Mental Health Open Forum

The Hear Us Mental Health Open Forum is designed so that mental health service users can come together and discuss services that they access and that affect them. This forum gives us a chance to meet, ask questions and debate with commissioners, NHS South West London Clinical Commissioning Group and Croydon Council, and service providers SLaM (the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust). Also other services, such as the voluntary sector (Mind in Croydon, Croydon BME Forum, APCMH and others) are also able to come and discuss their services.

Other issues are also discussed such as the Welfare Benefit Reforms – we invite such guests along to help inform us about how to respond to the changes in reforms. Some of these guest are not responsible for making these changes but come along to help us; by informing us about the processes and how to deal with making new claims. We will endeavour to call upon those that are responsible for the changes to come along and meet the people that their decisions affect.

Each meeting will start with a ‘Shout Out’, where organisations can have the floor to announce their activities that our community would benefit from hearing about – please keep this short. 

Our Meeting enables us to have a constructive voice in the commissioning and design of our services. Our meetings are designed to bring us together to have a face to face discussion. Please follow the ground rules.

The Open Forum Ground Rules

• Respect for the guest speakers at all times. Unfortunately, anyone who breaks this rule may be asked to leave the meeting.
• Respect for each other – everybody is entitled to have their say and one person to speak at a time. Please raise your hand if you have a question.
• Respect for the Chair of the meeting. Everyone to listen if the Chair calls for silence.
• Respect for yourself! People are free to come and go as they please. We have scheduled breaks, but please feel free to go outside if you need fresh air AT ANY TIME.
• Please put mobile phones on silent where possible and leave the room to take calls.

Claire Hawkes
Deputy CEO & Open Forum Chair
Hear Us
Orchard House
15a Purley Road
South Croydon
Surrey
CR2 6EZ
Tel: 020 8681 6888
Email: forum@hear-us.org
Webpage: www.hear-us.org/forum/