Rethink Mental Illness Manchester Group

The Think Local Act Personal partnership and the National Centre for Independent Living are holding a series of 9 regional events for England. The events are titled 'Transforming social care through Direct Payments'. The North West event will take place in Manchester on 17th January (sorry, no time specified) at Breakthrough UK, Aked Close, Ardwick, Manchester, M12 4AN. The government has challenged councils to significantly improve take up of direct payments and work towards making them the default offer for adult social care.   The events bring together a series of subject experts from key organisations in the field of direct payments including Think Local Act Personal, Skills for Care, the National Centre for Independent Living, Shared Lives Plus (formerly NAAPS UK) Community Catalysts, Groundswell and HMRC.   The workshops are aimed at senior commissioners and operational managers in councils, direct payments support organisations, providers working with DP recipie

For any readers of this blog who are interested in the progress of Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust's Foundation Trust application , the news is that they have just passed the Department of Health stage. There are various hurdles to overcome to gain Foundation Trust status and this means that the Trust will now progress on to the next one, which is financial scrutiny by Monitor , the regulator for Foundation Trusts in England. More information about all this is available in MMHSCT's latest newsletter . More information about what becoming a Foundation Trust means is available on MMHSCT's Foundation Trust microsite as well as on the Monitor website.

I was about to post a Merry Christmas message from all of us at Rethink Manchester Carers in Action, when I read this one from our national charity, Rethink Mental Illness, which sums up what I'd like to say... From everyone here at Rethink Mental Illness, we hope you all have a happy and safe Christmas and New Year! If you or someone you know is feeling low at this time of year, please remember that the Samaritans service is available 24/7, 365 days a year. If you’re feeling down, depressed or anxious over the festive period, get in touch with them: 08457 90 90 90 http://www.samaritans.org/

It's the Rethink Manchester Carers in Action Christmas Party  this Wednesday 14th December, from 6 – 7:45pm  at Manchester Carers Centre, Vulcan Mill, 12-18 Pollard Street, Manchester M4 7AN. As well as having a cup of tea and a good catch up, we've got a fun line up including... Exclusive music performance by  Dissolved Boy  - AKA Andrew CJ Smith! Raffle to raise funds for our group Food and drink – bring a little something to share! Christmas quiz Everyone is welcome – just come along. If you are travelling by public transport or by foot, a ‘walking bus’ will leave from the taxi rank at Manchester Piccadilly station at 5:30pm. Please call Mary Patel on 07816 754 032 to let us know you will be coming, so we know to wait for you. If you are travelling by car then free parking is available on Pollard Street after 6pm.

The Manchester LINk is carrying out a survey of people's experiences of using Manchester's crisis services. There are two versions of the survey, one for staff and one for patients - both of which are attached. You can also fill out the survey online through 'Surveymonkey' by following the relevant link: For patients: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XMGZGP8 For staff:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XWMQ8B6 The closing date for the survey is the end of December 2011.  If you have any questions or would like to speak to someone at the LINk, please call: 0161 874 2187 or email: Manchesterlink@theBHA.org.uk

If you access the Crisis Line run by Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust, please note that due to technical problems the number has now changed. The new number is 0161 922 3801. All service users affected have been informed both by their Care Co-ordinator and by personal letter to their home address and all staff are aware of the change.

If you live in Manchester or Broughton, have a mental health condition and currently claim Incapacity Benefit, you might be interested in a new peer mentoring service from Making Space . If you're claiming long-term Incapacity Benefit, the DWP will shortly be asking you to undertake an Incapacity Benefit Reassessment to decide whether you could be considered fit for work. When they contact you, you can call on the Making Space Work4you service to help you through the process. Making Space will make sure you have the right information to take with you for your interview, or we can attend the interview with you if you wish, and help with any appeals if necessary. Contact details: FOR MANCHESTER CAROL GARRETT - 0784 326 8068 Email: Carol.Garrett@makingspace.co.uk TRACEY HARPER - 0784 326 8023 Email: Tracey.Harper@makingspace.co.uk FOR SALFORD ANDREW ATKINSON - 0784 326 7957 Email: Andrew.Atkinson@makingspace.co.uk You can also contact the Rethink Mental Illness Ad

