If you work in mental health, you’ll know the pressure is relentless. More people are asking for help, services are stretched to their limits, and the need isn’t going away.
For those of us in this sector, this is familiar territory. We step in where others can’t, we try new ways of doing things, and we provide care and support that feels personal and human. But the truth is, the way we work has to evolve because the future is already knocking at our door.
Trauma-informed care
I’ve seen time after time how much trauma shapes people’s lives. It influences trust, relationships, and even how someone walks into a room. Trauma-informed care isn’t just a new training module, it’s about changing how we think and how we show up. It means staff understand why someone might react the way they do, and it means services feel safe, predictable, and respectful.
If we don’t build trauma-informed practice into our culture, we run the risk of letting people down. Obviously, being compassionate is incredibly important, but we also need to create places where recovery is genuinely possible.
Digital tools
Technology is often talked about as if it’s the silver bullet for everything. It’s not, but it is changing how people connect with support. A video call appointment, a peer support group online, or even an app to help manage daily routines. These things can make a real difference, especially for people who might not walk into a service in person.
The challenge is to do this well. Digital can’t become a substitute for meaningful care or a way to cut costs. We have to ask: Is this accessible? Does it actually help? Is it safe? If the answer isn’t yes, we shouldn’t use it, but if it is, then digital tools can make us more flexible, more responsive, and more inclusive.
Social prescribing
Here’s the thing: the voluntary sector is already at the heart of social prescribing. When someone’s referred for an art class, a walking group, or a peer support session, it’s often volunteers running it. That means they’re not on the edges of the health system anymore, they’re part of it.
That brings responsibility. We need to show the value of what volunteers do. Not just anecdotally, but with evidence and outcomes that commissioners and NHS partners can trust. At the same time, those activities should be rooted in the community, because that’s where their real power lies.
What we need to do now
So what does this mean in practice? For me, three things stand out:
- Build trauma-informed cultures, not just trauma-informed training.
- Use digital carefully, with inclusion and safety at the centre.
- Strengthen the voluntary sector’s role in social prescribing, with evidence that backs up what we already know: it works.
Of course, underlying all of this is funding. Our sector has always done more than it should with less than it needs. That can’t continue if we’re serious about meeting demand. Goodwill alone won’t carry us through the next decade.
A final thought
Trauma-informed care, digital tools, social prescribing: these aren’t trends, they’re realities. The choice the voluntary sector faces is whether to adapt, shape them, and lead or allow them to be shaped by others.
At Bridge, we’re choosing to lead, and we believe the voluntary sector must do the same. At the end of the day, this is about people—people who deserve support that’s safe and modern and delivered by people who genuinely care.
You may be interested in
The Role of Third Sector Organisations in Integrated Care Systems
From Commissioning to Collaboration: Why Mental Health Systems Must Shift the Power Dynamic
How We Work with NHS Mental Health Commissioners to Fill the Gaps in Local Services
