection and stigma, rather than support.
The campaign centres on a series of podcasts, devised, produced and led by those with lived experience of personality disorder, to increase awareness and understanding, and raise hope regarding support and treatment options. In the first podcast, available from Wednesday 25th, three people diagnosed with personality disorders discuss what it is like to live with the condition.
On this page is a campaign toolkit including an article for your own publications/websites, a shorter article for websites and social media assets. The assets link to a web page which hosts the podcast and more information about personality disorders.
We hope you can use the resources on your own social media pages – using #UnderstandPersonalityDisorders – and with your own contacts and networks.
Personality disorders have been called the most misunderstood mental health condition. They have a legacy of confusion and controversy around diagnosis, language, what it means and how it impacts individuals, and even what they should be called.
Yet it is estimated that worldwide, around 8% of the general population report having complex emotional needs These figures rise to around 25% of people accessing primary care services and 50% accessing community mental health services will experience symptoms or behaviours related to the formally diagnosed.
A team of people who have mental health and social difficulties commonly associated with the diagnosis of ‘personality disorder’, supported by Transformation Partners in Health and Care, launched on Wednesday 25th May 2022, to raise awareness of a condition which affects an estimated 10-13% of the population, but which can result in rejection and stigma, rather than support.
The campaign centres on a series of podcasts, devised, produced and led by those with lived experience, to increase awareness and understanding of the conditions, and raise hope regarding support and treatment options.
The importance of diagnosing personality disorders
Personality disorders can be difficult to diagnose, and in the past, there has been controversy as to how far treatment can help. Research and the voice of those who have accessed help have made it clear that mental health services can and should help people with personality disorders
Diagnosis can help make sense of the condition – both for the person and for their family and friends. But for others, it may result in feeling marginalised by health care services, family and community.
There is too often a lack of understanding of the various personality disorders, even among health professionals. There is a need for more training, better access to information and, for some, a mindset change when it comes to addressing the conditions.
The NHS Long Term Plan for Mental Health makes a renewed commitment to improve and widen access to care for children and adults needing mental health support. Crucially, this includes ensuring change is co-produced, from design to delivery – with people with lived experience.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists defines a personality disorder as “an enduring condition which interferes with the sufferer’s sense of wellbeing and ability to function in full in ordinary social settings.”
There is disagreement about the term ‘personality disorders’, with some people finding it confusing or stigmatising. It can feel like being told that your personality is ‘wrong’. Some clinicians and people with lived experience prefer the term complex emotional needs or CEN.
Personality disorders are in fact a range of 10 different mental health conditions. However, some peopled find these classifications unhelpful, as most people with a personality disorder do not fit neatly into one category. According to the mental health charity Mind: “Some people believe the focus should instead be on what each person needs in order to deal with their problems and discover new ways of living, not what category they are in.”
Life can be difficult for people with a personality disorder as they can also develop other mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.
2. How many people are affected by personality disorders?
It is not known exactly what causes them, but it is thought to be a combination of genetic factors and life events.
4. How are personality disorders diagnosed?
Personality disorders can be difficult to diagnose. To receive a diagnosis of personality disorder, somebody must meet some or all of a set of diagnostic criteria.
Diagnosis can help make sense of the condition – both for the person with the personality disorder, and for their family and friends. But for others, it may result in feeling marginalised by health care services, family, and their community.
5. How are personality disorders treated?
In the past there has been controversy as to how far treatment can help., Recent research however has made it clear that mental health services can and should help people with personality disorders. Many people with a personality disorder do recover over time. Psychological or medical treatment is often helpful, but support is sometimes all that is needed.
There’s no single approach that suits everyone and treatment should be tailored to the individual.
6. Where can you get help for personality disorders?
If you are concerned that you might have a personality disorder, there are a range of resources available online which will help you further understand the signs and symptoms of personality disorders. This piece from the Royal College of Psychiatrists is a good place to start but we’ve also compiled a short list of other useful resources at the bottom of the page.
When starting a conversation about a potential diagnosis, the first thing you should do is visit your GP.
7. What is the NHS doing to better help people with personality disorders?
The NHS is providing an increase in funding from 2022 to enable transformation of community mental health services. It will work with GPs, commissioners, local authorities and the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector, and, crucially, with service users, their families, and carers to create a new, flexible, model of community-based mental health care for people with personality disorder/complex emotional needs.
