Christmas Mental Health Services Guide 2019
December 20, 2019 at 6:44 pm
Please note: this item was posted ahead of the Christmas 2019 period. The information contained in the guide mentioned below is therefore outdated.
BIMHN are pleased to share the news that this year’s Christmas Mental Health and Wellbeing Services guide has been published. This guide outlines the services providing wellbeing and mental health support available to people in the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire period over the Christmas 2019 and New Year 2020 period.
The guide has been produced with input from BIMHN members, in collaboration with members of Clarity-North Somerset Independent Mental Health Network. This year’s guide follows on from the success of last year’s guide in helping people and communities navigate what is available at this time of this year.
Included is information about services operating over the seasonal period, making note of any changes to opening or operating times, and contact details. It brings together information about mental health support from both NHS and voluntary & community sector partners that can be accessed. Also included are details of national crisis and helplines.
You can view or download a copy of the guide on the Independent Mental Health Network’s website, here.
December 20, 2019 at 6:44 pm | News | No comment
Mental health support in emergency departments – we want to hear from you!
May 17, 2018 at 10:59 pm
We want to hear your views about your experiences of accessing mental health support at an emergency department.
In collaboration with UWE Bristol, Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, and Bristol, North Somerset & South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (BNSSG CCG), we are gathering views to understand the journey that people with mental health problems experience when attending an emergency department.
This work precedes a change in service delivery planned for the local emergency departments that aims to support people needing urgent mental health treatment in the service.
We really want to hear from people who have recently attended an emergency department in Bristol (within the last 12 months), South Gloucestershire and North Somerset.
All responses will be treated with the highest confidentiality, with no personal details shared or used; only summary data will be used in the report. It will not be possible to identify any individual.
We are currently doing this in two ways: by asking you to fill out a short questionnaire or by arranging an interview with the research team at UWE Bristol.
Emergency Departments Questionnaire
The questionnaire should take no more than ten to fifteen minutes to complete and you can fill out the questionnaire by clicking here.
Interview with the research team
Would you like to take part in an interview with the research team to share your story and help improve available support for people in the future? We are aiming to interview up to six people and slots will be allocated on a first come first served basis. A voucher to the value of £15 will be provided for your time and the interview should last no more than one hour and 15 minutes.
We have slots available on the following dates (venues will be in central Bristol unless otherwise agreed):
- Tuesday 5th June – Between 9 am and 12 pm
- Friday 8th June – Between 9 am and 4 pm
- Wednesday 13th June – Between 9 am and 4 pm
- Friday 15th June – Between 1 pm and 5 pm
- Friday 22nd June – Between 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm
- Thursday 28th June – Between 9 am and 4 pm
You can book by emailing and we will put you in touch with the research team at UWE.
Want to take part in an interview and none of the listed slots are convenient? Drop us an email and we will try and make alternative arrangements.
May 17, 2018 at 10:59 pm | News | No comment
BIMHN calls for increased scrutiny on treatment of inpatients after ward closure
September 13, 2017 at 11:54 am
BIMHN is calling for increased scrutiny over the treatment of inpatients. The call, follows the continued closure of mental health inpatient unit, Laurel Ward at Callington Road Hospital. This will include a user-led visit to review the ward.
Laurel Ward is a later life inpatient ward at Callington Road Hospital in Bristol. It was closed shortly before a CQC inspection in June 2017 with limited information made publicly available at the time of the closure.
It has since emerged that the closure was as a result of safety concerns raised amid a patient being “unlawfully restricted” after being locked in their room.
A spokesperson for Bristol Independent Mental Health Network (BIMHN) commented:
“We are deeply concerned over the ongoing closure of Laurel Ward. There must be increased scrutiny of the care people are receiving when residing in an inpatient setting. We recognise that patient safety and dignity must be a top priority when someone is being supported by mental health services, especially where their legal rights may be restricted under the Mental Health Act 1983. BIMHN will continue to monitor the situation closely and is making regular communications to both Bristol CCG and the service provider of the ward: Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP).”
Questions to AWP on Laurel Ward closure
In a response to a public statement released by AWP on 16th August, the following day BIMHN has written to the organisation. We are requesting further information and assurances on a number of issues, including:
- Some family members and carers were not made aware at the time and in fact found out via the BBC news article. The statement suggests that all were notified at the time, could you please clarify this?
- What were the circumstances that led to a patient being locked in their room?
- How long was the patient locked in their room for?
- What is being done in regards to training for staff to ensure they are effectively supported to carry out their roles? Does this include face-to-face training or just online/e-learning training?
- Could you please confirm what steps are being taken to make the ward “dementia-friendly” and how this is being co-produced with service user and carer involvement?
Next steps…
Whilst we are yet to receive a formal response at the time of publication, we have separately agreed a visit will take place by BIMHN representatives next month along with visits to other wards at the hospital.
The Board of AWP shall be meeting this afternoon (Wednesday 13th September 2017, 3 – 4:30 pm) and BIMHN members will be in attendance.
Would you like to feedback your experiences of accessing mental health support in the area? Email BIMHN on to confidentially share your personal story and help improve future mental health services in the area.
If you would like to know more about some of the locally available services, please visit: http://www.bristolmentalhealth.org/services/
September 13, 2017 at 11:54 am | News | No comment