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National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Well-Being: annual review 2003-2004
KEY AIMS
1 Raising Awareness and Promoting Mental Health and Well-Being
The National Programme aims to raise awareness about the need for good mental health and well-being amongst the general public. This includes improving people's understanding of mental health, promoting positive mental health, and improving awareness of both mental health and mental illness.
Progress
MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID NHS Health Scotland, with project support from the Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health (SDC), has developed a Scottish Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training course, a comprehensive introduction to mental health and common mental health problems. The course helps people to recognise mental illness, to respond to people who may be developing or may have a mental health problem, to engage and support them, and to provide information and guidance on sources of help. Aimed at key front-line public sector workers and agencies, community groups, voluntary organisations and a range of public services, the Scottish MHFA course is based on a successful MHFA programme pioneered in Australia. The pilot, in which over 900 people took part over the last year, was enthusiastically received and results of an independent evaluation are now being used to further develop the Scottish MHFA course which will be launched nationally in April 2005. Contact: Wilma Reid
Tel: 0131 536 5500
Email:wilma.reid@health.scot.nhs.uk MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION TRAINING A training pack on mental health promotion is being developed by NHS Health Scotland aimed at a broad target audience of mental health promotion, public health and community workers. The pack aims to achieve greater understanding of mental health promotion and its practical applications across a range of topics including parenting, education, employment, arts and culture, physical activity and community work. Contact: Wilma Reid
Tel: 0131 536 5500
Email:wilma.reid@health.scot.nhs.uk NHS HEALTH SCOTLAND COMMUNICATIONS WORK NHS Health Scotland's work on information and communications explores new ways of conveying messages on mental health and well-being to the general public. A website and updated leaflets on a range of topics including post natal depression, eating disorders and schizophrenia are currently being developed. Public campaigning work on mental health and well-being continues, and NHS Health Scotland also sponsors a number of national events aimed at effectively disseminating key messages to the many target audiences. Contact: Lindsay MacHardy
Tel: 0131 536 5558
Email:lindsay.machardy@health.scot.nhs.uk
Website:www.healthscotland.com |
Action in 2005
Building on the success of the MHFA pilot by supporting the roll-out of the Scottish MHFA programme across Scotland in 2005
Evaluating and further developing the mental health promotion training course
Updating and improving Scotland's information materials on mental health aimed at the general public
Making mental health and well-being a priority area for NHS Health Scotland over the next five years
2 Eliminating Stigma and Discrimination
Promoting and ensuring equality of opportunity, equal rights and the social inclusion of people with mental health problems is fundamental. By eliminating stigma and discrimination, the National Programme aims to promote people's rights and ensure that everyone receives proper access to the support and services they need, and encourage people to seek help early for any mental health problems.
Progress
THE 'SEE ME' NATIONAL ANTI-STIGMA CAMPAIGN
* Campaign success: Launched in October 2002, the 'see me' campaign has enjoyed a number of successes including raising public awareness of the stigma surrounding mental ill-health using effective TV and outdoor advertising, substantial press coverage and the development of resource materials. The campaign won both the Mental Health Media Award 2003 and the Best Integrated Campaign 2002 from the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising. Local Involvement: A key strand of the 'see me' campaign is to ensure that media portrayals of people with mental health problems are balanced, accurate and fair. The first phase of 'Stigma Stop Watch' encourages the public to document and take action against stigmatising language or behaviour in the media via the 'see me' website. Responsible Media Reporting: To publicly acknowledge newspapers which promote the greatest understanding of mental health, 'see me' sponsored a special category in the
Scottish Newspaper of the Year Awards. A pool of over 40 'see me' media volunteers have also been recruited to talk publicly in the press and media about their own experiences of stigma. Local alliances: Community groups, councils and health boards around Scotland have also worked with 'see me' to develop locally tailored campaigns. Further campaigning: A campaign to address stigma and discrimination around mental ill-health in the workplace was launched earlier this year and new strands of activity addressing stigma and discrimination around children and young people's mental health will be launched in 2005.
Contact: Linda Dunion
Tel: 0131 624 8945
Email:linda.dunion@seemescotland.org
Website:www.seemescotland.org EXEMPLAR PROJECT ON STIGMA AND COMMUNICATIONS The communications project established by the Highland Users Group (HUG) is funded by the National Programme to develop work aimed at extending the anti-stigma message throughout the Highlands. Targeting children and young people, a drama production entitled
Stigma was developed in partnership with Eden Court Theatre and Lochaber Youth Minds. The production is being rolled-out to all secondary schools in the Highland region to help give young people accurate insights into mental health issues. Contact: Emma Thomas
Tel: 01463 718 817
Email:ethomas@hccf.org.uk ALZHEIMER SCOTLAND - DEMENTIA AWARENESS CAMPAIGN Alzheimer Scotland aims to promote greater public understanding of dementia. The National Programme funded a dementia awareness campaign across Scotland in 2004 giving positive messages about the illness, what people can do to help and where to source information. This campaign was very well received. Contact: Rachel Guy
Tel: 0131 243 1453
Email:rguy@alzscot.org INEQUALITY AND MENTAL HEALTH The National Programme has funded initial work to identify and understand how mental health issues impact on inequalities including gender, age, ethnicity, other/multiple disability, religion or beliefs and sexual orientation. This work entitled 'Equal Minds' will help influence work on inequalities in health, mental health and the wider issues of equality. Contact: Mark Dunlop
Tel: 0131 244 5224
Email:mark.dunlop@scotland.gsi.gov.uk |
*The 'see me' campaign is run by an alliance of five mental health organisations, Highland Users Group, National Schizophrenia Fellowship (Scotland), Penumbra, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Scottish Association for Mental Health.
