Mental health charity supports a record number of people amid growing levels of need.
Worthing-based mental health charity, West Sussex Mind, has launched its annual Impact Report, which shows that it supported more people during 2024-25 than in a single year in its 55-year history.
West Sussex Mind supported 7,766 people – families, children and young people, parents, adults with mild mental health problems and some with severe mental illness, people experiencing mental health crisis, over-65s, carers of people suffering with dementia – through one-to-one sessions, social activities, groups and workshops across the county.
The charity has expanded its offer to meet the growing demand for support, which is being felt across West Sussex, and has found innovative new ways of providing support. For example, it partnered with Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to provide a walk-in service at Staying Well Worthing for people experiencing mental health crisis, reducing pressure on A&E and blue-light services. It has also started supporting people living with psychosis in the community, through partnership with the local NHS mental health trust, introducing those with severe mental illness into community activities.
West Sussex Mind's CEO, Kerrin Page, said: "We continue to experience rising demand for our services and we know that people's mental health needs are increasing. It's also a complex time of change in the Sussex health system. We are committed to continue supporting as many people as we can in partnership with the NHS and our voluntary sector partners."
Headline figures from the report include:
- 32,759 individual and group interventions, where people who use West Sussex Mind’s services get one-to-one support or take part in group activities (29,472 in 2023-24)
- 9,429 people trained by West Sussex Mind (6,111 in 2023-24)
- 9,547 calls answered by Help Point for advice, information and support (8,616 in 2023-24)
- 1,428 under-25s supported across all West Sussex Mind’s services.
West Sussex Mind
