Rural Health Partnership

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Rural Health Partnership
By Teresa Nugent
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• Background
• The Rural Health Partnership was established in
  March 2000 as a pilot project to
• Enhance the abilities and improve and sustain
  the quality of life for men and women who
  experience mental health problems in the South
  Armagh area.

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• The project offers support to people in this
  rural area who experience poor mental health by
  providing opportunities for social interaction
  and access to training and education. The
  project seeks to reduce the stigma associated
  with mental illness by integrating people with
  mental health problems into social educational
  and training opportunities in their own
  communities, as well as creating opportunities
  for placements in voluntary or paid employment.

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• The objectives of the project are
• To assist people with mental illnesses to
  re-enter training and education
• To develop an interface with the public to raise
  awareness of the support services available and
  of the issues around mental illness
• To provide a resource for the community to
  facilitate health promotion and educational
  activities
• To target the isolation associated with rural
  living

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REFERRALS

• 115 to date
• 30 Male
• 85 Female
• Mental Health Community Team
• GP
• Carers
• Others

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Policy Contact
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• Investing for Health has as one of its objectives
  the promotion of mental health and well being at
  individual and community level and sets a target
  for reducing the proportion of people with a
  potential psychiatric disorder by a tenth by
  2010. IFH highlights the importance of
  partnership working to achieve results and
  commits the HPSS to working with voluntary
  organisations.

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• The approach of the Rural Health Partnership
  accords with that of Investing for Health in
  respect of
• The focus on those most vulnerable to poor mental
  health including women, the unskilled and
  unemployed, and people living in an area which
  experienced political conflict
• The emphasis on partnership working
• The projects action in relation to mental health
  promotion and awareness raising
• The focus on suicide and domestic violence, areas
  for action highlighted by Investing for Health

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• Priorities for Action 2005-2008 reaffirms the
  Departments commitment to the Investing for
  Health goals, including the goal of improving
  mental and emotional health and well being.
  Recognising that people in Northern Ireland are
  at greater risk of mental ill-health than people
  in other areas of the UK, Priorities for Action
  places a requirement on Boards and Trusts to work
  in partnership with other agencies, including
  voluntary and community organisations, to
  promote mental health and prevent or reduce the
  incidence and impact of mental and emotional
  distress, anxiety, mental illness and suicide.

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SHSSB Programme Plans

• The Board indicates its intention to work through
  its Programme to achieve continued improvements
  in services for the local population. Again in
  the area of mental health it indicates that the
  focus will be on decreasing reliance on hospital
  services through the development of crisis
  response and home treatment services

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• In June 2005 the DHSSPS published its primary
  care strategy Caring for People Beyond
  Tomorrow.
• The strategy places an emphasis on developing
  alternatives to hospital admissions for people
  with mental health problems, and sets specific
  objectives in relation to community engagement,
  involving people in local communities to help
  build caring communities so as to build on
  initiatives such as the Investing for Health
  Partnerships.

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• Its goals include
• ..facilitate(ing) more informed, proactive
  engagement and involvement of people in local
  communities, and practitioners, in the use,
  planning and delivery of services.
• Specifically in relation to mental health
  services the primary care strategy has as an
  objective to the development and implementation
  of strategies to provide for effective community
  based and person-centred services for people with
  learning disabilities and mental illness.

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• Given the specific actions required of HPSS
  bodies by the primary care strategy and on the
  Board and Trust to consider how community based
  services such as the Rural Health Project can
  play a part in achieving the goals set by Caring
  for People Beyond Tomorrow. However the funding
  situation in which the project finds itself
  raises urgent questions regarding the projects
  sustainability.

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The Bamford review

• The Bamford review draws on a vision and set of
  values that are reflected in the services
  provided by organisations such as the Rural
  Health Project. For example
• provision of services which are readily
  accessible
• promotion of independence, self esteem, social
  interaction and social inclusion through choice
  of services, facilitation of self management,
  opportunities fro employment and social
  activities
• partnership with users and carers in the planning
  development and monitoring of services

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• Much psychological and emotional distress can be
  resolved by the imaginative use of generic
  services, the voluntary sector and by community
  development approaches which provide support to
  people at times of need
• Bamford recommends that, together with employers
  and educational establishments, community groups
  should play a role in promoting the mental well
  being of those for whom they have responsibility.
  However the Review recognises the difficulties
  created for the voluntary and community sector by
  the current funding situation

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• The use of mainstream community services,
  facilities and activities should promote social
  inclusion and help reduce the stigma that mental
  health services users face. Effective links to
  voluntary work and organisations such as Further
  Education Colleges, Educational Guidance for
  Adults.will expand the opportunities for people
  with complex mental health needs.
• Leisure as an occupation contributes to social
  identity and is fundamental to physical, social
  and psychological well-being. For many service
  users successful engagement in leisure activities
  can be a catalyst towards employment. For others
  it can be the predominant occupation that defines
  their identity and maintains

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• The Bamford Review includes among its
  recommendations the development of precisely the
  type of services provided by the Rural Health
  Partnership.

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How the Projects fits within the Policy Context

• The Rural Health Partnership has the potential to
  contribute to the achievement of the Boards
  goals in relation to reducing dependence on
  inpatient services by providing accessible
  community based mental health services for
  individuals with an existing diagnosed mental
  illness as well as its work in promoting positive
  mental health.

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Setting up a Service Level Agreement

• Meeting with the Trust Mental Services Manager
  and Contracts Department.
• The purpose, benefits and outcomes of the Person
  Centred/Social Model approach.
• Service delivery, objectives, activities .
• Budgets arrangements and time scale of agreement

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• Specific Targets
• Target groups
• Project outcomes
• Targets
• Management
• Evaluation