www.seemescotland.orgAction in 2005
Continuing to develop the 'see me' campaign to eliminate stigma and discrimination among the general public
Developing additional targeted 'see me' campaign strands aimed at the workplace, children and young people
Building on the success of the dementia awareness campaign and undertaking further campaigning activities
Ensuring that work on inequalities and mental health is taken forward as part of general work on inequalities in health, and wider work on equality
3 Preventing Suicide
Scotland has a high rate of suicide compared to other parts of the UK, particularly among young men. The rates of self-harm are also high and give cause for concern, especially among teenage girls and younger women.
Published in December 2002, 'Choose Life' is the Scottish Executive's National Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent Suicide in Scotland. The National Programme's other main focus in suicide prevention is supporting 'Breathing Space', a confidential telephone advice line for people suffering from low mood or depression.
Progress
'CHOOSE LIFE' - THE NATIONAL STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN FOR PREVENTING SUICIDE IN SCOTLAND Action plans: 3million per annum has been allocated to every local authority area in Scotland to develop a local 'Choose Life' suicide prevention action plan in conjunction with community planning partners. Plans are now being implemented and will be independently evaluated for effectiveness. Improving the evidence base: A survey has been completed of international researchers who specialise in suicide and suicidal behaviour. Five reviews were recommended which will help inform the development of a suicide prevention policy in Scotland.
www.scotland.gov.uk/socialresearch National Implementation Support Team: Caroline Farquhar was appointed head of implementation for 'Choose Life' in January 2004 and a further three members of staff have now been appointed. National Training Strategy: A national training strategy for suicide prevention is being developed in partnership with Prof Richard Ramsay and Dr Brian Tanney, consultants to the United Nations and the World Health Organisation. The Applied Suicide Intervention Skills (ASIST) training course, first developed in Canada, has been introduced to Scotland and 95 trainers are now available throughout the country. Partnership Working: Partnerships to ensure long-term sustainable infrastructures for suicide prevention are being developed both nationally and locally. Examples of national partnerships include work with the Samaritans in Scotland, ChildLine Scotland and the Scottish Prison Service.
Contact: Caroline Farquhar
Tel: 0141 240 7799
Email:caroline.farquhar@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Website:www.chooselife.net BREATHING SPACE Supported by the National Programme and now managed by NHS 24, the 'Breathing Space' telephone advice line specifically targets young adult men suffering from low mood and depression. The aim of this skilled, early intervention service is to stop callers' problems escalating by putting them in touch with appropriate local services. Since February 2004, the line has been receiving an average of 40 calls per night, the majority of which are from men. Started in the west of Scotland in 2002, the service has now extended to the North of Scotland and will achieve full national rollout by the end of 2004. Contact: Ron Ellis
Tel: 0141 435 3901
Email:Ron.Ellis@nhs24.scot.nhs.uk
Website:www.breathingspacescotland.org |
Action in 2005
Evaluating progress on the implementation and delivery of 'Choose Life'
Supporting the implementation of the 32 local action plans
Developing a national network and communications for the 32 local area co-ordinators
Establishing the effectiveness of the National Implementation Support Team
Continuing to support other complementary national initiatives to achieve 'Choose Life' aims and objectives
Implementing the 'Choose Life' suicide prevention training strategy
Continuing to raise awareness of 'Breathing Space' and achieving successful national coverage
Reviewing and monitoring the 'Breathing Space' service to ensure best practice and quality provision
4 Promoting and Supporting Recovery
Social and personal support, access to good housing, help in finding and keeping a job, and maintaining and developing relationships are all factors that significantly aid people's recovery from mental ill-health. To help promote and support recovery for people with mental health problems, and to gain a wider understanding and awareness of what helps people recover, the National Programme supports the development of the Scottish Recovery Network (SRN).
Recovery is a deeply personal process but experience in other countries shows that developing an expectation of recovery across all communities can have a positive impact.
The Scottish Recovery Network has three main aims:
To raise awareness of recovery and what it means for individuals, families, public services and policy
To help build the infrastructure of values and principles required to promote recovery among individuals, families, service providers and decision makers
To build capacity by sharing information, experience and evidence
Progress
THE SCOTTISH RECOVERY NETWORK Simon Bradstreet was appointed SRN director earlier this year. Work is now underway on researching the international evidence, and a survey of key stakeholders' needs and aspirations has been completed. Plans have been developed to progress an ambitious project to gather people's personal stories of recovery. The SRN has been officially launched through a series of events, media promotion and information materials, including electronic updates and discussion papers. A database of key supporters and interested individuals has been extensively developed, as have links with a range of stakeholder groups at local and national level. Contact: Simon Bradstreet
Tel: 0141 240 7791
Email:simon.bradstreet@scottishrecovery.net |
Action in 2005
Undertaking extensive research project to gather people's stories of recovery, considering what helps and hinders on the road to recovery
Collating and disseminating other evidence on what works to support recovery
Supporting local, regional and national efforts to promote and support recovery
Continuing to prepare and disseminate helpful materials and resources on recovery
Working to make evaluated training and awareness-raising tools available
Further developing and extending the SRN membership and database
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