We've been sent details of a research project - details below if you would like to read more and get involved. The main aim of the project is to improve current practices surrounding the identification of mental health problems for people in contact with the police, through increasing access to timely and appropriate referral to mental health professionals . The project focuses on the gap in police access to mental health services on the evenings and weekends when there is a high turnover of people through custody. The project is a collaboration between the Offender Health Research Network, University of Manchester and LancashireCare NHS Foundation Trust. If interested, you are welcome to participate in the following ways; 1. Interview (1 x 1 hour) (May 2011 - Jan 2012) 2. Consultation Questionnaires (approx 4) (Nov 2011 - Dec 2012) A £10 mobile top up for participation in the interview and a £20 mobile top up for completion of each questionnaire will be provided. (Arg

Come and join us at our Christmas Party on  Wednesday 14th December, from 6 – 7:45pm at Manchester Carers Centre , Vulcan Mill, 12-18 Pollard Street, Manchester M4 7AN. As well as having a cup of tea and a good catch up, we've got a fun line up including... Exclusive music performance by Dissolved Boy - AKA Andrew CJ Smith! Raffle to raise funds for our group Food and drink – bring a little something to share! Christmas quiz Everyone is welcome – just come along. If you are travelling by public transport or by foot, a ‘walking bus’ will leave from the taxi rank at Manchester Piccadilly station at 5:30pm. Please call Mary Patel on 07816 754 032 to let us know you will be coming, so we know to wait for you. If you are travelling by car then free parking is available on Pollard Street after 6pm.

One our our group members, Dawn Perry, has been interviewed in Community Care magazine about her experience of an Anxiety UK mentoring scheme. Anxiety UK is a Manchester-based organisation and is running this pilot scheme which it hopes to roll out more widely across the country. The article is available online on the Community Care website . Dawn has set up a Facebook group called Making Mental Health Positive , to share coping strategies and techniques. It's open to anyone who'd like to join.

I spent yesterday (Saturday) at Rethink Mental Illness' annual Members Day, at the Russell Hotel in London. I met my mum there, who is group co-ordinator of two groups on the Welsh/English border (go mum!) as well as one of our group members, Martine. It was also great to catch up (and meet in some instances) Rethink Mental Illness staff and other group members from all over the country. Despite the tough financial climate, Rethink Mental Illness is doing okay, with membership numbers healthy (though if you're not already a member do sign up and support the charity's great work - only around £2 a month). We heard about Rethink's plans for the coming year and I attended a workshop on the new Schizophrenia Commission which has just recently been launched, as well as Rethink's most recently campaign 'Unhappy Birthday Schizophrenia' to mark 100 years since psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler first coined the term. Send an 'Unhappy Birthday' card to Prime Min

As usual it was good to catch up with people at our group meeting this week. We kicked off with some ideas for our pre-Christmas meeting in December and settled on a good old fashioned approach of bring and share food, some silly games and a raffle. We're also hoping to have a performance from Andrew CJ Smith - you can hear him narrate his most recent book here . It'll be at the usual venue of Manchester Carers Centre, from 6 - 7.45pm on Wednesday 14th December. The bulk of our meeting was spent talking about Manchester Mental Health Trust's current review of adult community mental health services ( read our recent post about this ). Patrick Cahoon and Linval Smith came to talk through the plans. The Trust is proposing moving to a recovery-based, stepped care model which is a slightly jargonified way of saying they want to encourage and help people to get better, with different levels of care (or steps) within this. These steps range from Step One (the most basic one) whi

I've been sent details of a petition that you might want to sign. This year many of us have supported the Hardest Hit events. Firstly in London in May followed by the ones in October held at venues around the country. Many more disabled people and carers were so disappointed not to have been there. Cost, distance, transport, their health or disability prevented them from attending. The petition reads: "Stop and review the cuts to benefits and services which are falling disproportionately on disabled people, their carers and families. Responsible department: Department for Work and Pensions The government were embarking on wholesale reform of the benefit system when the economic crisis struck. These welfare reforms had not been piloted and the plan was to monitor and assess the impact of the new untried approach as it was introduced in a buoyant economy. Unfortunately since then the economy has gone in to crisis and the government has simultaneously embarked on a

