AdvoCard

Patient Opinion

Chris — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:35:43 +0000

Patient Opinion is an independent, non-profit website where people can tell their stories about their use of health services. The idea is to have honest and meaningful conversations between patients and health services, with the overall aim being that your story can help make health services better.

How it works:

Share your story of using a health service
Patient Opinion send your story to staff so that they can learn from it
You might get a response
Your story might help staff to change services

Here is the NHS Lothian page, showing recent feedback and responses.

Your views on CMHTs

laetitia — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:53:17 +0000

People who use the Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) or their carers: We need your views.

The Community Mental Health Teams city-wide are completing the Scottish Recovery Indicator 2 which is designed to help them look at how recovery focused their practice is.

If you are a patient of the CMHT or a carer of someone who uses the CMHT then speak to your key worker about competing a small questionnaire before 12th June 2012. Your answers will be kept anonymous and would be a great assistance to the CMHT as a service and inform our service development.

There will also be a group where people can complete together the users’ section of the Scottish Recovery Indicator 2 Tool. It will take place from 3pm to 4pm on Thursday 7th June 2012 at Cambridge Street House.

For more information, contact Fiona Crichton on 0131 537 4530.

Choose Life (Older Carers) Project

Chris — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 09:00:05 +0000

Edinburgh Carers Council are piloting new activities and a service for older carers (aged 55 and over). The aims of the service are to improve older carers’ well being and reducing their risk of developing depression and suicidal thoughts. The new service is supporting older carers in understanding what help is available, developing better communication between themselves and service providers, developing their own wellness plans and planning for and dealing with crisis.

Choose Life (Older Carers) Project info

Edinburgh Users Forum AGM – 11th June 2012

laetitia — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:23:37 +0000

Edinburgh Users Forum’s AGM – 11 June 2012, 12pm- Waverley Gate

A Tale of Two Cities: Join us and meet Bob Bogle, mental health activist in Glasgow, and share with him your experiences of campaigning and volunteering over lunch.

For more information and directions, please contact Laetitia on 0131 554 5307 or email laetitia@advocard.org.uk.

EUF AGM poster 2012

Post ECT Support Group: We need your views

laetitia — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:17:07 +0000

AdvoCard is working with people who have had experience of ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy) to campaign for the creation of a post treatment support group.
We would like to hear people’s stories and experiences so that we can write a report and highlight the need for funding for a support group. If you have had experience of ECT, we would be grateful if you could fill in a questionnaire online at http://kwiksurveys.com/?u=postectgroup by 30th May 2012. For more information, please contact Laetitia on 0131 554 5307 or email laetitia@advocard.org.uk.

A Sense of Belonging: Year One “Taking Stock”

laetitia — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:07:28 +0000

A sense of belonging” – A joint strategy for improving the mental health and wellbeing of Lothian’s population 2011 -2016 Year One: “Taking Stock”: A conference for all stakeholders to “ensure that all are informed of progress and to sense check priorities within a rapidly changing context”.

Thursday 17 May from 9.30am to 4.30 pm
Heriot Watt Campus, Riccarton

If you are interested in attending please contact Jackie MacFarlane on 0131 465 5548 or email Jackie.macfarlane@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk. You can also contact Laetitia at AdvoCard on 0131 554 5307. The event is free but limited to 150 people. Closing date is 2nd May.

More information on the strategy at http://www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/OurOrganisation/Strategies/Pages/default.aspx

Advocacy and Benefits

Chris — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:12:13 +0000

We felt that some clarification is required around the support that AdvoCard is able to offer in relation to benefits problems. We have been getting a significant number of calls recently about tribunals and Employment Support Allowance (ESA) appeals. We’ve also had some enquiries from people requesting help to fill in benefits applications and assessment forms.

As an advocacy organisation, AdvoCard does not hold an expertise on benefits. However, we will support people in accessing advice and can help them to find an agency that will offer help in filling in forms and will attend appointments at that agency with them.

However, we will offer support to people attending an Atos Disability Assessment.

Edinburgh Users Forum Spring Meetings

Chris — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 09:59:24 +0000

Edinburgh Users Forum (EUF) is a collective advocacy group for people who use, or have used mental health services in Edinburgh. They come together to raise awareness, campaign, and influence service planning and provision. The following meetings are being held over the next 3 months:

Tell Me About It - Meet Saheliya – Support and challenges in our community on 17 April – at South Leith Halls, Henderson Street, Edinburgh EH6 6BS
Regular EUF Meeting on 5 May at McDonald Road Library, EH7 4LU
Annual General Meeting on Monday 11th June, 12.00 pm at Waverley Gate, Waterloo Place, EH1 3EG

Contact Laetitia at AdvoCard on 0131 554 5307 or email laetitia@advocard.org.uk for more information.

Event flyer

Collective Advocacy in the Community

Chris — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:43:41 +0000

Following the Review of Independent Advocacy Services in Edinburgh, AdvoCard was awarded the contract to provide independent collective advocacy for mental health service users and carers in Edinburgh.

AdvoCard delivers some services directly and is also working in partnership with the Patients Council (at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital) and Edinburgh Carers Council.

As of 01 December 2011, AdvoCard provides service user collective advocacy in the community. Laetitia Jan is the development worker for collective advocacy in the community and works with service user groups such as Edinburgh Users Forum (EUF) and SEASONS to:

Organise and facilitate service user meetings, support service users or get their views heard at strategic meetings.
Inform people of changes, new policies and consultations. Make policy, strategic documents and information accessible to service user groups and assist them to get involved in consultation.
Help to create new campaigning groups.
Build effective partnerships between service users and professionals.
Run issue-based and user-led research projects to gather views and experiences. Write reports and lobby at local and government level.
Build effective partnerships between service users and professionals.

For more information about collective advocacy in the community, contact Laetitia at AdvoCard on 0131 554 5307 or email laetitia@advocard.org.uk.

A Memorial for Jackie

Chris — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:14:15 +0000

June last year was a time of sorrow when we heard the sad news about the death of Jackie McGinty.

Jackie was a much loved, respected and admired colleague of ours and we still miss her sunny presence in the Leith Walk office.

As announced at the AGM, we decided that we would like to dedicate an area of Pressmennan Woods in East Lothian to celebrate Jackie’s life and as a memorial to her. We felt that this would be a fitting way to remember Jackie as she was such a happy, giving and caring person who enjoyed her life, was devoted to her family and was very supportive of others.

We felt a living and growing memorial would be very apt and something that Jackie herself would have enjoyed.

In order to do this we have set up a group fund with the Woodland Trust who manage Pressmennan Wood in East Lothian where she lived.

Please feel that you can add as much or as little as you like to this fund.

In order to make a donation to Jackie’s fund you can go direct to the website through this link:

http://dedicatetrees.com/FundPage.aspx?id=101093

or you can log onto the Woodland Trust website, go to ‘shop’ then group funds then enter either ‘Jackie’, ‘Remembering Jackie’ or the The reference number for Jackie’s fund which is 101093. It’s also possible to make a donation over the phone.

Alternatively you could hand your donation into the Leith Walk office and we will ensure that it is added to the online fund.

In the Springtime, we plan to get a group together to go out and visit Jackie’s woods.