Attention all Salford residents!!

Have you experienced anxiety/depression/low mood? If so, this is your chance to really make a difference about mental health services in Salford.

My name is Lucy Rolfe and I am the Salford User Participation Co-ordinator. My role is to speak to Salford residents who have experienced common mental health problems such as anxiety and/or depression to find out what they really think about local mental health support services.

Mental health services in Salford for people living with common mental health difficulties are largely purchased and commissioned by Salford Primary Care Trust (PCT). Salford PCT has recently become one of the Government’s test Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) sites and as a result, it has developed a range of mental health services for people experiencing common mental health difficulties such as anxiety, depression, low mood etc.

The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme itself seeks to deliver a commitment to providing improved access to psychological therapies (talking therapies) to people who require the help of mental health services for problems such as anxiety, depression and low mood. The IAPT programme also aims to improve service user satisfaction, wellbeing and choice by providing more personalised services based on the needs of people experiencing the types of difficulties outlined above.

Because of this I’d like to hear about your experiences of services in Salford. Some of the things that people have talked to me about already include:

• The length of time that they have had to wait to get to see a therapist
• Their experiences of taking psychiatric medication (antidepressants etc.)
• The experience that they have had with their GP
• Their experience of not being able to get to some mental health services because of where they are offered
• Their experience of the stigma that surrounds mental health and the difficulties that having a mental health problem as a Salford resident can cause around getting back into work/staying in work/impact on the wider family etc.

To tell me about these issues or indeed anything that you feel passionate about, please contact me as follows:

Email: salfordupc@selfhelpservices.org.uk

Speak Up! Mental Health in Salford Facebook group: www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5964063959

Or alternatively you can contact Self Help Services on 0844 477 9971

The User Participation Co-ordinator is supported by the charity Self Help Services (a user-led mental health charity that is run by, and for, individuals with personal experience of mental health difficulties) and Salford Primary Care Trust.