Monthly Newsletter of Camden Mental Health Consortium

ISSUE 80

APRIL 2004

Tony Creedon from The Highgate Centre pays tribute to the much-loved local service-user and talented artist who was recently found dead. 

I returned after a much needed Easter break to discover the untimley death of my good friend and associate, Danny Carmody. He ended his all-too-short life in the early hours of Friday 2nd April.

The precise details of how he died are yet to fully emerge, - but the fact of his death shocks and saddens me as I know it does so many others.

Danny was from Galway and grew up as one of 9 children.  He came to England as a young man in the hope of building a better life for himself.  Danny was a hard working man and for many years he worked in the building trade.  As time passed however, this gifted and most talented man stopped the building work that had become so unfulfilling for him as he felt the need to pay greater attention to his psychological and emotional health.

Danny was a valued member of the Highgate Centre and he approached his work with us with the same diligence and intensity of purpose that he approached all else.  Danny was a passionate and expressive man always searching for meaning in life and for peace within himself.

Danny was a valued member of the Highgate Centre and he approached his work with us with the same diligence and intensity of purpose that he approached all else.  Danny was a passionate and expressive man always searching for meaning in life and for peace within himself.

I speak for so many I'm sure when I say that I'm so sad he's gone...........May he rest in peace.

Danny leaves 2 sisters, 5 brothers, his son and 2 grandchildren.

WELCOME

CMHC would like to welcome Ajibola Awogboro to his new post of Commissioning Manager for Mental Health Services within Camden Social Services and Camden Primary Care Trust.  Ajibola previously worked in Hackney.  We look forward to working with him.

CMHC welcomes too the addition of Joan Greaves to the Best Value Review Team.  She has moved form her temporary position as Commissioning Manager for Mental Health to another temporary post managing the Best Value Review.  The process is already showing the benefits of having this enhanced input.  Joan will be in post until the completion of the Best Value Review which is expected to be September 2004.

CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations go to all those who recently completed the signing course arranged by Camden Mental Health and Social Care Trust and taught by David Hayes who is a member of the Camden Borough User Group.  David has worked hard to put the needs of hearing-impaired service users on the mainstream agenda and this is another milestone along that route for a particularly marginalised group.

Congratulations too to St James’s House, Camden’s very successful employment service for users of the mental health services which celebrates its Fifteenth Anniversary this month.  There is a joint celebration because it is also the Fifth Anniversary of Jobs in Mind, which is now based at St James’s House.  To mark the event they are launching their Active Choices project.

SERVICE  USER  CONSULTATION

The Camden  Islington Partnership will be holding a Service User Consultation Event at the London Irish Centre from 1.00 – 3.00 pm on Thursday, 22 April (lunch provided) to review the work carried out over the Mental Health fortnight last year and to plan for this year’s events and the 10^th Camden & Islington Mental Health Day Fair on Thursday, 7^th October.   All interested service-users are invited to attend.

CMHC DISCO/PARTY

CMHC will be holding a Spring Party/Disco at The London Irish Centre, 52 Camden Square from 8.00 pm until late on Friday, 2^nd April.  There will be free sandwiches and soft drinks and a Pay Bar.  Hugh Sturrock will be providing the music and some spot prizes of Sainsbury vouchers.

FUTURE  EVENTS

The Barbecue was such a success last year that CMHC has decided to do it again and it will be held on Friday, 6^th August in the Courtyard at St Pancras Hospital.  This site has been chosen to provide an opportunity for patients in the wards and other facilities on the St Pancras to attend.  Last year it was really good to see the inclusion of so many people who normally get left out of events like this one.

The CMHC Annual General Meeting will be held on Tuesday, 21^st September in The Sir William Wells Atrium at The Royal Free Hospital.  This year we will be reducing the cost of publishing around this event by only sending out copies of the Annual Report and Annual Accounts to people who request them rather than, as in the past, to all Members and Associate Members.  There will, of course, be copies of all the documents available at the AGM and they will eventually appear on the CMHC website.  We also hope to have some clear plan for the future of CMHC and CBUG for discussion.  It may be that we will have a special meeting to discuss these thoughts, ideas and proposals.

