HEAR US MENTAL HEALTH LINKWORKING CHALLENGE

The Linkworking Challenge involves a group of Linkworkers (volunteers who themselves experience or have experienced mental health problems), holding meetings with users of mental health services, on the wards at the Bethlem Royal Hospital (Gresham 1 and 2 and PICU) and in the community. During sessions the Linkworkers listen nonjudgmental to the problems that service users face daily whilst looking at what life holds for them on discharge; And dealing with the stigma and prejudice that encompasses mental health.

Linkworking is rewarding not just because we can flag trends of problems on wards but because we listen to and allow the service users a chance to air whatever it is that is troubling them. This means that the information we gather will directly improve their stay on the wards and units, since it addresses the issues that they themselves have highlighted as being important.

Over the last year the project expanded into the community at SLaM’s Foxley Lane Women’s service, Ashburton Road (all Male Unit) and Selhurst Road Rehab Unit. In recognition that other services need the project and value service user involvement we have started Linkworking at Imagine’s Service User Led Drop-in centres and ‘Kingfishers Association’ in New Addington and at Westways Rehabilitation Unit. We will be visiting more of Imagines services and other voluntary services as well as Community Mental Health Resource Centres in 2010-2011.