Most of the content on this intranet is made up of ex county council information due to the county intranet being turned off. Please read the blog to find out more about how we have developed this new intranet and where you can go to find information that relates to you.
Mental health support
Help for anyone who is experiencing problems with their mental health, loneliness and bereavement
Support with mental health
Guidance has been developed to provide a resource for anyone who is supporting a member of staff with a mental health problem and to promote understanding and remove stigma around mental health:
Every Life Matters
Promoting Suicide Safer Communities and providing Suicide Bereavement Support across Cumbria
Loneliness
We all feel lonely from time to time. Feelings of loneliness are personal, so everyone's experience of loneliness will be different.
One common description of loneliness is the feeling we get when our need for rewarding social contact and relationships is not met. But loneliness is not always the same as being alone.
You may choose to be alone and live happily without much contact with other people, while others may find this a lonely experience.
Or you may have lots of social contact, or be in a relationship or part of a family, and still feel lonely - especially if you don't feel understood or cared for by the people around you.
Is loneliness a mental health problem?
Feeling lonely isn't in itself a mental health problem, but the two are strongly linked. Having a mental health problem can increase your chance of feeling lonely.
For example, some people may have misconceptions about what certain mental health problems mean, so you may find it difficult to speak to them about your problems.
Or you may experience social phobia - also known as social anxiety - and find it difficult to engage in everyday activities involving other people, which could lead to a lack of meaningful social contact and cause feelings of loneliness.
Feeling lonely can also have a negative impact on your mental health, especially if these feelings have lasted a long time. Some research suggests that loneliness is associated with an increased risk of certain mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, sleep problems and increased stress.
Find more information on Mind Webpages including tips on how to manage loneliness .
Bereavement support
Managing an employee who has suffered a bereavement requires compassion, sensitivity, and flexibility. This guide provides some key tips on how to support employees who are dealing with a bereavement, both in the short term and in the longer term. How you respond as a manager will make a huge difference to the experience of your bereaved colleague and how supported they feel when they are able to return to work.
This guidance can provide support to Line Managers: Bereavement Guidance - Line Manager Support (PDF)
Cumbria Bereavement Services Partnership
The Cumbria Bereavement Services Partnership is a multi-organisational group that brings together all bereavement support providers alongside statutory and other voluntary organisations to help share the information and good practice for the benefits of the residents of Cumbria.
To contact the group:
- Chair - deb.lee@northcumbriaccg.nhs.uk
- Admin - Wesley.Wilson@cumbriacvs.org.uk
Local Charity Every Life Matters
Who we are: Every Life Matters is a Cumbrian Suicide Prevention and Bereavement Support charity. We are dedicated to supporting those affected by suicide and reducing suicide rates in our county through campaigning, training and promoting suicide safer communities.
How we can help: Every Life Matters offers practical and emotional support during the early weeks and months following a bereavement by suicide either in person, by telephone or online.
By Your side - Booklet that provides support after suicide in Cumbria (PDF).