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Joint Ministerial Foreword
The Scottish Executive has a vision of an open, just and inclusive Scotland where respect and understanding are fostered and where everyone is encouraged and enabled to live, work and take part in society to their full potential, free from prejudice and discrimination.
Work on mental health issues and well-being is an important part of our wider work to promote equality. People with mental health issues do face discrimination - but they may also face it by virtue of their gender, language, age, social origin, ethnicity, other/multiple disability, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. We want to encourage greater understanding of how these issues relate, we want to open the debate about how services should respond, and we want to raise awareness amongst mental health practitioners and service users.
In October 2003, with financial support from the Scottish Executive's National Programme for Improving Mental Health & Well-being, the Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health held a major national conference on the theme of inequalities, equalities and mental health.
Material and discussions from the conference have been used to develop this extensive resource document. Equal Minds includes an overview of published literature. It identifies key issues and challenges in understanding and addressing discrimination and inequality in mental health. It will inform discussions on policy, planning and practice at a local and national level in Scotland, both in specialist mental health fields and in the areas of equality and inclusion.
We think it is a valuable resource and we both support this work and take joint ownership of the document in the hope that it does serve to influence debate. We hope it will be well-used by those in the NHS, local authorities and the voluntary sector, and that it will support the emerging Community Health Partnerships in tackling health inequalities at local level.
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Lewis MacDonald MSP
Deputy Minister for Health & Community Care | Malcolm Chisholm MSP
Minister for Communities |
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