CMHC was commissioned by the Camden & Islington Partnership to produce a 10 Ways….. booklet in celebration of the Partnership’s 10th Anniversary Mental Health Day Fair. The booklet set out 10 ways of improving people’s mental health in 10 different areas. It was a great success. CMHC would like to pay tribute to the four people who worked on the booklet – Penny Abraham, Col-in Burrell, Babs Chinn and Caren Watson – and to give thanks to Babs for all her design input. CMHC would also like to thank Tulloch Kempe at New Directions Camden for coming up with the idea and asking CMHC to collaborate. There are still copies of the booklet available if anyone wants one. SUBSTANCE MISUSE USER GROUP Following discussion that CMHC held with two people who use the Care Trust’s Substance Misuse Services, it was persuaded that it should work with them to put together a bid for some funding to start an independent Substance Misuse User Group. In order to help this group get off the ground, CMHC would provide it with office space in its offices at Hampstead Town Hall and support it for an initial six months. The organisation of the Substance Misuse Services is on a District Level and it made sense for this new group which for the moment bears the unfortunate acronym SMUG to organise in that way. It will also limit itself to the area of drug problems at its start. A proposal for funding was made to both the Camden and Islington Drug Action Teams and both agreed to fund the pilot project. The two people co-ordinating the project are Shirley Norton and Richard Scott and they will be working out of the CMHC office for part of each week from the beginning of November. They can be contacted on 020 7419 4195 or by e-mail: smug@cmhc.org.uk Richard and Shirley will be visiting the service locations and setting up meetings. They are keen to hear from anyone who wants to be involved and has any ideas which they would like to share. The Camden Bugle will be carrying regular reports about the project.
THANKS CMHC would like to thank the following Charitable Trusts for their generous response to our general appeal this year: The Mayor’s Trust Charity Fund (Camden) which donated £100 St Andrew’s Holborn Charity which donated £500 The Oppenheimer Charitable Trust which donated £350 We are extremely grateful for these donations which will go to support our general work and particularly so because they have all funded us before and therefore express confidence in the work that we do. CONGRATULATIONS CMHC would like to congratulate Andreas Ginkell (Director) and the team at Jobs in Mind on their recent award from the Minister for Skills, Ivan Lewis MP, for the excellent work that they do in helping people with mental health problems back to work. This is a working example of ‘social inclusion’.
CARE TRUST BOARD MEETING The next Board Meeting of the Camden & Islington Mental Health and Social Care Trust will be held from 5.00 pm on Thursday, 4th November at The St Pancras Conference Centre. Papers are available from the Board Secretary, Kate Wilkins, on 020 7445 8427 or by e-mail: kate.wilkins@candi.nh.uk Notified questions should be sent to Kate by 5.00 pm on Tuesday, 2nd November.
SOUTH CAMDEN USER FORUM (SCUF) Mary O’Leary and john Anderson from the Care Trust’s PALS service came to the October meeting of the South Camden User Forum. Unfortunately, there were only two people there to listen to them and after a short while the meeting was abandoned. This does not bode well for the future of SCUF. The attendances over the last year have been very poor and the July and August meetings were called off. The September meeting on Secure & Forensic Mental Health Services was not badly attended and we had hoped that this might mean that the meetings were reviving. It seems that this is not the case and CMHC will have to think carefully about their future. Dr Diana Rose is a well-known and respected member of the user movement and a distinguished researcher. She is also a long-time member of CMHC. When she was working at the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health, she led on their User Focussed Monitoring programme. She is currently the Co-ordinator of the Service User Research Enterprise (SURE) at The Institute of Psychiatry. Diana will be coming to the SCUF meeting on Tuesday, 28th November, to talk about research she did into Users’ Experiences of ECT, which was published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ). The November meeting is the last SCUF meeting of 2004 because in December the Christmas period occurs. In the light of the recent attendances at SCUF, CMHC will be giving though to whether there is any point in continuing with meetings which very people attend. It will be a great pity to abandon these meetings after four years, but there is no point in holding them if no-one comes.
