NSUN news

It seems strange not to acknowledge the loss of David Bowie today. Much has been said and will be said so here's something from the man himself.  Life on Mars. Of the Oh! You Pretty Things lyrics, Bowie said: “I hadn’t been to an analyst - my parents went, my brothers and sisters and my aunts and uncles and cousins, they did that. They ended up in a much worse state. I thought I’d write my problems out.... I always had a repulsive need to be something more than human.”
All The Madmen

Join us for a Human rights and Mental Health event

BIHR, Wish and NSUN invite you to attend a learning event at Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London, WC1R 4RL, at 1:30pm on 20 January about human rights and mental health. Wish and NSUN have partnered with BIHR (the British Institute of Human Rights) on a project looking at how human rights can help ensure people using mental health/mental capacity services are treated with dignity and respect. The project is called ‘Care and Support: A Human Rights Approach to Advocacy’.

This learning event will look at:

• An introduction to human rights: values and context
• An introduction to the Human Rights Act
• Mental health and human rights: examples of good practice
• Using human rights in practice

The event is free to attend but places are limited and only open to those working on mental health or mental capacity for a third sector organisation.
Please visit here to book your place.

Member Blogs

Nicky Hayward offers an insider's perspective on the British Psychological Society's report 'Understanding Bipolar Disorder'

If you would like to share your experiences, ideas or news and views, please send a request to info@nsun.org.uk.

Previously shared information available online

Please visit our website to find jobs and events we shared in previous e-bulletins.

It seems strange not to acknowledge the loss of David Bowie today. Much has been said and will be said so here's something from the man himself.  Life on Mars.
Of the Oh! You Pretty Things lyrics, Bowie said: “I hadn’t been to an analyst - my parents went, my brothers and sisters and my aunts and uncles and cousins, they did that. They ended up in a much worse state. I thought I’d write my problems out....       I always had a repulsive need to be something more than human.”
All The Madmen

Peer mentoring in Telford

Forward Mission is a peer mentoring service which offers support to people in their own home and community in Telford and Wrekin.

The project supplies you with a mentor who is there to enable you to regain confidence and bring you out of the isolation you may be in. The mentor will come with you and support you to join in things you want to do.

All mentors used on the project are DBS checked, carefully recruited and trained. Some volunteers have lived through difficult times themselves and having come through their own recovery process are very happy to be there to enable others.

For more information about the Forward Mission project, please call 07925 893 542 or email

Basildon Forum of Faiths organises Holocaust memorial event

This is a thought provoking event which will help to educate, create dialogue and challenge those attending to check their behaviour and consider how making particular life choices can impact on the people around them. The event will remind the audience of the injustice suffered by people as a result of identity prejudice and help the audience to understand how they can all make a difference in today’s world depending on the paths they choose.

Wednesday, 27 January 2016, 6.00pm-9.00pm at the Mirren Studio, Towngate Theatre, Basildon

Tickets £5.00 plus £1.00 booking fee including buffet
You can book by phone 01268 465 465 Email  or online here (24 hour online ticket sales). Wheelchair allocated spaces must be booked in advance, and notice given if wheelchair assistance is required. If you would like further information contact: The Inclusion and Diversity Team - Shamrika Sydes on 01268-207975 or Ndunge Kivuitu on 01268-207955.

A guide to mental health jargon

The Basildon Disability Equality Forum has produced a useful Mental Health Jargon Buster, to help demystify vocabulary used in the arena. This document is helpful whether you're someone who accesses services, a 'service refuser', a professional, a friend or an individual with a general interest in mental health.

Student mental health campaign publishes guide for friends

Student Minds is a UK wide charity which focuses on students mental wellbeing. The organisation's camapign Look After Your Mate just published a guide for friends, which offers support with understanding what your friend is going through, tips to aid communication and much more. Take a look here.

Peer support for and by mums

Created by a UK mum for mums to be, new mums, all mums! Mummy Social's Vision is to have all UK mums coming together so that no mum will ever feel isolated or alone again and in supporting each other build pride and confidence as individuals in one of the largest unsung groups in society doing one of the hardest and most important jobs.  The website offers a platforms for over 42600 mums. Visit here.

Help shape the specification for the National Clinical Audit for Anxiety and Depression

The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) will be taking a National Clinical Audit of Anxiety and Depression forward in 2016. This audit will build on the work of the previous National Audit of Psychological Therapies which focussed on Access, Appropriateness, Acceptability and Outcomes.

HQIP are keen to work with interested stakeholders – including people who access services and organisations – to continue to ensure that the audit meets the needs of service users and healthcare providers/commissioners.

HQIP are also holding a specification development meeting on 21 January 2016, and have two places available for people with lived experience of anxiety and/or depression to attend.  The meeting will be held from 9 – 11am in London.

For more information and who to contact if you wish to participate, please visit here.

State of stigma 2016 survey

The State of Stigma survey aims to find out more about people's experiences of mental health stigma and discrimination, and how it affects them. For this reason the questions are only for people with direct experience.

Information provided will be used anonymously to help inform a media story for Time to Talk day.

You can take the survey here.

London Mental Health Crisis Care Summit

Join co-chairs Sophie Corlett (Director of External Relations, Mind), Jane Milligan (co-chair, London Mental Health Transformation Board and Chief Officer, Tower Hamlets CCG) and national keynote speaker Dr Geraldine Strathdee (National Clinical Director for Mental Health, NHS England) to bring together delegates from London’s crisis care concordat groups and the newly established Urgent & Emergency Care (UEC) networks to share learning and best practice in the crisis care system.

The summit also aims to ensure that local transformational initiatives led by London’s concordat groups and UEC networks are properly informed and supported by national and pan-London transformational programmes.

The event will be held on the 25 February 2016 at The Kia Oval, Kennington, SE11 5SS from 9:00am – 16:00pm. Register for free here

Innovation Box: Chance to win FREE support

Innovation Box wants to fundamentally change the way that charities and social enterprises engage with technology and the digital world. They have developed a survey to establish how charities and social enterprises are currently using technology, what they feel is working well, where they are struggling and where they need more support.
 
Innovation Box will use this information to identify the most relevant and effective ways to secure specialist support from the private sector to enable organisations that would not otherwise be able to access or afford this independent guidance, knowledge and expertise.

Complete the survey HERE and enter the draw to win free support.

For more information about Innovation Box email Helen Lang.

Workshops: developing quality measures for people with psychosis

Would you like to help develop quality measures for services for people with psychosis? Have your say!

• How do we know that a psychosis service is high quality?
• What should we be looking for?

The McPin Foundation is working with NHS England and they would like to invite people with lived experience of psychosis or carers of someone who has experienced psychosis to help answer these questions. They will be holding two workshops (25 people each) to discuss these issues and help identify suitable quality measures for psychosis services: 
Monday 25 January in Leeds
Friday 29 January in London

Download the flyer by clicking here. You can also access further information by visiting the website.

Reasonable travel expenses will be covered, lunch will be provided and anyone attending will receive a £20 a shopping voucher as a thank you for their time
If you are interested please email or call  020 7922 7877.

Report: educating health professionals to support vulnerable groups

The Inclusion Health programme aims to improve the health and well-being of homeless people and other vulnerable groups. This report emphasises the need for a combination of clinical and non-clinical skills and knowledge in working with these groups, and identifies possible opportunities for strengthening education and training of health care professionals.

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.

CQC consultation

Seeking views on plans to give Care Quality Commission (CQC) powers to set fees for the cost of all aspects of its comprehensive inspections.
Consultation closes  1 February 2016
Respond online here.

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.