It's only a few days until our next meeting, taking place this Wednesday 9th November from 6 - 7.45pm at the usual venue, Manchester Carers Centre . After a cup of tea, a snack and a bit of a catch up with one another, we've got two main things to talk about this week: 1. Michael Yousif from the Royal College of Psychiatrists Public Education Editorial Board is coming to talk to the group about how the College can improve its information provision for Carers. 2. Patrick Cahoon and Linval Smith, from Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust, are coming to talk to the group about the Trust's current review of community mental health services. If you are traveling by public transport or by foot, a ‘walking bus’ will leave from the taxi rank at Manchester Piccadilly station at 5.30pm. Please call Mary Patel on 07816 754 032 to let us know you will be coming, so we know to wait for you. If you are traveling by car, free parking is available on Pollard Street from

Rethink Mental Illness is establishing an independent expert commission to review the current impact of schizophrenia and to identify what needs to be done to improve outcomes. Over the next few months Rethink Mental Illness will be gathering opinions from experts across England – people living with schizophrenia, families, practitioners, researchers, journalists, policy makers to address barriers and solutions to delivering effective mental health services and public health education programmes that address stigma. Find out more at The Schizophrenia Commission website .

It's 100 years since the term 'schizophrenia' was first coined. To mark this 'unhappy' occasion, the national charity that we're a part of - Rethink Mental Illness - have launched a new campaign to raise awareness of the poor deal that many people with this diagnosis still receive. If you've got 30 seconds then go to the Rethink Mental Illness website to send a birthday e-card to the Prime Minister, David Cameron, with five birthday wishes for schizophrenia. The campaign got some good coverage in The Guardian last week.

Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust is currently conducting a review of its Adult Community Mental Health Services. The Trust provides a range of services to 10,500 people each year through community mental health services, inpatient and outpatient services. The main focus of the review appears to be a reshuffle in the way that Community Mental Health Teams are structured and relate to other parts of mental health provision in Manchester. The Trust states that the benefits will be: Continue to improve the quality of Adult CMHS delivered to the local population. Improve the links between GPs (primary care) and the Trust (secondary care) making it easier for people who need support with their mental health to receive the care we provide. Improve the transfer of service users between teams and externally to ensure their mental health needs are met at the right time by the right people. Give our staff the opportunity to use their therapeutic skills more effectively to a

Our next meeting is on this Wednesday 12th October, from 6 – 7:45pm at Manchester Carers Centre . As well as having a cup of tea and a catch up, we've got a local GP coming to talk with us about the future of commissioning for mental health services. GPs are due to take on the majority of commissioning of health and social care services in the near future, so this is a good opportunity to understand how the new system might work. Find out more about what Rethink Mental Illness wants from GP commissioning here . If you are travelling by public transport or by foot, a ‘walking bus’ will leave from the taxi rank at Manchester Piccadilly station at 5:30pm. Please call Mary Patel on 07816 754 032 to let us know you will be coming, so we know to wait for you. If you are travelling by car then free parking is available on Pollard Street after 6pm. It's World Mental Health Day today. Wishing you all the best and hoping that it's as happy as can be.

We are very sad to announce that our friend and Group Chair, Ellen Foran, passed away at the end of September. Ellen was a tireless campaigner for mental health. Despite ill health and significant caring responsibilities, she always found the time and energy to shape and support local campaigns. She was admired by the group for her strong sense of integrity and courage when dealing with situations that she felt need to be changed, and in taking a stand against practices that she feels to be unjust. All those who knew her will remember that she was not one to give up easily! As well as her huge efforts in campaigning locally, Ellen was also very supportive of individuals in our group. Despite her own personal situation she was always happy to talk and to offer a friendly ear and emotional support. We have very lucky to have known Ellen and all her energy and enthusiasm. She will be missed very much and our thoughts go out to her family and friends at this sad time.

