Barnet IPS commended as Centre of Excellence

Barnet’s IPS service has been commended as a Centre of Excellence. The service helps people in Barnet with severe and enduring mental health problems get into and sustain work.

The Individual Placement and Support (IPS) programme is funded by Barnet Council and delivered by Twining Enterprise, in partnership with Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust (BEH) teams.

In this video, our Chief Executive, Bob Kitchin talks about how he feels now our Barnet Service is a Centre of Excellence:

Clip of Bob Kitchin

Barnet IPS joins just one other Centre of Excellence in the capital and 14 in the whole country. The Centre for Excellence status means Barnet partners can share its learning with other areas of England.

Centre of Excellence was awarded by Centre for Mental Health, following a rigorous assessment process, which found the programme successfully demonstrated its approach in helping people into work.

Nicholas was out of work for three years, he found support through the Barnet IPS service:

I thought having a mental health condition would restrict me from choices and I had to take what I was given. My Employment Specialist has been a great help to me - giving me advice and guidance but also the choice to make my own decisions. I think this has been the biggest factor, as I used to feel like choices were a luxury I didn’t have.

People accessing the service have sessions with a Twining Employment Specialist, alongside the health and social care provided within BEH teams. The service uses a tried and tested IPS approach, which provides one-to-one support for residents and quick job searching, usually within four weeks.

One in four people have a mental health problem during their lives. More than 40 per cent of people claiming Employment Support Allowance have a mental health problem. Despite the experience being common, until recently little attention has been paid to how to help people keep or regain employment.

Maria Kane, Chief Executive of BEH NHS Trust:

We’re delighted to be recognised for supporting our service users who want to find a job. Not only has employment been shown to improve self-esteem it can also help recovery. In addition, employment increases activity, social interaction, identity and status – these factors have been proven to be beneficial for our physical health too.

Councillor Helena Hart, Chairman for the Health and Wellbeing Board, said:

We know that a lot of people with mental health problems want to find a job but don’t know where to start. This scheme offers focused support to give individuals the help they need to get back into the work place. The status is a recognition of the work that we are doing to help turn people’s lives around.

This joint press release also features on our partners' pages: BEH NHS Trust and Barnet Council.

Find out more about Barnet's IPS Service.

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