22 November 2013
Practical tips for talking to your MP about mental health
We have had many MPs write for our blog during Parliament Week. Below are the reasons why I think it is important.
22 November 2013
Talking to your MP on your terms
As a local champion I have raised issues brought to me by service users, their carers and the local voluntary sector agencies.
22 November 2013
A louder voice for mental health
This week, five MPs have written blogs for Centre for Mental Health on the importance of a range of mental health issues in their constituencies.
21 November 2013
The fight for real choice in treatment
Mental health issues come up frequently in my work as a local MP. Of the hundreds of people who come to see me at my regular surgeries many are suffering from a mental health issue of some kind or are making representations to me about someone who is.
20 November 2013
Raising expectations and improving employment support
Like any MP, I’ve had my share of constituents coming to see me about problems with their work capability assessment (WCA) for employment and support allowance (ESA).
19 November 2013
We need to transform healthcare in this country
Paul Burstow MP talks about a visitor to his constituency surgery.
15 November 2013
Giving local services users a voice
When I was elected as the MP for Loughborough in 2010, I promised that one of the issues I would focus on in parliament was mental health.
9 October 2013
Taking control of employment support
This week a major new report from Disability Rights UK has highlighted the weaknesses of the government’s major employment programmes in supporting disabled people to get and keep paid work.
27 September 2013
#mentalpatient: the end of the beginning
Yesterday two retail giants were shamed and forced into taking products off their shelves by the power of people.
23 July 2013
Peer support in mental health care: is it good value for money?
Increasing numbers of peer support workers are now being employed in mental health services.
24 June 2013
Mental health: the whole picture
Community budgets that pool funding for services could dramatically improve mental health provision. This ‘whole place’ approach should be backed in the Spending review.
13 March 2013
What the Francis report means for mental healthcare
Originally posted in the HSJ blog Leadership in Mental Health, 6 February, 2013 The Francis report today set out some 290 recommendations to protect NHS patients from neglect and poor care. The report’s recommendations reach across the health services, from the accountability of individual professionals for their own conduct to the roles of the national