The Institute asked Mind how they view the engagement of people with mental health in national and local policy.

Aidan Mersh from Mind writes:

At Mind, we believe in constructive engagement with the government, such as with the Stephenson Farmer review into workplace mental health and support of the 2018 independent review of the Mental Health act. However, constructive for us is defined by improving the lives of those with lived experience. That is why we have also been vocal about the lack of action on Mental Health Act reform following the review and why we often use judicial review to establish the rights of people to have control over their treatment.

We support our network of 115 local Minds in England and Wales to have the same constructive relationships with partners and decision-makers in their local and regional health economies. This support includes:

• Quarterly regional meetings
• Monthly calls with Mind CEO, Paul Farmer, to discuss latest policy and public affairs developments
• Strategic investments in areas of devolved government such as Greater Manchester, Wales, and London
• Provide Memberships to NCVO, NHS Confederation and AMHP for local minds to ensure we are part of a wider voice for the health and charitable sector.

What joins us together as a federation and defines our approach and our voice is authenticity from lived experience. Whether it’s facilitating a community group discussing how they can campaign for better mental health, discussions with local councillors, or talking to the Prime Minister, we ensure those with lived experience are visible, vocal and empowered. Mind have developed The Influence and Participation Toolkit, which is recognised as a valuable resource for anyone whose organisation or workplace wants to engage with people with mental health lived experience in a meaningful way. It is available publicly, and anyone can use it. It aims to enable you to meaningfully involve people with lived experience in the development of your work and organisation.

At the Consultation Institute, we often find the mental health needs of people are absent from an Equalities Impact Assessment, unless the consultation or engagement is regarding a change to mental health services.

The impact of the pandemic on the population’s mental health is well known and discussed in a 2020 report. Organisations need to consider the support needed by people affected over the last year, as well as those with enduring mental health needs. These might include ensuring clear communication suited to those whose attention span is affected and considering how the symptoms of anxiety or depression can prevent someone from engaging in traditional face to face or online methods.

Local Minds have effectively switched to online and telephone delivery through lockdowns and so have been able to keep in touch with people and support them but report significant negative impact on people’s mental wellbeing over the last year. Statutory mental health services have continued but have had to prioritise their work in the face of increased referrals.

National Mind state that whilst the UK government is monitoring the spread of the virus, they will be monitoring whether the government is protecting the nation’s mental health.

They have developed five tests for better mental health, a checklist for what the UK government needs to prioritise now and beyond the coronavirus pandemic to make sure everyone gets the support they need:

• Invest in community services
• Protect those most at risk
• Reform the Mental Health Act
• Provide a financial safety net
• Support children and young people

 

Clearly Mind, and other organisations like them at a local and national level, should be key stakeholders in consultations and engagement, with organisations working in partnership with them to include the views of those with lived experience of mental health on a range of services. However, with the increased demand for their support services, consultors need to be mindful that their local Mind is resourced sufficiently to assist them.

This is a joint piece written by associate Steve Inett  and Aidan Mersh Head of Network Support at Mind. He supports the network of 114 local Mind’s across England and Wales to deliver life changing mental health services. He has experience of working in federated charity structures and can be found on twitter @AidanMersh and will be happy to answer any questions you may have.