Our next meeting is coming up this week, Wednesday 14th September, from 6 – 7:45pm at Manchester Carers Centre . As well as having a cup of tea, a snack and a catch up, we've got people coming to talk with us about: Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust's service user and carer strategy reviews  updates to Manchester Local Involvement Network (LINk), a network of local people, groups and organisations working to make health and social care better.  All are welcome. If you are travelling by public transport or by foot, a ‘walking bus’ will leave from the taxi rank at Manchester Piccadilly station at 5:30pm. Please text or call Mary Patel on 07816 754 032 to let us know you will be coming, so we know to wait for you.

You might be interested in a new Facebook group, 'Making Mental Health Positive'. The group was set up by someone based in Manchester who has personal experience of mental illness and wants to improve awareness of mental health and to challenge stigma. You can join the group here and listed to an interview with the group's founder, Dawn Perry, here .

The NHS North West Board has approved the capital funding for Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust's Inpatient Pathway Redesign (IPR) Project. See the Trust's website for more information about this . This means that the Trust will now proceed with plans to relocate its inpatient services to two sites from the current three. The change will result in the inpatient beds that are currently at Edale House at Manchester Royal Infirmary being relocated to Park House on the North Manchester General Hospital site. The Trust says: "This will give us unprecedented opportunities to improve care to our service users and their carers." When the Trust announced its intention to close the inpatient unit at MRI we wrote to the Manchester Evening News to express our concerns about the extra burden this would place on some carers in terms of extra travelling time. The Trust's latest communication about the IPR states that: "The work in addressing concerns about

The world of mental health can sometimes feel full of debate about service provision with little space left for creativity and free thinking. That's why I always enjoy hearing from organisations like Asylum or arts organisations that open up debate and challenge thinking in ways that conversations about statutory services - however important - just can't. So I was interested to find an email in my inbox this week from an outfit called Laced Banana. They describe themselves as "a theatre production company creating socially relevant theatre that aims to educate, inform and open minds." They've just finished a production called Blowing Whistles, a play about what it's like to be a gay man in 2011.They're now on the look out for people who have had experience of mental health problems to help put together their next production. Here are the details on exactly what Amy and the team at Laced Banana would like your help on: 1. A new full-length verbatim p

Here's a message we've received from Rethink that you might be interested in: Rethink Mental Illness is really concerned about cuts to mental health services, and we want to make sure the Government knows the impact these cuts are having on people affected by mental illness. We are compiling a report to raise awareness of this issue and to fight unfair cuts, and we urgently need our members, activists and supporters to tell us about how cuts have affected them personally. Your story could feature in our report, and we are also looking for people who would be interested in talking to the media about how they have been affected by cuts. This could mean having your name and photograph published, but if you would feel more comfortable to tell your story anonymously then that could also be an option. To tell us about how cuts to mental health services have affected you, please fill in our online form . We are particularly keen to hear about cuts to housing, crisis or inpatient s

CareLoop: a mobile phone system for monitoring mental health and supporting self-management It’s common for service users with severe mental health problems to experience a range of distressing symptoms, which can change depending on levels of stress and a range of things. When these symptoms become worse it’s often hard to monitor them, it can be difficult to access help, and sometimes results in you having to go into hospital. This study is seeing whether you can monitor your mental health through the use of telephones. Normally you would see a doctor, nurse or other health professional every few weeks and they would ask you questions about how you are feeling. This means sometimes things are forgotten. It is hoped that with a telephone system symptoms are recorded as they are happening (like a living diary). This might it easier to discuss your thoughts and feelings with health care workers; it might also mean that when you are becoming unwell more support could be provided to s

Due to disturbances in Manchester City Centre tonight, we have taken the decision to cancel the Rethink Manchester Carers in Action meeting that was due to be held this week, Wednesday 10th August. Our next meeting will now be on Wednesday 14th September. As usual, we will be posting news updates to our blog at www.rmcia.blogspot.com. If you need to get in touch with anyone in the meantime, either for information on the group, or just for a chat if things are difficult, you can get hold of me on the mobile number below. Rethink has sent out the following message through their Facebook page: "A message to any of our Facebook followers who may have been affected by disturbancies in UK cities over night - do get in touch with family or friends if you're feeling anxious or distressed, or call a support line such as the Samaritans to talk it over with someone. They're on 08457 909090 or jo@samaritans.org We hope that none of you or your family and friends have been affect

