Rethink Mental Illness Manchester Group

Central, North and South Manchester Clinical Commissioning Groups have recently consulted on their  commissioning intentions for mental health services. We have responded to the consultation and you can read a copy of our response (pdf) her e. The main focus of our response was asking for greater involvement of carers and service users in the mental health system. You can find the original commissioning intentions document here http://www.manchester.nhs.uk/document_uploads/mental_health/MH%20Commissioning%20Intentions%2013-15.pdf and more information at http://www.manchester.nhs.uk/commissioning/mental-health-commissioning-intentions-2013-15.html .

Our friends over at Making Mental Health Positive have put together this inspiring exhibition of postcards to send a positive message about mental health. It's on at the Lowry, Salford Quays, until 7th November. You can find MMHP at www.facebook.com/MakingMentalHealthPositive or on twitter at @MMHPuk.

Just a quick reminder that it's our regular monthly meeting this Wednesday 9th October, from 6-7.45pm at Manchester Carers Centre . Our speaker is Tom Griffiths from the Work Capability Assessment Action Group. All are very welcome! We'll start with a cup of tea and a biscuit.

Trafford Centre for Independent Living (Trafford CIL) has been awarded funding by Skills for Care to provide free Health and Social Care training for Carers, Personal Assistants and their individual employers. As an experienced provider of training for disabled people and their staff, and as the only provider in the North West to be awarded this funding, the organisation is in a unique position to deliver person-centred training focussed on the needs of disabled people and their immediate support networks. Between July and October 2013, Trafford CIL will initially host twice-weekly sessions at their offices in Sale, as well as a number of outreach sessions within Trafford. The courses cover a range of subjects, from Safer Handling of Medicines and Manual Handling to person centred courses such as Autism, Diabetes, Cerebral Palsy and Dementia. All of the courses are CPD certified and use innovative e-l...

Rethink Mental Illness have just launched a new guide, ‘SOS’. This guide aims to help people who may know somebody with mental illness but don’t know what to do. It’s written in a way that’s accessible to everyone and it can be very useful in helping people with mental illness receive greater support from their friends or relatives. This is available for free to download from www.rethink.org/sos

Our next meeting is on this  Weds 11 th September , from 6 – 7.45pm at Manchester Carers Centre (address at the end of this newsletter). We have a busy agenda, including discussion about our financial position , possible support from Rethink Mental Illness on campaigning , as well as Patrick Cahoon to update us on the Foundation Trust application status , and Sarah Leach from the Trafford Centre for Independent Living . Our October meeting will be on Weds 9 th . Tom Griffiths from the Work Capability Assessment Action Group is coming to talk with us. The group is an alliance of organisations and individuals who are supporting WCA claimants in preparing for interviews as well as campaigning for change in the assessment process.