Cutswatch - we need your help

While we all know that this is a tough economic climate, we want to make sure people affected by severe mental illness are not unjustly affected by cuts to mental health spending and services.

Councils and health trusts are about to sign off their budgets. In order to build up a national picture of cuts to spending on mental health services, Rethink needs your help.

We need volunteers to help us track what is happening across the Greater Manchester area. Please let us know what’s happening near you, by finding out what your council and local health trust’s new spending plans are for mental health. You can find out by:

Checking your council and Primary Care Trust’s websites to see if information is readily available
Calling your local council and ask them how you find out
Asking your local PCT's Patient Advice Liaison Services (PALs) or Patient and Public Involvement team - for advice on how to find out about NHS plans for mental health in your area.

If you have any information just post it as a comment on this blog, or email us at maryrayner@hotmail.com.

Comments

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 ...

MUN Invites Speaker, Steve Cova From DWP To Answer Your Questions On DLA

Manchester Users Network meeting, 21st February, 11am, Harpurhey Wellbeing Centre, (formally Harpurhey Day Centre), 93 Church Lane, Harpurhey, Manchester M9 4BE. Guest Speaker, Steve Cova from DWP to answer your questions on DLA & cuts to your benefit. Further information tel Alan, (0161) 918 4343/(0161) 492 0790. More information on Manchester Users Network website .

Rethink Mental Illness Manchester Group

Search This Blog