Notes on Mental Health Service User Involvement – How Tos

Not everyone wants to be involved at all levels of participation. Focus Groups and Surveys can help people be involved.

A Ladder of Citizen Participation - Sherry R Arnstein - http://lithgow-schmidt.dk/sherry-arnstein/ladder-of-citizen-participation.html

There is a need for payment for time to ensure people have enough to live on. Combining this with assistance to find good advocacy to assist with work and benefit rules. Without payment numbers and range of people will be limited, limiting views and hindering equalities.

Need for equalising between regions of NHS AWP but not by levelling down, it's OK for some regions to be ahead.

Service Users should be contacted about involvement unless they opt out, giving everyone an opportunity to be included. This also helps with equalities and diversity, and with numbers and range of opinions

NHS HITs (Health Integration Teams) are another good model e.g. -

The Psychosis Health Integration Team - http://www.bristolhealthpartners.org.uk/health-integration-teams/psychosis/ - working together to improve the lives of people with psychosis in Bristol

Links between mental health service providers and service user and carer involvement and NHS and Universities PPI (Patient and Public Involvement) are important, including both participation and training.

Encouraging local groups - Mentoring but not running the groups. Mentoring should involve arranging rooms, food and drink, and admin assistance with expenses forms and rules.

Links with participants in all providers general and specific are needed.

Good payment and proactive signposting to advocacy can help service users and carers with their problems of being on low incomes, this is a very common problem, and worsens mental health.

BBC News - Mental health and debt problems: 'A marriage made in hell' - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-35721477

Guidance for Involvement

Bath Service User Charter, good to ask about this?

4PI involvement standards - National Survivor User Network - http://www.nsun.org.uk/assets/downloadableFiles/4pi.-ni-standards-for-web.pdf

BBC- NHS should welcome 'citizen whistleblowers' - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30333071 - Healthwatch England-Why NHS should listen to 'citizen whistleblowers'

Mental health service users should help shape support services - https://www.theguardian.com/healthcare-network/2014/apr/09/mental-health-service-users-shape-services?CMP=twt_gu - handbook offers guidance to Healthwatch organisations