NSUN news
Members Blogs
In other words: a review of searching for a rose garden - by Nicky Hayward, a straight-talking conversational-style writer, mental health commentator, blogger and activist.
NDTI People's Voice launch talk
An event to launch the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi) ‘People’s Voice’ resources at the House of Lords on 20th July 2016 was attended by Sarah Yiannoullou, NSUN’s Managing Director and Sarah Carr, NSUN’s Vice Chair. Sarah Carr gave a short speech to launch the mental health co-production resources she’d helped to write. Read more here.
NSUN members action needed to save Number Ten
The Number Ten project is a service user led initiative based in Hounslow.
It is last of its kind, the Hounslow area having seen three similar projects forced into closure due to funding cuts and location redevelopment. Please show your solidarity with other user led projects by taking three steps online.
Support and sign up to 4Pi, the National Involvement Standards
Developed and produced by people with experience of mental ill health, 4Pi (which stands for principles, purpose, presence, process and impact) is a framework for the involvement of service users and carers: in our own care, in our communities, in service delivery and evaluation and in organisational governance and strategy. Over 60 orgsanisations have already adopted the standards. To find out who they are, read case studies about 4Pi in practice, and get the resource pack please visit here.
4Pi is cited in Chapter One of the Taskforce report (Getting the Foundations Right) as a framework to use to ‘help ensure services or interventions are accessible and appropriate for people of all backgrounds, ages and experience’ (p 25). 4Pi is also recommended as good practice to draw on for CQC to inspect ‘the quality of co-production in individual care planning, carer involvement and in working in partnership with communities to develop and improve mental health services’. It remains the only initiative developed by people using services and carers in the plan’ (p75).
Previously shared information available online
Please visit our website to find members projects, 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.
Share your views on the mental health and smoking action report
NSUN has been invited to give a user perspective at the first meeting of the Mental Health and Smoking Partnership. The meeting will take place on 12 September.
We'd like to feed back your views on the ambitions of 'The Stolen Years - mental health and smoking action report'. This publication by ASH, endorsed by 27 health and mental health organisations, sets out recommendations for how smoking rates for people with a mental health condition could be dramatically reduced. These include improved training of healthcare staff, better access to stop smoking medication and a move towards smokefree mental health settings.
You can email your views to info@nsun.org.uk. Thank you all in advance.
Workshop on personal budgets and support planning
This workshop is organised by Equal Lives (previously Norfolk Coalition of Disabled People), a user led organisation which supports people who face disabling barriers to live independently.
The session will look at the whole process of support planning including; what to think about, what format should it be, the tools you can use to write your own and other support available. Please note that Equal Lives will not be able to deal with any individual cases on the day but very much welcome contributions and questions from existing personal budget users and those completely new to the process.
Places are limited and will be booked on a first come first serve basis. To book a place please contact Hazel Simons on 01508 491210 or hazel.simons@equallives.org.uk. At the time of booking please state number of places (including
PAs/carers) and any access requirements you might have.
Equal Lives won't be able to provide expenses or lunch for this meeting but please feel free to bring lunch with you. The workshop will finish no later than 1.00pm
27 September, 10.30 – 1.00pm at Equal Lives office 15 Manor Farm Barns, Fox Road, Framingham Pigot, Norwich, Norfolk NR14 7PZ
POhWER Norfolk
POhWER has been working in Norfolk since 2003, and in the last year alone the organisation has supported over 1300 clients in the county. POhWER works in partnership with our colleagues at Age UK and Equal Lives to support people in Norfolk.
You can access the following services:
- NHS Complaints Advocacy
- Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA), including Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS)
- Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA)
- Advocacy under the Care Act
for more information, please visit the organisation's website
Psychiatric patients speak out
Psychiatric patients speak out has a website, Facebook page and Twitter acccount, giving psychiatric patients a voice with their story of lives damaged with hope and change for greater health in the future.
