No surprise that Hafal Wrexham's committed team of staff and volunteers pushed the boat out (presumably one of those giant canoes) for their "Road to Recovery" event this week which featured a barbecue, juice bar and hula dancing in the spirit of America's 50th State.
Our team in Wrexham is among our most experienced in supporting families and carers and I take this opportunity to set out a specific concern for families about the Welsh Mental Health Measure, a key focus of our "Road" campaign. Families want a key addition to the proposed definition of a “relevant patient” in Part 2 of the Measure, specifically to include people with a serious mental illness who are unwilling to engage with secondary mental health services even though there is evidence that their wellbeing and safety would be best served if they did so engage. It is important that these patients should qualify under Part 2 of the Measure, in particular in order to qualify for the requirement that a care plan is drawn up for them (it is not of course proposed that the Measure should in any sense compel a patient to participate in their treatment or care).
Although it is acknowledged that it is difficult to draw up a care plan in these circumstances this can be very important for this often vulnerable group of patients, for example by giving assistance to carers and family members whom the patient may be prepared to engage with even though they will not engage for the time being with secondary mental health services. Further, patients may continue to engage with their GP and others concerning physical health issues, and, if there is a care plan under Part 2 of the Measure, the GP can address issues in the plan and encourage the patient to take up secondary mental health services. See Hafal's full position on the Measure here.
Meanwhile the microbus is in such great demand that it made an additional stop this week in Colwyn bay to be greeted by live music and opportunities to engage in kite-boarding on the beach...
The microbus is holding her own in her hectic drive around Wales, so far not experiencing any break-downs. We will be protectively locking the bus up in a secure garage this Sunday in case her German origins invite the attention of English visitors in retaliation or celebration of whatever may occur. I think it looks rather bitter and twisted for the Scots and Welsh to support other teams against England so my own neutral position on the match is to hope for a draw which can then be quietly settled by whatever means are used to determine the matter in those circumstances.