NORTH CAMDEN USER FORUM (NCUF) Dr Helen Killaspy is a Consultant Psychiatrist within the Care Trust’s Rehabilitative Service and is also a UCL Researcher at The Royal Free Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Science. She will be coming to the North Camden User Forum in Room 20 in the Psychotherapy Corridor on Level 2 at The Royal Free Hospital (near Psychiatry Out-Patients) from 5.00 – 6.30 pm on Tuesday, 2nd November to talk about Psychiatric Research and some of the projects which she and colleagues are involved in. The meeting will also provide an opportunity to discuss how service users can play a more active part in research and contribute to the field. The last NCUF meeting of the current year will be held on Tuesday, 8th December and will have as its topic ‘Surviving Christmas’. This has become a traditional topic for us but this year there will be that little something extra because the group that has been involved in the ‘stress busting meetings’ will be hosting this meeting. It should provide an interesting slant on how to cope with what is so often a very difficult time for people. Although the attendances for NCUF have not been as good as we would have liked, there has always been a core group which has supported these meetings and come to them. The intention is to continue the NCUF meetings into 2005 and as the reverse of the flyers will show some of the meetings have already been arranged.
TAVISTOCK and PORTMAN NEWS There is a second NHS Trust in Camden which provides care and treatment for people with mental-health problems – The Tavistock Centre. It is an internationally renowned centre for psychotherapy and training and education centre. CMHC has been in contact with the TAVI for a number of years to try and work with them to develop some user involvement within their services. We are delighted to welcome a new contribution to The Camden Bugle in the form of ‘Tavistock & Portman News’ and we hope that this may become a regular feature and will encourage joint work to foster and develop greater user involvement within the work that they undertake. We’re delighted to have this opportunity to provide you with some information about what we’re up to, thanks very much to the Camden Bugle. I’m sure many of you will be aware of the Tavistock and Portman Clinics – but for those who aren’t – a brief overview. The Tavistock Clinic is an NHS outpatient clinic providing a range of mental health services for psychiatric, psychological, emotional and personality problems. Assessments and treatment are provided for families, couples, and individuals across the lifespan. Although medication may be offered in some instances, the primary method of help is psychotherapeutic, based on talking, listening and understanding. The Portman Clinic is an NHS outpatient clinic for people who consider themselves to be troubled by, or to be suffering through, their own violent or criminal behaviour, or, through sexual impulses which compel them to act in a way which may cause distress or harm to self or others. The Portman Clinic is the only clinic of its kind in the UK that specialises in such treatment to these groups of patients. If you are interested in the services of the Tavistock and Portman Clinics or would like more information, please contact Debbie Lampon the Patient Advice and Liaison Officer on 0207 447 3403 or email dlampon@tavi-port.nhs.uk - or Sally Hodges the Patient and Public Involvement Lead 0207 435 7111 email: shodges@tavi-port.nhs.uk Alternatively you can write to either of us at: The Tavistock Centre, 120 Belsize Lane, London NW3 5BA
The Patient Advice and Liaison Service is Launching a ‘drop in’ As you may have seen, our PALS has moved to a room on the ground floor corridor, and we are hoping this will make Debbie Lampon, our PALS officer, more accessible to all. She is throwing her doors open on a weekly basis on Wednesdays from 2 to 5 pm and would welcome anyone, patients, public and staff for visits during this time. If you would like to meet Debbie, or to find out more about what the PALS can offer, please feel free to visit.
Links with Community Organisations In order to develop solid and productive links with our neighbours, we are approaching local organisations, including voluntary organisations, libraries and shops to discuss the benefits of linking up. This is partly to help us understand better what our local community would like from us, and partly to ensure our neighbours understand our aims and objectives. Many organisations in Camden deal directly or indirectly with mental health issues, and we feel proper links would be mutually beneficial. We would appreciate suggestions of organisations to contact, or where links already are in place, to know about these, so that we don’t replicate or confuse work already underway. If you do have any suggestions of organisations, please contact us (see above).
