Published by Redbridge Concern for Mental Health

CPA Policy - Out for Consultation

The North East London Foundation Trust has produced a draft copy of the Care Programme Approach (CPA) Policy and Guidance which is now out for consultation.

Please forward your comments to Harjit.Bansal@nelft.nhs.uk by the 12th of February.

You can download the draft CPA policy here

National Dementia Strategy

This strategy sets out initiatives designed to make the lives of people with dementia, their carers and families better and more fulfilled. It will attempt to increase awareness of dementia, ensure early diagnosis and intervention and improve the quality of care that people with the condition receive.

You can download and read the strategy here

Job Opportunity: Project Coordinator -Part-time (21 hours per week) Salary £24,225 (pro-rata)

This post is initially funded for 1 year.

The Project Coordinator, who will be based at Goodmayes Hospital, will be responsible for coordinating a Service User and Nominated Person Satisfaction Survey across the North East London Foundation Trust (Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Waltham Forest and Redbridge).

The applicant will need to be approachable, adaptable, sensitive and have experience of issues that affect people with mental health problems. In addition the applicant will also need to have a good standard of computer literacy and communication skills.

For an application pack, please contact: Margaret Summers, Redbridge Concern for Mental Health, 98-100 Ilford Lane, Ilford, IG1 2LD or go to: www.rcmh.org.uk

Tel: 020 8925 2435, Email: Margaret Summers

This is a joint project between PSS Together Waltham Forest and Redbridge Concern for Mental Health.

Closing date Friday 27th February 2009, 5pm.

The Healing Mind: Art Therapy and the Body Healing Mind Exhibit

Together and the British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT) present 'The Healing Mind: Art Therapy and the Body' - a collection of visual images and sculptures created by adults and children using art therapy to cope with the psychological impact of physically life threatening or life changing illnesses and disability.

The exhibition runs from 5 February to 27 February 2009. Opening Times: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. Entrance is Free. The venue is: 12 Old Street London EC1V 9BE.

You can find out more about the programme on the Together Website. Alternatively, call 0207 780 7366 for more information.

New recipe website for healthy minds

The Mental Health Foundation and MyDish.co.uk have launched a new recipe website for people interested in knowing more about the links between healthy eating and a healthy mind. We hope the new website will be particularly helpful for people experiencing common mental health problems including depression and anxiety it suggests how diet changes can help improve mood.

You can find out more here

Days Ahead in the Peace Garden

As the days begin to lighten and the promise of Spring grows ever closer, Forest Farm Peace Garden is gearing up for another year of building, growing, learning and sharing........ all are welcome to join our volunteer teams on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Ongoing projects include putting up the polytunnel, maintaining the wind turbine, installing an irrigation system, and preparing the raised vegetable beds for the Spring planting.

There will also be a range of events happening every Sunday from now until the Summer Solstice including workshops with qualified herbalist Deborah Syrett. Plus, Joseph O' Connor from Core Arts will be holding regular sessions to introduce people to the art of wood carving, aiming towards a Peace Garden totem pole by the end of July!

You can download a calendar of events here.

There will be limited spaces on both these workshops and some others so do book ahead by calling on 07913 089 979 or emailing Gareth. You can also find out more by visiting the Forest Farm Website.

Religion or belief: a practical guide for the NHS

This guidance is designed to assist NHS organisations to implement and comply with the requirements of legislation on religion or belief enacted recently, and also provides general practical guidance around the issues relevant for the NHS.

You can download and read the leaflet here

SCIE Mental Capacity Act Materials

SCIE has launched some new materials to support the implementation of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. These materials have been commissioned by SCIE and the Department of Health with the aim of helping the people responsible for implementing the Act to understand its requirements. Some of the materials focus on a particular field (e.g. end of life care, learning disabilities or mental health), others offer more general guidance.

There are also links to materials about the MCA that have been produced by other organisations. More materials will be added as they become available and the aim is to provide a "first port of call" for anyone who is looking for information about the Mental Capacity Act. To read and download the material visit the SCIE website.

Global mental health discrimination rife says new research

New research from the Institute of Psychiatry a highlights the worrying global pattern of discrimination against people with schizophrenia. Among over 700 people interviews, from 27 countries worldwide, over 95% report that they have experienced negative discrimination.

The experiences of discrimination are remarkably consistent across countries in areas of life such as making or keeping friends, finding a job, and maintaining personal relationships. Researchers have also found that, even in the absence of experienced discrimination, such people actively anticipate that they will be discriminated against in whatever they do, such as looking for a job. In this case it is common that people in this position do not even apply for a job as they expected to be discriminated against and to fail.

Graham Thornicroft, Professor of Community Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry at Kings, and lead author on the paper comments: "Many people with schizophrenia experience stigma caused by other people's negative knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour, and this can lead to poverty, social marginalisation, and low quality of life. The aim of our study was to describe the nature, direction and severity of anticipated and experienced discrimination reported by people with schizophrenia. The fact that the findings are consistent across the 27 countries studied worldwide shows that the discrimination against people with mental illness is a global concern."

Jon Abrams
Web Site Editor
Redbridge Concern for Mental Health
98-100 Ilford Lane
Ilford, Essex, IG1 2LD
Web Site: www.rcmh.org.uk
Email:jon@redbridgeconcern.org
Telephone: 020 8925 2435

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Registered Charity No. 1065770

Disclaimer

Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Redbridge Concern for Mental Health unless otherwise specifically stated.