Residents and professionals who use or work in specialist mental health services, now or in the past, are being invited to have their say in a consultation on the provision of community-based mental health care and support.

Bath & North East Somerset Council has launched a specialist mental health care pathway consultation to help shape how services are delivered to better meet people's needs.

The council currently commissions specialist care and support on an ad-hoc basis for adults aged 18 to 64 with complex mental ill health needs but expects that in the coming years there will be more demand for these services.

The council has been working in partnership with Arch Care, Bath Mind, Milestones and St Mungo's to develop a new model of care and support services. These include:

specialist accommodation based supported living

specialist non-accommodation based supported living

specialist residential care

The new proposals would give more stability and flexibility in the way people access care so they can get the right level of support, at the right time, in the right setting.

They aim to overcome the difficulties some service users experience when their needs change, for example not getting help at the time they need it or needing less support so they can become more independent.

The new pathway would give users a single point of contact responsible for continually assessing their needs and giving advice on what support they are eligible for.

The proposals aim to enable people with mental health needs to move towards living with greater independence.

Views are invited in the consultation from anyone who uses or has used specialist mental health services in B&NES, whether for themselves or for someone they support.

Councillor Alison Born, cabinet member for Adults and Council House Building, said: "Feedback from service users, carers, professionals and the organisations we work with has shown that specialist mental health care and support arrangements locally could be improved to better meet people's needs. This consultation gives people an opportunity to learn about and comment on our proposed pathway to greater independence for people who use specialist mental health services.

"If you access these specialist services now or have done in the past, whether for yourself or someone else, please have your say in the consultation. You can help us shape how support is offered and improve people's lives."

The consultation HERE : runs until December 19.