Sue Barnes makes a useful suggestion in her article this month in the Western Mail. She invites readers to try out the 8 life areas specified by the new Mental Health Measure against their own experience...
The Measure says all patients receiving secondary mental health services have the right to a care plan and that the planned outcomes must relate to one or more of the following areas: accommodation; education and training; finance and money; medical and other forms of treatment, including psychological interventions; parenting or caring relationships; personal care and physical well being; social, cultural and spiritual and work and occupation.
It’s clear to see why care plans are so important.
Think how the areas above relate to you. Whether you have a mental illness or not, planning ahead in terms of your accommodation, your finance or your occupation is important.
Of course, for someone with a mental illness these considerations become more important still, as all of these areas have a considerable impact on our mental health.
For anyone, the biggest step to recovery of mental health may be finding a great place to live, getting a job, establishing a good relationship with their family, meeting new friends or identifying a professional who can help them work through their problems.
Read Sue's column in full here and visit the dedicated Sue's View pages on the Measure Regulations consultation here.
