People living in Norfolk or Waveney will benefit from an improved new NHS mental health service.
Those in the areas experiencing anxiety or depression will have access to NHS Talking Therapies, which is set to launch today.
The service will be delivered as a partnership between Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust and the mental health charity Norfolk and Waveney Mind.
Alex Michael,iInterim director of operations at Norfolk and Waveney Mind, said: "This is a new, innovative way of collectively providing vital, early mental health support to the people of Norfolk and Waveney and we are delighted to be involved in this important collaborative partnership.
"We look forward to working with our partners over the next five years to ensure greater equality in access to, and experience of, local mental health services.
"I am confident the new model will deliver effective therapies to many more people across our region. This transformative approach to operating NHS Talking Therapies is a major step forward towards our ambition that no one in Norfolk and Waveney should have to face poor mental health alone."
The new-look NHS Talking Therapies – formerly known as the Wellbeing Service – has been shaped by service users, families, carers and clinicians.
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It will provide personalised care and support as close as possible to people’s home or workplace, with increased locations for the service.
The service will still offer the same treatments as before, including cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and counselling, but with a renewed focus on enabling those who may have trouble accessing the service to be able to obtain the support they need.
The new multi-partnership approach brings together voluntary, community, social enterprise and statutory (VCSE) organisations and will ensure people in Norfolk and Waveney can get quick and easy access to talking therapies services.
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