Hundreds of people across north east Essex are being helped to improve their mental health, build confidence and access vital support thanks to a service bringing people with lived experience directly into NHS care.
The Peer Support Service, delivered in partnership by Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) and local charity SUMMIT, supports people across Colchester and Tendring who are experiencing mental health difficulties.
The service brings together six peer support workers who use their own experiences of mental health challenges to build trusting relationships, offer encouragement and help people overcome barriers to accessing care.
From August 2025 to August 2026, peer support workers helped people attend 385 important healthcare appointments, including 330 GP appointments and 55 outpatient appointments. This has resulted in estimated NHS savings of £22,000 by helping to prevent missed appointments.
The team also supported five people experiencing mental health crises, helping to avoid visits to A&E and potential hospital admissions.
Peer support workers offer personalised support, usually over 20 to 24 weeks, helping people attend appointments, access counselling, manage financial and housing difficulties, and reconnect with their communities.
Over the past year, the service has helped people address more than 1,550 issues, ranging from accessing benefits and housing support to finding specialist counselling, befriending services and help with drug and alcohol difficulties.
A further 345 people were supported to access other health services, helping them get the care they needed.
For many people, having someone alongside them who understands what they are going through can make a life-changing difference.
One person supported by the service said: “I have been really struggling with my mental health and now, with the support from my peer support worker, there is hope for the future.”
Another said: “I don’t know where I would be if they hadn’t come into my life, I feel I can breathe again.”
The service also helps people overcome loneliness and isolation by building their confidence to take part in everyday activities and connect with others.
SUMMIT has established peer support groups in Colchester and Tendring, giving people a welcoming space to meet others, share experiences and continue receiving support after their individual sessions have ended.
One person said: “I feel so much more confident going out on my own now.”
Another added: “I feel like someone is listening to what I need.”
Ann Sheridan, Executive Nurse at EPUT, said: “We are proud to work alongside SUMMIT to provide this valuable service, which shows just how powerful lived experience can be in supporting people’s mental health.
“Having someone who understands what you are going through can make a real difference, particularly for people who may have struggled to access support in the past. These results show the positive impact peer support workers are having in helping people build confidence, stay connected with their care and get the help they need.”
Gaynor Jarrett, CEO of SUMMIT, said: “Peer support is about helping people feel heard, understood and supported by someone who has experienced their own mental health challenges.
“Behind these figures are people who are finding the confidence to leave their homes, attend appointments, make new connections and feel more hopeful about their futures.
“We are incredibly proud of our peer support workers and the difference they are making to people’s lives across Colchester and Tendring.”
The service has now been running for two years, with referrals increasing as more NHS mental health teams and community services have begun accessing the support.
The service highlights the importance of working closely with health services, charities and community organisations to help people access support earlier and prevent their mental health from deteriorating.
About EPUT:
- EPUT has a vision to be the leading health and wellbeing service in the provision of mental health and community care: Who we are – Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
- EPUT provides services to more than 100,000 patients at any one time and our staff are focused on providing high quality care in often complex situations.
- The organisation has invested in inpatient facilities and community services to make them safer and more therapeutic. We have extensively invested in technology to keep patients safer, enhanced training, and are continuously working with our staff, patients, their families and carers to use learning and best practice to enhance our quality of care.
- While there is more to do, the Trust has made significant progress through innovation:
- Our 111 mental health crisis phone line ensures people in need can access support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
- People with lived experience have been employed in designated roles across the Trust, ensuring patient voice is heart of the organisation and all that we do.
- A number of new initiatives have been launched, helping people access the support they need when they need it most. These include a mental health urgent care department, By Your Side maternal mental health service, Rough Sleeper team, mental health crisis ambulance cars, virtual wards and neuromodulation service.
- EPUT was formed on 1 April 2017 and provides community health, mental health and learning disability services across Essex, Luton and Bedfordshire and Suffolk. We employ more than 7,200 staff working across more than 200 sites.
- To read more about our priorities and commitments to deliver the highest quality and safest care possible, visit https://eput.nhs.uk/about-us/2023-2028-strategic-plan/