CBUG has recognised that it has weaknesses. Earlier in the year whilst it was carrying out the User Consultation for Camden’s Best Value Review of Mental Health Day Provision, it became obvious that there was really too much to do for the small number in the group. Partly out of that process those numbers have increased, but CBUG is still too small to carry out the ambitious work programme that it would like to undertake in the coming year. In an attempt to try and resolve this and other problems, CMHC has brought back our consultant, Nicky Coombes, to work with the current CBUG group to increase the numbers and look at how CBUG can have most impact with the group that it is intended work on behalf of – users of the mental health services in Camden. At its October Working Group, it began to develop a plan for publicising itself and recruiting further members. The CBUG model is based on a core group of twelve service users, but this number probably needs to be higher to take into account dropout for a variety of reasons. In the next few months, CBUG will tour the various mental-health venues to introduce itself to people and to recruit new members. It has decided that it needs an induction pack and this is currently being produced. CBUG members felt that there was a need for an Identity Card and this is being produced so that members will be able to demonstrate who they are and that they are accredited to CBUG. The question of a uniform sweatshirt is also being considered, CBUG T-shirts have been around for some time. It should be easier now for the group to attract people to join it because it has completed a body of work. The first monitoring of the Mind in Camden Advocacy Service is now available at the CBUG section of the CMHC website at www.cmhc.org.uk Members are well-known from the work that they did in the Best Value Review consultation. CBUG members attend and play a role in a number of consultative and deliberative groups – the Care Trust’s Clinical Governance Committee and the Care Trust Forum; the Care Trust’s Implementation Group and Consultative Forum; the Local Implementation Team (LIT) for the National Service Framework. This is work which is often not seen or head about and CBUG is trying to develop a format where members involved in these groups can report the happenings to the wider mental-health community. When CBUG was set up it, was seen as an opportunity for people who wanted to become more actively involved to have the opportunity to be so. Members would be trained, supported and rewarded for their work with the group. This has been the course that has been followed and it seems to be working, although the matter of reward is still fraught with problems which have not been completely resolved. The Working Group decided that CBUG should reinstate its Open Meetings and these will begin again in January. They were put on hold whilst the group dealt with the major piece of work in the Best Value Review Consultation and there is no time now to reinstate before the end of this year. However, in 2005 CBUG Open Meetings will be held every three months if not more frequently. They will be an opportunity to discuss what CBUG is doing and how it is progressing, as well as to feed in ideas about what it might do in the future. At present, it has two pieces of work for the coming year – continued monitoring of the Mind in Camden Advocacy Service on the in-patient wards at The Royal Free Hospital and working with IBUG (Islington Borough User Group) monitoring the Assertive Outreach Services (AOT) across the District.
ANNUAL SERVICE USERS’ CONFERENCE From 2000 Camden has held an Annual Service Users’ Conference. This Conference is now the responsibility of CBUG and CMHC and fits into the slot of the November CBUG Open Meeting. In the last two years, the Annual Conference has looked at Crisis Services and Mental Health Advocacy. This year it will focus on the Implementation of Camden’s Best Value Review of Mental Health Day Provision and the key speaker will be Camden’s Executive Member for Health and Social Services, Councillor Geethika Jayatilaka. During the past year CBUG and CMHC have been very involved in the user consultation for the Best Value Review and on the various committees that have overseen the process. This meeting will provide, among other things, the opportunity to see how much the user view has influenced the Council’s thinking. At the Stakeholder Event in September, there were three essential pillars to any changes and new services: the acceptance of the Recovery Model of mental ill-health; person-centred planning as the form that treatment and after-care provision should take; and Support, Time and Recovery workers as the way to implement the person-centred planning. It is expected that this year’s Annual Conference will be a lively meeting and the role of Chair will be taken on by Peter Horn, Chief Executive of the London Development Centre for Mental Health who has also chaired the Service Review Team throughout the Best Value Review. The Annual Conference will be held at Hampstead Town Hall from 1.30 – 4.00 pm on Wednesday, 24 November. A buffet lunch will be provided and it would be helpful in terms of numbers to cater for if anyone wishing to attend could call CMHC on 020 7419 4196 or e-mail administrator@cmhc.org.uk to let us know.
