NSUN news

Uproar as council announces closure of local mental health centre

Harrow council has announced it would not renew the contract for the Bridge Mental Health Centre, leading to uproar among the community.

Help us evaluate our work and shape next year's priorities

We are seeking the views of members and stakeholders in order to evaluate our work and plan the coming year's priorities.
Your input is really valuable as it will help us to find out what we are doing well and identify the areas that we can improve on as an organisation.
Personal comments will remain anonymous but will be combined with other responses to inform what we do now and in the future.
Your data will be stored until we have completed our annual evaluation work.

We would like to thank you in advance for giving up your time to complete this survey. It will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. The deadline for responses is Friday 26th February 2016.

Member Blogs

The topic of parity of esteem returns in this week's blog. Paul Wilson suggests that the very definition of this concept needs to change. Read his blog here.

NSUN member launches creative awareness campaign

'To raise awareness of Mental Health, we are taking on the challenge of creating as many small 3D birds in the hope of being exhibited in the near future' says NSUN member, who's page on Facebook is wittingly names 'thausands over the cuckoo's nest'

The Giving Machine

NSUN is raising money via the Giving Machine.

• You join for free and choose NSUN as a cause to support.
• You generate commissions by shopping online (over 1,500 retailers including Amazon, Play.com, John Lewis, eBay, Sainsbury’s and Next).
• The Giving Machine converts your commissions into donations .  You’re raising funds for free!

Click here for the NSUN page.

Previously shared information available online

Please visit our website to find involvement opportunities, jobs and events we shared in previous e-bulletins. This includes our guides to support involvement in reducing the use of restraint in mental health settings.

Shocking and moving story of Sarah Reed

This week, many of us at NSUN and at WISH were moved to tears by the story of Sarah Reed.

Sarah was a black woman with mental ill health who was subjected to police brutality which was so extreme that a fellow police officer provided key evidence leading to the perpetrator's dismissal. Sarah was found dead in a prison cell. This horrific story reminds us how BAME people, those who experience mental distress and women are all too often still perceived as second rate citizens. Sadly for Sarah Reed, she was all of the above.

Sarah's family asked campaigner Lee Jasper to speak up publicly, despite having been initially told by the mainstream media that 'the Ministry of Justice had instructed the press not to report'. A few days after Lee's blog, the Guardian published this article.

Sarah Reed will be buried on Monday 8 February in a private ceremony. NSUN offers condolences to her loved ones.

Peter Beresford's latest book: All our welfare
Towards participatory social policy

This unique book is the first to critique the past, present and future welfare state from a participatory perspective. Peter Beresford demonstrate the value of ‘user knowledge’ by challenging orthodox social policy and the limitations of both Fabian and Neo-liberal perspectives drawing on service users ‘ own ideas and experience.
More informtion here. Paperback price: £23.99 Kindle version £22.79

You can also read Peter's latest blog ' Sex,Violence, Drugs, Death & Lies' here.

Disabled activists to march on surgery

Disabled activists are to march on a surgery next month in protest at its involvement in a government scheme that is placing welfare-to-work advisors from a discredited US outsourcing giant in GP practices.
The job coaches “work with patients to establish their previous work experience, knowledge and skills, to build confidence, set goals and identify job or educational opportunities”.  But activists from the Mental Health Resistance Network (MHRN) and Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) say the pilot scheme will destroy trust between doctors and their patients, particularly those with mental health conditions.
They are particularly alarmed at the involvement of Maximus, which already runs DWP’s work capability assessment system and has quietly secured a string of other lucrative DWP contracts.

MHRN, DPAC and other activists are planning a protest march on 4 March that will target City Road surgery, one of the six GP practices taking part in the pilot project.

Avengerz Fight Back mental health survey

The Avengerz Fight Back is a patient unincorporated organisation, wishing to improve the standard of UK mental health care.

The organisation is currently collecting experiences of adult mental health services. The survey is anonymous. This means that you do not need to provide your name and the information you provide will not be traceable back to you. Services will not find out that you completed this survey.

Birmingham museums creative carers programme

If you’re registered with Birmingham Carers Hub, then you can join the Creative Carers Programme, for a creative outlet and a chance to meet other carers.

