Living Well UK celebrates the ongoing progress in making mental health and wellbeing services more accessible to all, as their recent data shows a significant rise in engagement among non-white communities. Over only three years, Living Well UK saw an over 50% increase in service users from non-white backgrounds between 2021 and 2024.
Birmingham stands as one of the most diverse cities in the UK with a 55.8% of the population identifying as White British whereas the national percentage of White British people sits at 71.4%. With such a diverse community comes different cultural ideas on topics, different stigmas and different struggles that mental health providers must adapt to.
Living Well UK and their rich plethora of consortium members are setting precedence through actively targeting different communities through varied initiatives, offering safe spaces in non-white communities, community focused events and simply making their presence known in areas where mental health support is stigmatised, allowing community members to even just subconsciously feel there is support there if they need it.
Through a targeted approach to offering safe spaces and community led initiatives, Living Well UK has begun to break down barriers to mental health support in communities across the region. Branching into wider communities with their wellbeing café, the consortium opened their Hall Green grounded. in July of 2024 – this was a created as a targeted approach into breaking down mental health stigma in Asian communities across the region, with 38% of residents of working age being Asian by ethnicity in the Hall Green area and seemed to have a positive influence with a healthy number referrals within the first month of opening.
Not only has the consortium rooted themselves across the city, they’ve also been utilising their grounded. wellness cafes to host exciting community events that both recognise different cultures and embrace them. For example, in November 2024 the team hosted a Diwali celebration, inviting members of the local community to come into the store to light a candle and leave a message for other attendees in attempts to bridge gaps between different communities and promote solidarity.
Since beginning, Living Well Consortium – the trading subsidiary of Living Well UK – has been keeping up to date with who is looking for their services as well as who is actively in mental health services through data on their ethnicity, age and gender. The recent increase in these statistics showcase a rising trend in people from diverse ethnic backgrounds seeking mental health support, demonstrating a shift towards not only talking about mental health, but seeking professional help.
Sofia Begum, Case Management Supervisor and EMDR Therapist at Living Well UK, expressed her excitement for the progress being made: “When I first started my journey into the profession in 2000, I saw only a handful of people that came south Asian and other minority groups in therapy and as time has gone on It is truly heartening to see more people from a range of backgrounds embracing mental health support. For too long, stigma and systemic barriers have prevented those who are struggling from seeking the help they need.
These increasing numbers show that vital conversations are happening, cultural attitudes are shifting, and access to support is improving. Everyone deserves the opportunity to prioritise their mental well-being without fear or shame. This a significant step forward, and we will continue working to make mental health support available to everyone who needs it.
I am proud to say that I work for an organisation like Living Well Consortium, no challenge has been too big and, on each occasion, they have proved that they can deliver and provide mental health support to communities that would never have thought about accessing mental health support.”
The rising figures demonstrate that change is happening, and that mental health awareness is reaching more people than ever before. While challenges remain, the steady rise in therapy services being taken seriously is a sign that attitudes are evolving. As conversations continue and barriers are dismantled, the hope is that mental health care will become an accepted and essential part of overall well-being for all communities.
For more information on mental health support services available through Living Well UK, please visit www.livingwellconsortium.com.
