The Independent Mental Health Network offers a number of opportunities to members, branches, and external parties alike.
IMHN is made up of those who have lived experience of mental health; as a result, the membership of IMHN, at both a national and a branch level, can offer a strong and insightful voice on the needs of those with lived experience of mental health to both local healthcare providers, and to the overall mental health conversation. IMHN welcomes new additions to this voice, and is constantly seeking ways to best utilise the collective input for the benefit of those affected by mental health issues.
Members
At its heart, IMHN is lead by its members; members who self-identify as having lived experience of mental health. Being member-led means that our members are able to take an active role in the running of their branch, if they wish to.
We provide both a platform and a route by which our members can make their voices heard; by either holding their local mental-healthcare services and provides to account; or by working with IMHN as a springboard to amplify their voices within the wider mental-health dialogue, activism, or change. One of the most effective ways of doing this is by participating with their local branch, or starting a branch of their own.
Branches
IMHN looks to support its local branches, in order to help them be as effective in their campaigns, engagement, and activism as possible. With growth of existing branches and creation of new ones being one of the top priorities for the organisation in the coming years, we are looking to build fully effective, robust, and supportive means of assisting branches in their work.
If you are a committee member of a branch, please progress to our branch support section.
External Parties
Effectiveness of communication and engagement is something that we pride ourselves on. We are able to offer a number of services to external parties, groups and organisations; including consultation services, focus group facilitation, and general support.
- Service reviews and evaluations: IMHN has a strong track record of carrying out service reviews and evaluations to support improved performance and evaluate how well services are meeting the needs of their end users.
- Driving engagement with public consultations: IMHN has promoted consultations on aspects of mental healthcare, increasing uptake and general engagement with the consultive process. Earlier this year, our Bristol branch lead on engaging service users with the process of recommissioning local IAPT services.
- Supporting research: are you a research institution looking for support with your patient and public involvement (PPI) activities? We can help.
- Training: IMHN are able to offer bespoke training packages, including: developing leadership, supporting mental wellbeing in the workplace, and challenging mental health stigma.
- General consultancy: we can also offer a bespoke range of services tailored to the needs of your organisation; highlighting the skills, experience, and expertise that our members have.
To discuss the specific needs of you or your organisation, please contact us.