This document lists all activities from January to June 2016. Due to the capacity of the different sites, spaces on each activity are limited. So as to reach as many people as possible, carers can only book on two sessions every six months, but there are waiting lists.

To book, please email Rosie Barker with your two choices or tel 0121 348 8103

Social media and marketing apprentice opportunity

Healthwatch Cambridgeshire are looking for a creative apprentice.

Weekly wage: £247.90
Working week: 37 Hours per week Monday to Friday
Apprenticeship duration:12-18 Months
Working towards: Level 2 in Business Administration

You will help maintain and develop Healthwatch Cambridgeshire's social media accounts, including ideas and concept design. You will also help with the website, newsletters and developing promotional ideas. Bring your creativity into the workplace. Healthwatch will need you to help us go out into the local community, to tell people about the organisation, and listen to their experiences of care.

Click here to find out more and apply
Closing date for applications: 19 February 2016

Equal Lives Independent Living Group Meetup in Norwich

Equal Lives' Independent Living Groups provide regular opportunities for all disabled people and carers in Norfolk to meet locally and discuss issues with each other in a supportive environment.

Next meeting will take place at Central Baptist Church, St Marys, (off Duke Street) Norwich, on 17 February from 10:30am to 1pm

London crisis care survey

Healthy London Partnership’s Mental Health Crisis Care programme is undertaking engagement with service-users and carers to further understand the experiences of people who have undergone a mental health crisis in London.  Mind have supported the programme in developing an online survey, which is focussed on the experiences of those whose crisis led to:

• attending an Emergency Department (A&E) or
• being detained under section 135 or 136 of the Mental Health Act by the police

Emergency Care and Treatment Plan (ECTP) consultation

A public consultation that has been initiated by the Resuscitation Council (UK) related to the development of an Emergency Care and Treatment Plan (ECTP) . The ECTP is being developed for national use in the light of evidence that harm to patients is less when decisions related to cardiopulmonary resuscitation are embedded in fuller discussions and decision making related to other life-sustaining treatment in an emergency situation.

Should you require further information or have any questions please do not hesitate to contact members of the project support team: 

• caroline.stirling@nhs.net
• carol.lewis13@nhs.net
• paul.trevatt@nhs.net

Further evidence of adverse effects of anti depressants

In the largest-ever meta-analysis of antidepressant trials, researchers from the Cochrane Collaboration reviewed seventy studies and found that— contrary to the initially reported findings — antidepressants doubled the risk of suicide and aggression in people under eighteen. Joanna Moncrieff, Senior Lecturer at University College London and  one of the founders and co-chairperson of the Critical Psychiatry Network has endorsed the study.

Guidelines on delivering mental health services online

The Risk Awareness Management Programme (RAMP) is intended to serve as a guide for organisations that have, or are considering, extending or enhancing online mental health and social support service provision in a safe and secure manner. The Programme is also aimed at social networking service providers, mobile operators, gaming platforms and application developers interested in encouraging mental well-being organisations to signpost and/or deliver support services from within specific online environments.

RAMP's guidelines address the following topics:

• data protection
• respect of personal info
• informed consent
• equipping users with knowledge and tools

ITV London are looking for people to share experiences of IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Services)

ITV London have put together a package around the difficulty in accessing IAPT services in London, and are keen to from hear people’s personal experiences with a view to filming a segment for the programme. Is there anyone in London who is currently struggling to access IAPT or did struggle to access IAPT who would be willing to speak to them?

James Harris at the Mental Health Foundation can tell you more about the project. James will also be able to explain what talking to the media can entail.

NHS England to ask military veterans how to improve mental health services

A national survey has launched to help improve the care available for veterans as they move from military to civilian life.

Consultation: health risks linked to the consumption of alcohol

Seeks views on the UK Chief Medical Officers’ proposed new guidelines to limit the health risks associated with the consumption of alcohol. This consultation closes on 1 April.

Department of Health responds to consultation on mental capacity and deprivation of liberty standards

The Department of Health has published its response to the Law Commission’s consultation on how the law should regulate deprivations of liberty (DoLS) for people who lack capacity to consent to their care and treatment arrangements. The consultation proposes that DoLS should be replaced by a new system called ‘protective care’ and that there should be a new code of practice. The Law Commission will publish its final recommendations by the end of 2016.