UOK is a partnership of 19 community services working together to support good mental health and wellbeing in Brighton, Hove and East Sussex. Our mission is to help you find and receive the support you need at the right time, and to promote good mental wellbeing for all. We are your connection to local mental health and wellbeing support in these areas.
Our services cover a range of options, from group workshops to money advice and bereavement care. Everything we offer is free of charge. Through everything we do, UOK aim to maximise hope, independence and resilience so that people can manage their mental health and realise their full potential.
Getting in touch
To help people navigate and access services, we have a Central Access Point. If you or someone you know needs support, please give us a call on 0808 1961768. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (excluding bank holidays). Or you can email us at chat@uok.org.uk.
More about us
The UOK partnership is led by Southdown, the largest not-for-profit support, care and housing provider in Sussex, and funded by NHS Sussex, Brighton & Hove City Council and East Sussex County Council. We unite organisations to provide a range of mental health and wellbeing services.
As well as working together, Southdown and UOK’s partner organisations work with other partners in the mental health and wider health and care system (both clinical and non-clinical services).
UOK was established in Brighton & Hove in October 2019, the first mental health network of its kind in Sussex. In April 2024, East Sussex County Council awarded Southdown the lead provider contract for a network of community mental health services in the region, and UOK East Sussex was born. Together, the networks of support in Brighton & Hove and East Sussex are known collectively as UOK.
UOK Brighton & Hove
UOK Brighton & Hove is a partnership of 17 local organisations providing a wide range of inclusive support for the diverse communities across the city. The network has grown from strength to strength over the years, and is continually exploring how it can enable more people to access support when they need it.
UOK East Sussex
Southdown delivers most of the services provided under UOK East Sussex, including wellbeing centres, peer support, mental health support coordinators, social prescribing, and employment support. The network also includes a drop-in centre provided by Seaview and service user engagement activity provided by Possability People.
Possability People is a charity that supports individuals with disabilities and long-term health conditions. They offer a range of services, including advice and information, care and support at home and work, employment assistance, community engagement, and training.
Over the next five years, Southdown will sub-contract to work with an increasing number of other local not-for-profit and charity organisations.
Southdown’s approach to being Lead Provider
- Our vision: We envision a vibrant, inclusive mental health network across Sussex, rooted in local neighbourhoods and led by the VCSE sector.
- Our mission: Together, with people with lived experience, we’re reshaping mental health support to be accessible, responsive, and reflective of our diverse communities’ unique needs.
- Our goal: To empower individuals and neighbourhoods toward brighter, healthier futures while reducing the reliance on hospital-based care.
- Our approach is guided by five Values and Principles: Inclusivity, diversity, collaboration, generosity, and local insight.
How we do things
Based on the recovery model for mental health, our services have a holistic, person-centered approach to mental health care that focuses on the person, not just their symptoms.
The concept of recovery is about people staying in control of their lives despite their mental health challenges. Our services include prevention, wellbeing, and recovery support for people with a range of mental health challenges. Support for carers and families is available too.
Did you know?
At any one time, one in four adults will experience mental health challenges significant enough to adversely affect their health and wellbeing, potentially threatening their job, relationship or home.
In Brighton and Hove, more people have mental health issues compared to the national average and there are higher rates of suicide deaths. 12.9% (35,700 people) are on GP practice depression registers and 1.3% (4,300 people) have severe mental illness. (Source: Brighton & Hove City Council’s Joint Strategic Needs Assessment).
In East Sussex, it is estimated that there are over 73,000 adults (16%) with a common mental health disorder. This is marginally lower than England. However, East Sussex has slightly higher suicide rate to England as well as higher recorded prevalence of severe mental illness; depression and dementia. (Source: East Sussex Council’s Joint Strategic Needs Assessment).