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 I am particularly pleased to have been involved in two events this month which demonstrate how a partnership approach to service delivery could enhance provision locally. The Camden and Islington Mental Health Day Fair on 7th October was a tremendous success. As this marked the 10th-Anniversary of the Fair, it was fantastic to see such a attendance at the event and the apparent enjoyment of all who participated. This Fair is unique in its focus on raising mental health awareness among professionals, service users and, importantly, the general public, and in highlighting the diversity of innovative and effective services delivered across the sectors in Camden and Islington. However, the event is important also in its celebration of mental health and the wealth of creativity of local people diagnosed with mental-health problems. Formal discussions on the day included a panel discussion on local service delivery and related issues, chaired by Glenda Jackson; and an afternoon session “Looking Back…Looking Forward” which had as its theme developments over the past decade and aspirations for the future. Among the many service providers who had stalls at the Fair, a specialist area provided an opportunity for people to access expert advice on, amongst other things, talking therapies, alternative remedies and benefits advice. One room of the London Irish Centre was devoted to the Art Exhibition, which following the Fair, will be on public display at various locations across Camden and Islington. There was much entertainment on offer, including music, poetry reading and a drama workshop, the latter presented by Anna Scher. To promote the aims of the Mental Health Day Fair, a press release was sent to local media. A booklet prepared specifically for the Fair highlighted ‘10 Ways…….’ to promote mental well-being. Congratulations go to Tulloch Kempe for instigating this important event ten years ago and for all his hard work and creative ideas over the past decade in building annually on the event’s success. Tulloch has been successful also in encouraging professionals and service users to form an organising committee each year. We look forward to the next ten years of mental health promotion. The second event I was involved in was the CIPF-hosted “Partnerships in Commissioning and Service Delivery”, a conference held on 11th October to examine how services could be delivered within a whole systems approach. We were delighted by the commitment shown by representatives from all sectors in the planning of this event including CIPF membership, the Mental Health and Social Care Trust, Camden and Islington Primary Care Trusts and Social Services Departments. The high turn-out on the day, including key personnel representing providers from all sectors and commissioners, highlighted the local commitment to effective partnership working. Our panel of speakers included Linda Polan (CMHC), Peter Jones (IBUG) to both of whom we are grateful for putting forward the service-user perspective on priorities in the delivery of services. Elizabeth Clowes and Heather Schroeder spoke on behalf of Islington and Camden’s Primary Care Trusts/Social Services Departments respectively. Erville Millar spoke about priorities for the Mental Health and Social Care Trust and Gareth Pountain represented the voluntary sector perspective. Peter Horn from the London Development Centre for Mental Health spoke on the issue of Social Exclusion and also Chaired the event. His colleague Alpa Kapasi gave a presentation on equalities and diversity. These two examples give an indication of the enormous amount of dedication and hard work committed to delivering the best possible services for our local population. The continued success of this work and the further development of services rely on the continued and improved co-operation of all providers working closely with service users.
DRAFT MENTAL HEALTH BILL CMHC is collaborating with CIPF on Wednesday, 1st December in a presentation by London Development Centre for Mental Health on the Draft Mental Health Bill. The meeting will be held in The Council Chamber at Hampstead Town Hall and will be begin at 1.00 pm with a buffet lunch and run through from 1.30 – 4.00 pm with the presentation and then questions and a discussion. The meeting will be Chaired by the Mayor of Camden, Councillor Harriett Garland who has taken ‘Mental Health’ as the theme for her Mayoral Year. So that we may have some idea of numbers, please let CMHC know if you want to attend this event.
