Rethink Mental Illness Manchester Group

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...