As Chair of the charity Mental health – Time for Action Foundation, I know only too well the challenges facing those experiencing the torments of mental illness within what is arguably a chaotic, severely underfunded, and too often barbaric system of mental healthcare.

Recent revelations in the documentaries Panorama and Channel 4   have highlighted the most appalling examples of service failure with truly heart wrenching stories of neglect and abuse of some of the most vulnerable and unwell patients.

There can be no doubt that change is desperately needed.

MHTFA are therefore proud to sponsor the Campaign for Compassionate and Relational Mental Health Services (CFCARMH) led by Professor Russell Razzaque

Please read the Mission Statement below and consider joining this exciting and important campaign to transform mental health care

Campaign for Compassionate And Relational Mental Health Services (CCARMHS)

Mission Statement:

Meaningful therapeutic relationships are key to recovery from mental health difficulties, however this is generally not prioritised in the design of mental health services or in the training, support and development of mental health professionals.

The Campaign for Compassionate And Relational Mental Health Services (CCARMHS) has been established in order to bring about fundamental changes in the way mental health services are organised and how staff within them are trained, supported and developed. 

Specifically, we argue for 3 essential changes:

1. Better continuity of care across all services.

Ensuring consistent personal relationships across the care pathway for the service user – as well as their family, carers, friends and network – with the same clinician(s), needs to be the focus of future service development in all mental healthcare organisations.

2. Training and professional development in listening skills and relational ways of working.

Enabling recovery through dialogue, relationship and therapeutic skill needs to be a core competency for all mental health professionals. This needs to be evidenced for all staff and the impact it has on service user experience needs to be assessed on a continuous basis.

3. Prioritisation and support for personal and emotional development for staff.

A high degree of self awareness and emotional intelligence is essential in order to deliver care that is truly compassionate, relational and collaborative and actively cultivating this in the workforce needs to be a core priority and specified target for all mental healthcare organisations.

CCARMHS is open to all people – professionals of all disciplines, peer workers, managers, service users, carers, family and friends – who share these objectives, and we aim to showcase all organisations, innovations, interventions and service models that promote them, as well as create a shared space to develop strategy for their dissemination and implementation.

Join the CCARMHS Facebook Group here

Visit the CCARMHS website here

Rachel Bannister Chair