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User Involvement
User Involvement

User Involvement Project
The User Project was created in 1998 to widen service user representation in the borough of Hammersmith & Fulham. Service Users are those who use or have used mental health services. Hammersmith and Fulham User Project helps people who use mental health services to get involved in decisions about how those services are run.

There are two parts of the User Involvement Project – one part is concerned with the Inpatients & Day Service patients at Charing Cross Hospital, whilst the other part involves community issues.

User Project at Charing Cross Hospital
The User Project (Inpatients) main function for the last five years has been to offer regular Patients-only Meetings within the acute psychiatric wards at Charing Cross Hospital. These offer patients an opportunity to talk in a safe, confidential space about their views and experiences of the services they receive on the wards.

Patients’ issues, (urgent issues are actioned immediately), are then taken forward to the monthly Feedback Meeting where action plans are discussed with the West London Mental Health Trust – WLMHT. Attendance from the Patients Representatives from each ward is encouraged to offer meaningful service user participation with the WLMHT.
The Patients Representatives also meet with the Head of Mental Health Services each month to discuss a wide range of user involvement issues to further improve services for patients in Charing Cross Hospital.

The User Project (Inpatients) is also involved in providing and ensuring service user attendance and participation in WLMHT meetings. Users also participate in training the local H&F policies in issues of mental health.

Following consultation with patients on the wards at Charing Cross Hospital, joint protocols between MIND User Project (Inpatients) and WLMHT outlining all aspects of the User Project (Inpatients) work is being produced.

If you are interested in becoming a Patient Representative and/or want more information on the work of the User Project (Inpatients).

Contact:
The User Involvement Project (Inpatients) Worker – Laura Hurley at Charing Cross Campus on 0207 386 1187 or at H&F MIND on 0208 741 0661 for details.

Get Involved with Hammersmith and Fulham Service User Network!
Being asked for your views can be a great experience if others are interested in your comments and are prepared to make changes in response to what you say. 

Hammersmith and Fulham Service User Network (SUN) aims to help people who use mental health services get involved in influencing and improving them.  SUN is open to any service user living or using mental health services in Hammersmith and Fulham. 

We can help you to get involved in groups that inform health services; work with services to improve the information and publicity material they produce; sit on recruitment panels for mental health professionals; and contribute to clinical audits, service evaluations and service user led research.  We can also can offer information and help with payments, training and support for your involvement. 

We hold a quarterly URGe (User Reference Group event) to provide mutual support for service users and to enable service users and service providers to consult with each other.  URGe also provides an opportunity for service users to elect service user representatives on committees and working groups, such as the WLMHT Service User Forum and Hammersmith and Fulham SUN Management Group.  

We plan to work with local services to improve the training of mental health professionals; get involved in mental health education and research; and develop arts and media projects about people experiences of mental health.  We are also really keen to hear of any ideas or suggestions you might have.

Hammersmith and Fulham SUN is facilitated by the User Involvement Project (UIP) at Hammersmith and Fulham Mind.  If you would like to find out more please have a look at our leaflet or contact Mark Ballentine (UIP Worker) at Hammersmith and Fulham Mind, 153 Hammersmith Road, London W14 0QL; telephone 020 8741 0661; or email enquiries@hfmind.org.uk.