REACH (Realising everyone’s access to community help) 

Coventry & Warwickshire REACH Mental Health Alliance (REACH) plays a critical role in supporting, coordinating, and enhancing voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector contributions to mental health services.

REACH has developed, evolved and expanded over the past five years and has proven instrumental in transforming mental health service delivery by fostering collaboration between VCFSE organisations

Co-production has been a hallmark of the REACH’s approach, with many respondents highlighting its transformative impact. Experts by experience (EbE’s) have played a pivotal role in shaping services, contributing insights that ensure services are effective and inclusive.

Policy Lens

REACH is aligned with national policy directives including the new NHS 10-year plan; having been developed as a result of the roll-out of the Community Mental Health Framework (CMHF), with the aims and structure of REACH shaped by community organisations, EbE’s, and local need.

Current Service Delivery and Engagement

REACH currently delivers a range of services

• REACH Peer Support Service
• Core 20 Community Connectors
• Co-production of the Inpatient Transformation

REACH is also engaged in various workstreams alongside operational leads in CWPT.

REACH is organised around four key functions:

• Strategic System Leadership: Acting as a trusted advisor to statutory partners (CWPT, ICB, local authorities), REACH can influence mental health service design and local policy implementation in mental health through community engagement, co-production, and data-driven insights.

• Sector Advocacy and Insight Generation: REACH serves as a central intelligence hub for the Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector working in mental health, surfacing local needs and identifying funding opportunities from statutory, national/local, and charitable sources.

• Delivery Platform: As an innovative delivery vehicle, REACH enables VCFSE members to deliver high-quality mental health and wellbeing services that align with strategic priorities.

• Support and Capacity Building for the Mental Health VCFSE Sector: Supporting REACH members through training, compliance assistance, and shared learning - building sector capacity, resilience, and innovation.

 If you would like more information, or to join REACH MH Alliance please contact Nicola.hall@rethink.org