Getting mental health on the government's agenda

Rethink have been doing lots of lobbying in the run up to the general election, raising awareness of mental health issues amongst politicians. You can support their work by signing Rethink's petition. The petition tells new MPs that 1 in 4 people are affected by mental health problems, and many are STILL:

- missing out on basic treatments and information
- facing discrimination in everyday life and
- too often locked up in prison without any healthcare

Rethink are calling for the new Parliament to act to improve things for people affected by mental illness and are aiming to collect 10,000 signatures to take to Downing Street as soon as the election results are in.

Sign the petition now.

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A great celebration of self help!

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 ...

What an inspiring evening!

We had our 'Bring and Share' event tonight and as well as eating too much chocolate (again) I've come away feeling really inspired. We talked about all the skills, experience and knowledge that we've gained by either coping with having a mental illness, or though caring for a loved one who has been very ill. You can see all the ideas we jotted down from the discussion - from coming to understand your limitations (and that these can change), to developing patience, coping strategies and learning how to think positively. We understand how mental health services work and different illnesses themselves. It struck me, particularly from the people in the room who themselves have to deal with what can be devastating mental illnesses, that we're a pretty skilled bunch of people. For some, mental illness forces a process of self examination - and eventually self awareness - that is painful but hugely illuminating. It's a process that many of us won't have to go throu...

Update on closure of MRI inpatient services

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 ...

Rethink Mental Illness Manchester Group

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