1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health problem each year. At Scarborough Whitby and Ryedale Mind, we wholeheartedly support the World Federation of Mental Health’s theme for World Mental Health Day “Mental health is a universal human right”.
This is the “right to be protected from mental health risks, the right to available, accessible, acceptable, and good quality care, and the right to liberty, independence and inclusion in the community. Having a mental health condition should never be a reason to deprive a person of their human rights or to exclude them from decisions about their own health.”
This World Mental Health Day, join the fight for mental health
- Deliver a reformed Mental Health Act before the next election. One that will strengthen people’s rights, choice, and control while they’re in hospital.
- Include patients and their loved ones in the investigation into mental health hospitals. This will help them see exactly why mental health hospitals are broken.
- Widen the investigation to look at people’s whole experience. From the physical ward environment to the treatment options available.
- Invest in staff and buildings. So that care is safe, respectful, and delivered in the right environment.
Raise your voice and create change locally
We have come a long way in recent years with people feeling empowered to talk more openly about their mental health, but we still have a long way to go and there are so many voices out there who are never heard. Perhaps you feel you have nothing useful to share, or you worry about being judged, or simply that every consultation or sharing opportunity in our area excludes people who are not able to attend large group events or sessions during the day?
A key element of our role at Mind is to share your experiences, challenges, positive strategies, or just your perspective – with those in positions of power who are able to effect change. It’s also incredibly important we hear from a wide range of voices and share those stories with our community to help challenge misconceptions about mental health and create greater understanding and empathy. If you have something you want to say, we’d love to hear from you. Click the button below to fill in a short form and we’ll be in touch.
Sharing your experiences of service provision in our area is incredibly important to drive change in the way mental health services are delivered. Whatever your experience, a great way to give feedback is through Healthwatch North Yorkshire. Healthwatch North Yorkshire is your health and social care champion with the power to make sure NHS leaders and other decision-makers listen to your feedback and improve standards of care.
Did you know that the North Yorkshire Mental Health Strategy, “Hope, Choice and Control” expired in 2020? We need our new local authority to treat mental health as a priority, especially as a coastal area where a combination of environmental, social and geographical challenges significantly increase risks that cause mental ill health.
Contact your local Councillor and/or your local MP who are there to represent you and ask them for a commitment in North Yorkshire to Raise the Standard for mental health.