The Annual Service Users’ Conference will be held on Wednesday, 24^th November at Hampstead Town Hall.  We are still seeking a subject for this event and if anyone has any ideas then they should contact CMHC.

There will be a Pre-Christmas Party/Disco at the end of November and the usual CMHC Christmas Meeting/Party in December.  This fills the year in the usual manner, but we are keen to look at other possibilities and suggestions of what we might do and anyone is welcome to contribute ideas.

THE CAMDEN BUGLE

Since the beginning of the year CBUG has been heavily involved in collecting the views of service users in relation to the Best Value Review of Mental Health Day Provision in Camden.  CBUG members have been to Day Centres and Day Hospitals to seek service users’ opinions.  This culminated in the first Open Meeting at Hampstead Town Hall on the afternoon of Wednesday, 21^st April where there was an opportunity for people to listen to some of the significant figures in the process explain what it is all about it – the four Cs of Compete, Compare, Consult, Challenge - and give their own views about what Camden already provides and what people would like to see.

The meeting was poorly attended, but nevertheless it was lively and constructive.  The emerging themes of the consultation were detailed:

Service users would like day services to mirror their needs in terms of opening times – provision in the evening and at weekends.

Information about what is available is needed in a form that it accessible and meets the needs of those seeking it.  There is no doubt that the information is there, but it is often not communicated in a way that makes it useful to service users.

There is a lack of co-ordination of services and an absence of continuity of provision so that the services that are available are often discreetly boxed and it is not easy to see how they can be accessed and used in the best way for individuals.

The process continues and there will be plenty of opportunity for people to have further input and to offer their views.  There will be a further open meeting at ‘The Hoo’ on the afternoon of Wednesday, 19^th May when the views collected will be presented so that people can take a view on whether they properly represent service users.

Following this meeting, a Report will be produced which will be the evidence of CBUG to the Day Services Working Group.

Whilst the Best Value Review work has been the most obvious work of CBUG during the first part of 2004, it has been involved in a number of other tasks.  It has been trying to recruit to its number so that it will have enough people to do

the work.  This has already produced quite a lot interest and there is one new CBUG Member.

CBUG has been involved in Monitoring the Mind In Camden Patients’ Advocacy Project at The Royal Free Hospital, and this piece of work is drawing to a close and a report will be produced.  The method used is one where service users are asked questions by other service users as this is considered to produce more information where the respondent feels that they share some experience with the questioner.

This same process is being used in a subsidiary way in CBUG’s Monitoring of the North Camden Crisis Response and Resolution Service.  The nature of the client group – people seen in their own homes – poses some difficulties about accessing them.  We start with a questionnaire, but since Christmas we have been offering ‘assisted interviews’ with a CBUG member.  It is taking time, but there is progress and we hope to have completed this study by the end of the Summer.  There remains a question about its extension to the South Camden Crisis Service.

When CBUG began, it held one open meeting each month.  The workload has meant that this has not been possible over the last six months, but it is now reviewing this and all its procedures.

CAMDEN  COUNCIL’s

MENTAL HEALTH LIAISON GROUP

The Liaison Group will meet again on Wednesday, 28^th April at the Mind In Camden Day Centre, Barnes House, 8-13 Camden Road (Near Sainsburys) Camden Town.  The Liaison Group provides an opportunity for service users to address themselves directly to Councillors and Social Services and Care Trust Managers.

The principal topic on the Agenda will be ‘Advocacy’.  Much information and about this came out at the Camden Annual Service Users’ Conference in 2003.  There was much talk about the need for standards and for the monitoring and evaluation of the current services in the in-patient units, together with recognition of the need for advocacy within the community and for other client groups.  The meeting will also hear an update on the current Best Value Review. 

Robert Jones, the Social Care & Inclusion Development Manager, provides a review of the month’s events within Camden & Islington Mental Health & Social Care Trust. Robert can be contacted at Care Trust Headquarters, 2^nd floor, East Wing, St Pancras Hospital, London NW1 OPE, by telephone on 020 7445 8554 or by e-mail robert.jones@candi.nhs.uk

Last month’s Bugle reported that the Care Trust will be holding a series of lunch-time seminars to discuss the death of ‘Rocky’ Bennett a patient who died whilst under the care of Norwich Mental health Trust.  The seminars have still not yet been arranged but if anyone wants further information you can contact Robert Jones on 020 7445 8554.