The new models will offer dedicated services, jointly created with people with lived experience of personality disorders. Services will aim to provide timely access to evidence-based psychological therapies, and provide care for co-existing needs, such as substance use. People with personality disorder/complex emotional needs have sometimes experienced punitive approaches from services. The new models of care focus on compassion and an understanding of the trauma that so many people have experienced.
To find out more about personality disorders – and to get help in supporting someone who is living with one – please take a look at the further reading below:
A group for those who care for people living with borderline personality disorder or emotional unstable personality disorder, providing mutual support through discussions and the opportunity to speak to our lived experience facilitator.
This piece from mental health charity, Rethink, tells you what personality disorders are, what the symptoms are, and how you can get treatment. You might find it useful if you have a personality disorder yourself, or if you care for someone who does.
A briefing paper by think tank, the Centre for Mental Health, running through the policy implications of the research conducted on community support for people with complex emotional needs.
A supportive piece by Help Guide, which is a great resource for anybody supporting someone who is living with a personality disorder. It provides tips and best practices to improve communication, set healthy boundaries, and stabilise your relationship.
The Access, Delivery and Outcomes Task and Finish group preparing this statement was part of a larger Clinical reference Group originally set up by TPHC in Nov 2020 to contribute to the Long-Term Plan aims to increase recognition and treatment of people with a Personality Disorder. The group includes Clinicians, Lived Experience Practitioners and Charities from the London area.
This document has been created to inform conversations between clinicians, commissioners, and leaders within organisations and systems such as Integrated Care Systems (ICS), with the purpose of highlighting key considerations and priorities to shape improvements in access to care and support.
It has been created using the knowledge and experience of all the varied membership of the CRG to drive forward change that offers long term benefits to those who may attract or have a diagnosis of Complex Emotional Needs/ Personality Disorder.
the term ‘personality disorder’ is a necessary compromise that can still be stigmatising and limit the development and provision of adequate help for a broad and complex population.
Access this population involves an understanding of the basic emotional struggle with trust in relationships and engagement in this complex population
Clear, inclusive criteria for specific services and an open, flexible matrix of interventions aimed at engagement and coproduction of clients and their carers should coexist.
A consistent, ongoing practice of training and clinical reflection for clinicians and practitioners is necessary for rewarding integrated experience of smooth transitions in, between and out of care.
The Carers Guidance was written by Jarka Hinksman and supported by the wider Clinical Reference Group and TPHC. The guidance has a focus on Complex Emotional Needs carers however the principles outlines are relevant for all care givers.
The motivation for compiling this guidance is the experiences of carers of people living with Complex Emotional Needs (CEN) receive virtually no attention directed towards their particular characteristics, needs and requirements, despite mental health carers being increasingly recognised by healthcare services.
As such, this Guidance provides evidence-based reasons for them to be supported in their caring role so they can become confident and effective partners in care.
Colleagues in Dementia and OPMH Policy Team at NHS England & Improvement team have also produced standards for older adults. The prevalence and importance of complex emotional needs in older adults is now being increasingly recognised. The document provides recommendations on what needs to be considered when thinking about how these services will meet the needs of older adults.
In doing this, services will be addressing health inequalities, by ensuring that age-appropriate access to care and support is available to all.
Fast-Track Cities is an international initiative to end new cases of HIV by 2030. Over 200 cities across the world are part of this movement to get to zero new cases of HIV, zero preventable deaths, zero stigma and discrimination and a better quality of life for people living with HIV.
London has already made great strides towards achieving the United Nations (UN) targets for the Fast-Track Cities initiative. In 2016, for the first time in London, all the UN’s 90:90:90 targets were met. London is only the third city to achieve this target so far – joining Amsterdam and Melbourne. We have now reached:
95% of people living with HIV infection diagnosed
98% of people diagnosed receiving treatment
97% of people receiving treatment being virally suppressed.
Why is this initiative important?
HIV remains an important problem in London, with the infection impacting on Londoners more than any other part of the UK.
In 2020, there were 955 new cases of HIV, with an estimated 35,966 people living with HIV in London – almost 40 per cent of all those in the UK. Of these new cases, 349 of new diagnoses were reported among gay and bisexual and other men who have sex with men, 324 cases were among men and women who reported heterosexual sex as their probable route of infection, 14 cases were among people who inject drugs, 257 cases were among people with an undetermined exposure group and the remaining 11 were through pregnancy.
Recently, London has seen a significant fall in people newly diagnosed HIV positive, particularly in men who have sex with men. However, this fall is neither uniform across all population groups nor in all areas of the city, and rates of late diagnosis, although showing improvement, remain stubbornly high at 35 per cent. Late diagnosis significantly impacts people who are who are disproportionately affected by HIV like African, Afro-Caribbean and migrant women, trans women, gay men living with HIV who are also migrant men, men of colour and men who don’t have English as a first language.