Apologies, but I've lifted the text of this post from NHS Manchester's website, the current commissioning body in the city. You can read the full article here . GPs in Manchester would like to hear from local people who want to become involved in designing the future of health services in the city National NHS reforms are changing the way health services in Manchester will be planned, arranged and funded in the future. Local GPs are forming ‘Clinical Commissioning Groups’ which will work closely with hospitals, community health services and social care services to organise and develop health services which improve the quality of care available in the city. There are 3 ways people can get involved: 1) Apply to join Patient and Public Advisory Groups. Situated within the Clinical Commissioning Groups and reporting to the Board, these bodies will consist of approximately 12 people who will represent the views of the local community and comment on plans and developments bei

We are delighted to announce that Rethink Manchester Carers in Action has been nominated for a Pringle Award, under the ‘Group of the Year’ category. What is more, one of our group members, Ellen Foran, has been nominated for the Rethink Member of the Year award! The yearly Pringle Awards recognise and celebrate the commitment, imagination and achievements of Rethink’s members, services and groups. So, we have our fingers crossed! The awards will be presented at this year's Rethink National Members Day & Annual General Meeting on Saturday 12th November 2011 in Central London. More information and a booking form will be online available from mid September. For more information visit the Rethink website .

Rethink Mental Illness (the new name for Rethink) has organised a conference for service users, carers and professionals, covering important issues including: Welfare rights, changes to benefits, cuts to services Mental illness and your GP, and physical healthcare The event will take place on Wednesday 28th September, from 10.30am - 4.00pm at the Imperial Hotel, Blackpool. It is FREE to Rethink members, £12 for service users and carers, and £50 for professionals. If you're not a member you can join today (£12 for six months or £24 for one year) and benefit from the free rate. For more detail about the event and a booking form, contact Reservations, Rethink Mental Illness, 122 Westgate, Wakefield, WF1 1XP, email or phone 01924 433202.

If you are interested in finding out more about a Rethink Carers Group in Stockport please come along to: The Stockport Carers Group Meeting at the Wellbeing Centre Graylaw House Chestergate SK1 1LZ Tuesday 9th August from 6.00pm to 8.00pm Ruth Bettie Rethink Groups Manager [North] will be talking about what joining a Rethink Group can do for you         For more information please ring: 07800919248

One of our group members, Irene Harris, is going to lead presentation at our meeting on Wednesday 13 th July . Its subject is how people who have a diagnosis of schizophrenia want to be treated by other people and how the recovery approach can improve the lives of people with psychosis.  It’s about love, hope, the right treatment and support and what we can all do to help. It’s mainly in DVD form with people, service users & carers, speaking for themselves. The presentation will follow with an open discussion so we can share our thoughts. Come and join us from 6 – 7:45pm at Manchester Carers Centre . A ‘walking bus’ leaves from by the taxi rank at Manchester Piccadilly station at 5:30pm.

On Wednesday 8 th June our Rethink Carers group held a ‘Celebration of Self Help’ at The Manchester Carers Centre. Our aim was to invite anyone interested or affected by mental illness to drop in and find out about what we and other groups have to offer in the Manchester area. There was a fantastic turnout and it appeared that those who came along got something out of it – from accessing information, having a free therapy massage or confidence coaching session, or some of the sumptuous food on offer. We even had a ‘sticky wall’ where people wrote on little notes about what it is that makes them feel good and stuck them onto the ‘wall’ For my part, I had amazing day! I gave 1-1 confidence coaching sessions to a number of service users and carers.  What struck me most was how each person’s uniqueness shone through. And even more, how each one of them had shown an incredible inner strength in finding ways to deal with life’s adversities. For example, one person was coming to terms

We asked people who came along to our Celebration of Self Help event a couple of weeks ago to give us their top self help tip. Here are the great ideas we were given... "Listening to music and dancing" "Talk to someone (family/friend/doctor/helpline) about how you are feeling" "Book yourself a time in your diary, & spend it how you want - make it a priority" "Take some regular 'time out' to relax and rest" "Have some 'you' time and treat yourself! Take the time to relax - have a bath, listen to calming music, exercise such as yoga and read a good book or watch a nice film, and don't worry about anyone else" "To keep active which helps mental health well being" "Self help for me is to stay focused on good things that make you feel happy such as going shopping, going to art galleries and keeping active" "Pamper yourself, it's very rewarding" "Do things for yourself -

Here are some photos from our Celebration of Self Help event. We have the wonderful ladies from the Wai Yin Chinese Women Society Tai Chi group, us getting the all-important cake stand ready, and the lovely Lindsey Cree and her daughter! In a moment I'll post all the self-help ideas you can see on the blue sticky wall at the back of the room.