To visit the website, please click here
Important consultation on a replacement for ESA
“This is a great opportunity for DPOs and disabled people to contribute to the debate on a new ESA. It would be a shame to have multiple organisations working on different replacements rather than working together; it would also I think be a shame to waste this opportunity. The consultation will be worth nothing if it doesn’t receive enough responses.” - Stef Benstead of Spartacus
The consultation is running from 9th August to 31st October 2016.
For more information and how to take part, please read the article published by Spartacus
Funding news
Funding available for local groups in Kent and Medway: People's Health Trust has re-opened Active Communities in Kent and Medway - a funding programme for local people wanting to create fairer places to grow, live, work and age. They are looking for small projects, genuinely designed and run by local people. The stage 1 deadline is 1pm on Wednesday 14 September 2016.
For more information, please click here
Charities invited to apply for £2.5 million funding for their dream project: the People's Postcode Lottery's 'Dream Fund' scheme, now in its 7th year, has invested over £4.8m in 21 projects to date. Previous winners include Missing People’s ‘Child Rescue Alert’, Glasgow based ‘Play on Pedals’ and Valley Kids’ ‘Building our Dreams’.
For more information please click here
Film launch: 'Blue Pen'
Blue Pen is an experimental short film about censorship and the disappearance of dissenting voices. The film pays particular attention to the voices of women journalists in conflict zones.
The screenings will take place on 6 September, 7pm-10pm at the Attick, Hackney Picture House. The Attic is wheelchair accessible, Blue Pen will be captioned and audio described. BSL interpretation will be available throughout the event.
To buy tickets (£6 including a drink) please click here
ACEs Connection
ACEs Connection is a social network that accelerates the global movement toward recognizing the impact of adverse childhood experiences in shaping adult behavior and health, and reforming all communities and institutions -- from schools to prisons to hospitals and churches -- to help heal and develop resilience rather than to continue to traumatize already traumatized people.
To know more about ACEs Connection, please click here
Have you had, or care for someone with, cancer and experience of mental ill health? Share your story!
Macmillan Cancer Support is working to gather personal stories from people living with, or caring for someone with both mental health problems and cancer.
Cancer affects nearly 1 in 2 people during their lifetime, and mental health/emotional wellbeing problems affect 1 in 4 adults during any one year, so there will be lots of people out there with this dual lived experience.
Macmillan’s Mental Health and Cancer Taskforce aims to better understand the needs and ideas for change of people affected by both cancer and mental health problems. The overall aims are to
- Improve and innovate services, through input of and creative collaboration between experts by experience, Macmillan staff and health professionals
- Build evidence of the need for better integration of mental and physical health care
- Raise awareness and influence nationally on these issues
Interested? MacMillan are looking for people who
- have lived experience of mental health problems and cancer, either living with both themselves, or caring for/having cared for someone who has both themselves
- are happy to share their story via telephone or email, with a view to improving things for others with mental health problems and cancer in the future
- would be willing to share their story via interview or e-mail
For more information and a contact email please take a look here
Government announces successful bids to £15 million mental health fund
Forty-one projects will benefit from a share of £15 million to improve provision of mental health places of safety, the government announced today.
The Department of Health funding is supporting the creation of new places of safety and the refurbishment of existing sites, to prevent people experiencing a mental health crisis, who have committed no crime, from being placed in a police cell.
Consultations
1 - New guidelines on health risks from alcohol - Consultation outcome
2 - Expanding CQC ratings to include independent healthcare provider: Seeks views on proposed changes to Care Quality Commission (CQC) performance assessment regulations to include ratings for additional sectors. The consultation closes on 14 October at 11:45pm
#NSUNthrive campaign
It is 10 years since the 'Doing it for ourselves’ service user conference in Birmingham. It was at this conference in 2006 that the vision of the National Survivor User Network (NSUN) was taken forward, leading to funding in 2007 and becoming a fully independent organisation in May 2010.
We have survived! To enable us to continue to connect, communicate and influence, we need your help. Please spread the word to help raise funds to continue our work through our #NSUNthrive10 campaign. You can also raise money by shopping online with the Giving Machine