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, 2nd floor, East Wing, St Pancras Hospital, London NW1 OPE, by telephone on 020 7445 8554 or by e-mail robert.jones@candi.nhs.uk
The Next Consultation Forum The Care Trust’s Service User Consultation Forum will take place on Friday, 19th November, 1 - 4pm in the Groves Lounge at St Pancras Hospital. The Forum is an open event for all service users where they are able to meet with Senior Managers and Directors of the Care Trust to raise and discuss issues of concerns. Rooms have disabled access and BSL signers are in attendance
Benefits and work for people with mental health problems The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health has issued a briefing paper for staff working with people with mental health problems, based within mental health, housing, employment or other support services. The paper outlines the main income benefits for people who are out of work, explaining issues around housing costs, Disability Living Allowance, what financial support is available for people getting or staying in a job. It lists the type of questions that need to be addressed when a person is considering moving into employment, such as what their actual income will be. How they could register for the 52 week linking rule; how to safeguard Disability Living Allowance and how to avoid problems with Housing and Council Tax Benefits, and how to apply for access to work funds. The Care Trust welcomes this briefing paper and has circulated copies to staff in our Community Mental Health Teams. Service Users can access this information via the Sainsbury Centre on 020-7827-8352.
Join the Care Trust Service User Bank The Care Trust is developing a bank of service users who would be willing to work with us to improve our services. Any service user from Camden or Islington interested in being involved can come along to the Induction training on the morning of Tuesday, 9th November, at St Pancras Hospital. The induction training will inform you about the work of the Care Trust and give you a ‘taster’ of the different areas that you can be involved in: such as interviewing staff, monitoring services or influencing committees.
Cardboard Citizens The homeless people’s theatre company will be performing a series of plays entitled ‘The Wall’. Kathleen just isn’t the same after her father dies. Can her husband handle it? Only with a doctor by his side to section her. No wonder she’s climbing the walls. Darren discovers the truth about his missus and it hurts. But not as much as being denied access to their son when she kicks him out. It’s like talking to a brick wall. He starts drinking and the rage wells up… Archie hates sitting on the wall, drinking the days away with temporary mates – but what else is there? A philosophical Groundhog day for street drinkers – are they stuck there forever? The Wall will tour between October – December. There will be performances at the following local venues: The Single Homeless Project at 93-95 Kings Cross Rd on 1st November at 3.00 pm: 115 Pound Lane, NW10, on 2nd November at 7.30 pm: Conway House, 20-22 Quex Road, NW6 on 3rd November: Cricklewood Homeless Concern, 20 Ashwood Road, NW2 on 5th November at 2.15 pm: Holy Cross Centre, Cromer St, WC1 on 22nd November at 2.30 pm and Isledon Road Day Centre, 76-80 Isledon Rd, N7 at 3.00 pm on 15th December. To book your place, please ring Cardboard Citizens on 020-7247-7747 or contact the venue listed.
Mental Health Event (Women Only) Mad Chicks – the ‘girlish’ section of Mad Pride is holding a day and evening of events exploring, raging about and improving women’s mental health at the Union Chapel in Islington on the 27th November 2004, 1.00 – 11.00 pm. The day event will include an Information Fair, Workshops on Creative and Social Issues, Panel Discussions, Exhibition of ‘Mad Women and Art’, and Video Screenings. Creche and signers will be available throughout the event. The event culminates in an evening performance (which will be open to a mixed audience) including women focussed bands, performance art, comedy and visuals. For more details contact madchicks@hotmail.com Further information on any of these points can be obtained from Ros Lettman at the Care Trust on 020 7530 3340.
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