We had a great time on Wednesday, where we were joined by over 30 people to celebrate many of the mental health self-help options available in Manchester. With the public spending cuts casting a dark cloud over statutory service provision, we wanted to celebrate all the wonderful community, voluntary and social enterprise groups out there that can provide us with help and support. For us, self help isn't about being on our own, but about having ideas, inspiration and practical help to help us help ourselves. There was a great buzz in the room all afternoon, thanks in no small part to our stall holders Rethink , The Ann Lee Centre , Self Help Services , Anxiety UK , Making Space and Partners of Prisoners . One attendee remarked how useful it was to find out about all these organisations. We also had a wonderful Tai Chi demonstration from the Wai Yin Chinese Women Society , who proved that age is no barrier to grace! The free massage and self confidence booster sessions were fully

I spent the sunniest Saturday in Manchester for a long time sat inside for a day's training on physical health It was run by Rethink's campaigns team to get local activists like us here at RMCIA thinking about how we can get involved in Rethink's Fair Treatment Now campaign. The 'shocking statistic' is that people with severe mental health problems like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, personality disorder and severe depression die up to 20 years younger compared with the rest of the population - not just from suicide but from preventable physical illnesses. There were about 20 people in the room including service users, carers, activists and professionals - or combinations of two or more of those fairly unloved labels. I was particularly struck to hear the personal stories of people who had battled through really difficult times and had their physical health problems overlooked, or at worst ignored. It's popular knowledge that regular exercise makes us all fe

Wednesday 8th June, 2 - 5pm, Manchester Carers Centre Vulcan Mill, Pollard Street M4 7AN Come and join us to celebrate all that Manchester has to offer to help those of us affected by mental illness help ourselves through the bad times and the good! It's a free event and open to anyone with an interest in mental health. No need to book - just turn up. Just drop in any time for: information stalls from Rethink , The Ann Lee Centre , Self Help Services , Anxiety UK , Making Space , Wai Yin Chinese Women Society , Asylum Magazine , Partners of Prisoners and Crazy Diamond Training and Consultancy . healthy snacks and drinks from the wonderful Good Mood Food free coaching and confidence building sessions from Lindsey Cree free massage therapy ...and lots more! For more information call Mary Patel on 07816 754 032 or Manchester Carers Centre on 0161 272 7270.

Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust is supporting a major piece of research at the moment looking at medications adherence/recovery etc. As part of this work they are very keen to involve service users and carers and are looking at this time for expressions of interest from service users to become involved as peer researchers to test out levels of service user satisfaction around specific medications. This would be a really exciting opportunity, and no particular skills or experience is necessary other than an interest in research and a commitment to engaging with other service users as part of the programme. For more information or to register contact: Patrick Cahoon, Associate Director - Service User and Carer Engagement Chorlton House 70 Manchester Road Chorlton-cum-Hardy Manchester M21 9UN Tel: 0161 882 1103 patrick.cahoon@mhsc.nhs.uk

Come and join us to celebrate all that Manchester has to offer to help those of us affected by mental illness help ourselves through the bad times and the good! Wednesday 8th June, 2 - 5pm, Manchester Carers Centre Vulcan Mill, Pollard Street M4 7AN Just drop in any time for: information stalls healthy snacks and drinks free coaching and confidence building sessions free massage therapy ...and lots more! For more information call Mary Patel on 07816 754 032 or Manchester Carers Centre on 0161 272 7270. FREE - display information about your group or offer an activity session Are you a mental health self-help support group in Manchester? Or a statutory, community or voluntary sector provider that offers services to support people to help themselves? Or can you offer an activity session that you think would benefit someone with a mental illness, or carers, such as art, poetry or exercise? We have a limited number of table-top stands for you to display information and a roo