Mental wellbeing: An Island Perspective

Listening tour

In collaboration with the IOW Council mental health champion, our Healthwatch team visited nine community groups . We spoke to people individually and in groups and we also spoke to the volunteers and some paid staff who ran the community groups. 

Throughout our listening tour, we were privileged to meet over 130 people who shared their experiences with us. They told us how they had lost loved ones during the pandemic and  how their lives had turned upside down. They described the fear and anxiety which had enveloped their lives, with people becoming virtual recluses for fear of contracting covid and the affect this would have on their immediate families.

Arising themes

The following themes arose during our conversations with people:

• The importance of community spaces and faith groups.
• The value of listening. 
• The role of unpaid carers. 
• The effects of bereavement.
• Physical and mental wellbeing.
• The cost of living crisis.