People diagnosed late are at increased risk of developing an AIDS-defining illness and continue to have a more than 7-fold increased risk of death in the year following their diagnosis. The rate of one year mortality was 31 per 1,000 among those diagnosed late compared to 4 per 1,000 among those diagnosed promptly.
What are the challenges?
For many Londoners HIV remains a stigmatising condition that negatively impacts on quality of life. Late and undiagnosed infection rates in London remain unacceptably high (34 per cent and 10 per cent respectively) and with considerable geographical variability across the city. Prevalence varies by ethnicity and by place of residence, with disproportionately high rates among black and ethnic minority (BAME) communities in poorer areas of the city.
The Mayor and representatives from NHS England, UK Health Security Agency and Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (formerly Public Health England) and London Councils, have committed to work with partners to:
Continue work to exceed the UN’s 90:90:90 HIV targets (90 per cent of people living with HIV knowing their status, 90 per cent of people with diagnosed HIV on treatment, 90 per cent of people on treatment with suppressed viral loads)
End new HIV infections in the capital by 2030
Put a stop to HIV-related stigma and discrimination
Stop preventable deaths from HIV-related causes
Work to improve the health, quality of life and well-being of people living with HIV across the capital
The next steps for the capital include delivering the action plan developed with all the partners and the HIV community, working with the support of the Fast-Track Cities London leadership group. The action plan is a roadmap, which outlines how London will reach the Fast-Track City targets.
London also has a Fast-Track Cities dashboard through which all cities report their progress against the initiative’s targets as well as locally set objectives and goals.
The Mayor has made tackling the stigma attached to living with HIV a key priority in his Health Inequalities Strategy. Not only is it important to ensure those living with HIV can live their lives without discrimination, but the fear of stigma can be a barrier to early diagnosis, which in turn negatively impacts the quality of life of those living with the condition.
Signing up to the Fast-Track Cities initiative will bring together all those already working to tackle HIV across the capital. More joint working will help to ensure that communities affected by HIV can access the prevention, testing, treatment and support they need.
We are supporting the Mayor of London’s new citywide movement to improve mental health and wellbeing in the capital. Thrive LDN aims to encourage Londoners to step up to tackle mental health so that every person in London can live happier, healthier lives.
Everyone who lives and works in London is invited to join the movement and take action on mental health and wellbeing to make London the happiest, healthiest city in the world.
About Thrive LDN
Thrive LDN is supported by the Mayor of London and led by the London Health Board, in partnership with Greater London Authority, Transformation Partners in Health and Care (TPHC), NHS England (London Region), Public Health England (London Region) and London Councils.
The movement brings together health and care leaders, residents, businesses and community and voluntary organisations to improve mental health and wellbeing in the capital.
More than two million Londoners experience some form of poor mental health every year and report a lower level of life satisfaction and self-worth than the national average. Almost 10% of children and young people living in the capital aged between five and 16 experience a mental health issue and every week two Londoners take their own lives.
In 2017, Thrive LDN launched six aspirations for the capital. These include ambitions to make London a ‘Zero Suicide’ city, the development of training for youth organisations and student societies to help improve wellbeing in young people, and the development of a new programme to raise awareness of mental health and challenge stigma and discrimination.
Current projects
Since March 2020, Thrive LDN has been coordinating the public mental health response to and recovery from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in London on behalf of the Strategic Coordination Group, Public Health England London, and wider partners.
Between April 2020 and March 2021, more than 685,000 people have taken part in projects, events and activities which the citywide movement has led or collaborated on. Just some of the activities outlined in the report include funding grassroots organisations, suicide prevention training, mental health first aid training, online webinars, sudden bereavement support, and a World Mental Health Day Festival co-developed with young Londoners. In January 2023 Thrive LDN will celebrate its second World Mental Health Day event with hundreds of events across London and online.
Thrive LDN’s progress report, published on Thursday, 18 March 2021, sets out what Thrive LDN and partners have done to listen to the experiences of people whose voices are too often ignored, and respond with resources to help manage what for many Londoners has been the toughest year of their lives.
In September 2019, to mark World Suicide Prevention Day, a citywide Zero Suicide London campaign was launched by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to encourage Londoners to access free, online suicide prevention training.
Since then, more than a quarter of a million people across the capital have completed the training as part of the #ZeroSuicideLDN campaign.
