Mayo Mental Health Consumer Panel

Mayo
Mental Health Services,
Consumer Panel and Irish
Advocacy Network deliver
partnership in true Vision style! Vision for Change Chapter 3 –
Partnership in Care
In 2008 a training course was delivered
by Shari McDaid for service users and
carers in Mayo/Roscommon/Galway
financed by Co. This course looked at procedures and
how to set up a committee, gave an
inside into the Vision for Change
document and the Quality Framework
and their recommendations. Following this the Irish Advocacy
Network supported the establishment of
the Mayo Consumer Panel consisting of
12 members, 6 service users,4 carers, 1
IAN and 1 from the local Mental Health
Association. Setting up a functioning committee is
always a learning process and the group
spent some time getting to know each
other, clarifying roles and looking at the
aims and objectives of the group. In the beginning IAN took a lead role
because of their familiarity with the
services, structures etc. The Mayo Mental Health Services have
always been supportive in regard to
implementing the recommendations of
Chapter 3 in Vision for Change. The Consumer Panel managed through
IAN to negotiate an attendance fee and
travel expenses for its members with the
Mayo MHS. The accounts are managed
jointly by the Consumer Panel and the
Mayo Mental health Services. Parallel to this IAN supported and
initiated the formation of the Mayo
Advocacy Group which consists of service
users only to support each other, to
participate and to air views. One role – as
determined by the group - is to act as a
focus group for the Consumer panel in
order to widen the perspective from the
service user’s point of view and to
provide a pool of service users for further
involvement with the HSE. Other projects in the pipeline are
The Mayo Advocacy Group is discussing
the production of a newsletter with
relevant information for service users,
carers and providers. One service user of the group is currently
writing a play addressing stigma and
discrimination and the group thinks that
this could be utilised as a powerful tool
and hopefully service providers will be
involved in this. Examples of work by Service Users in
Partnership with IAN and MMHS. The Rehab/Recovery team ran policy
papers by the panel before sanctioning
same…
The panel worked on a project to improve
admissions to the adult mental health
through the A and E Department. Senior
management and the panel met up and
sought suggestions that were
implemented into policy.