Staff Changes to the Service User Resource Team

Mary Atakli is leaving the Care Trust  after having worked for 18 months as the Administrative support worker for the Service User Resource Team Mary is going to work for Islington Mind as an Employment Support Worker.  She will be missed within the Team and our best wishes go with her.

Recovery Conference

The Care Trust in association with the Health Action Zones in Camden & Islington will be presenting a conference on Mental Illness, Recovery and Strategies for Living on Monday 10^th May at the London Voluntary Sector Resource Centre, 356 Holloway Road, N7.

This is a free conference open to Service Users, Carers, Community groups and staff working in Mental Health services, Housing, Education and Employment.  If you would like to find out more about the conference please ring 0207-445-8854 leaving your name and address and details will be sent to you.

Hanley Road Education & Employment Project

The Care Trust is pleased to announce the following courses for service users that are to be held at the new Hanley Road Education and Employment project.

Ø     Basic Literacy Course (Improving reading and writing)

Ø     Healthy Eating Course (Planning & cooking meals)

Ø     Numeracy Course (Dealing with numbers in everyday life)

Ø     Catering and Hospitality Training

Being Seen and Heard

Is a video looking at the needs of children of parents with mental illness.

The Care Trust in association with a number of other organisations will

be launching this powerful and moving video Tuesday 27^th April at the

London Irish Centre, 50-52 Camden Square, NW1 starting at 5.30pm

For more information please contact Samantha Jayaram on 020 7530 3178

Community Engagement Event - 24^th June 6.30-8.30pm

The Care Trust is working with the Black and Minority Ethnic Mental Health Strategy Group In Islington to present a Community Engagement Event again at the London Voluntary Service Resource Unit, 356 Holloway Road.  The aim of the event is to raise awareness within the

wider community of the Mental Health Needs of people from Black and Minority Communities in both Camden and Islington.

Service User Consultation Forum

The next meeting of the Consultative Forum where service Users are able to meet up with senior managers and directors of the Care Trust to discuss issues of concern is on Friday the 28^th May in the Groves Lounge, South Wing of St Pancras Hospital. Rooms have disabled access and BSL signers are in attendance.  All service users are welcome and encouraged to attend

Social and Community Psychiatry Seminars

Are being held in the Department of Mental Health Sciences, Room 155, 2^nd Floor of the Royal Free Hospital. All the seminars start at 4pm.

Friday 21^st May

Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr Nigel McKenzie will be discussing “Clustering of Suicides among the Mentally ill: Is Suicide Contagious?”

Friday 25^th June

Dr Kwame McKenzie will be discussing “The Black Mental Health Strategy”

Friday 22^nd July

Aidan Moloney is the Co-ordinator of Camden & Islington Providers’ Forum (CIPF).  We include regular monthly contributions from Aidan telling people what is happening in the voluntary sector.  Aidan can be contacted by post at Camden & Islington Providers’ Forum, Legard Works, Legard Road, London, N5 1DE; by ‘phone on 020 7226 2022, and by e-mail cipf.office@virgin.net

In a recent summary report entitled Social Inclusion in Mental Health, Hari Sewell, Director of Social Care and Substance Misuse at the Care Trust, emphasised the necessity of multi-partnership working, including working with the voluntary and community sector, in our mutual aims of delivering real improvements in the lives of service users.  The March CIPF general meeting discussed the report and Colin Plant, Camden Director of Mental Health Services said it is crucial that reports like this are produced as social inclusion has been previously an undervalued topic.  This subject is one that we intend to address as part of CIPF’s Autumn Conference, which will look at effective partnership working in the delivery of primary care services.

An interesting current initiative is London Trusts’ Invest to Save, which has £8m to engage with volunteers to reduce the demand for specialist mental health services across London and to create a greater understanding of mental health issues in the broad population. The project aims to do this by matching every service user with a volunteer as their social sponsor/buddy and by ensuring that every service user can communicate ‘visually and verbally’ with their buddy via a tele-media link.

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