Published by Redbridge Concern for Mental Health

Associations between mental and physical health

There is a strong association between mental and physical ill health. People with long-term conditions, such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease, have significantly raised rates of depression, anxiety and other mental health problems, referred to as co-morbidity.

Evidence suggests that many of these people receive poorer quality care than those with a single condition.

You can read and download the report here

RUN-UP Newsletter

Read and download the latest RUN-UP newsletter including an update on the consultation around psychological services.

Mental Health and Debt

This is a free 40-page PDF booklet supported by Mind, Rethink, CAPUK and others, for people with mental health problems and those caring for them.

It covers how to handle debts when unwell, work with banks, free debt counselling, specific tips for bipolar or depression sufferers, whether to declare a condition and more.

You can read and download a copy here.

CQC criticises service delays for disabled

Disabled children and their families sometimes wait for up to a year for aids such as wheelchairs, according to the health regulator. The Care Quality Commission found there were considerable variations in services provided in England with the national average wait for powered wheelchairs at three months. There were also delays in other services such as speech and language therapy (SALT) and physiotherapy, the commission said.

NELFT Service Users in Redbridge invited to have their say

More than 200 patients who have received mental health services in Redbridge over the last year are being asked about their care.

Surveys have been posted from the beginning of March to patients who were treated during 2011 by community mental health teams which are provided by North East London NHS Foundation Trust.

Community patients often have input from various teams and services, including occupational therapy, medication clinics and support services.

Read more here

Four new guides to improve mental health commissioning

The guides focus on primary mental health care services, child and adolescent mental health service transitions, dementia services and acute liaison services, and have been produced by the Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health (JCP-MH).

The short, easy-to-use guides describe what good quality, modern mental health services should look like. They bring together scientific evidence, patient and carer experience, and view points as well as examples of best practice.

Read more here

Cameron launches challenge to end 'national crisis' of poor dementia care

The prime minister has launched a three pronged approach to making the UK a world leader in dementia care-by improving the health and care of people with dementia, raising awareness about the condition to make communities more responsive to patients' needs, and putting more resources into dementia research.

David Cameron said it was a national scandal that dementia was so poorly managed. "The level of diagnosis, understanding, and awareness of dementia is shockingly low. It is as though we've been in collective denial", he said on 26 March at a conference organised by the Alzheimer's Society.

Read more here

NELFT Service Users in Redbridge invited to have their say

More than 200 patients who have received mental health services in Redbridge over the last year are being asked about their care.

Surveys have been posted from the beginning of March to patients who were treated during 2011 by community mental health teams which are provided by North East London NHS Foundation Trust.

Community patients often have input from various teams and services, including occupational therapy, medication clinics and support services.

The survey will be in the form ofa tick-box questionnaire and the results will form the National Community Patient Experience Survey and are expected to be published in the autumn.

Read more here

Animated Minds

Animated Minds is a series of short animated documentaries which use real testimony from people who have experienced different forms of mental distress. A single aim underpins all the films: to help dispel myths and misconceptions about 'mental illness' by giving a voice to those who experience these various difficulties first hand.

Watch the films here

The Nature of Flames

The Nature of Flames is an experimental novella about Omar who is experiencing severe emotional distress as he desperately tries to fly to Marrakech from Gatwick to join Aisha, his Moroccan wife, to whom the Home Office is not granting a visa.

The author Azeem Khan lives and works in Redbridge

You can purchase a copy here.

In Crisis and Don't Know what to do? - NELFT Mental Health Direct

NELFT Mental Health Direct is a telephone helpline service available 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

If you live in Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham, or Havering you can call for mental health help and advice anytime of the day or night.

NELFT Mental Health Direct can arrange for you to speak with a mental health professional and can also advise you about what service to contact to get the support you need.

Telephone:

Calls from a BT landline are the cost of a local call. Calls from other landlines and mobile providers will vary and may cost more.

Is someone hurting or upsetting you because of who you are? We're here to help.

Redbridge Concern for Mental Health is now a Hate Crime Help and Referral Centre. We offer a safe, confidential environment for anybody who has experienced crime, harassment or abuse because of their: race; religion; sexuality; disability; age; gender identity or mental health condition.

Talk to us and we'll tell you about the wide range of options and support available to you. You can contact us on or email:

For more information about Hate Crime Help and Referral Centres visit Redbridge I

Web Site Editor

Jon Abrams
Redbridge Concern for Mental Health
98-100 Ilford Lane
Ilford, Essex, IG1 2LD
Web Site: rcmh.org.uk
Email:
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Registered Charity No. 1065770

A big thanks to our funders: the London Borough of Redbridge and NHS Redbridge

Disclaimer

All links in the Concern for Mental Health's enews bulletin have been selected using a standard links protocol. Links are provided for information and convenience only. Redbridge Concern for Mental Health cannot accept responsibility for the content of sites linked to, and any links do not represent an endorsement by Redbridge Concern for Mental Health. We cannot guarantee that these links will work all of the time and we have no control over the availability of linked pages.