We are a community for people with lived experience of mental health to campaign for change.
Do you have lived experience of mental health crisis or attempting to access mental health crisis services?
We are looking for up to six lived experience representatives to join a crisis pathway redesign event.
The details are below:
Date: Friday 15 November 2019
Times: 09:30am -16:30pm
Location: Holiday Inn, Bond Street, Bristol, BS1 3LE (next to the Bristol Bear Pit roundabout).
About the role
The aim of the day is to progress the development of a new blueprint for BNSSG crisis services. We want to come to together as system partners to co-produce the crisis services of the future.
Your role will be to help shape the conversations on the day and what is developed.
Lived experience attendees at the service redesign event will:
- Provide the perspectives of people who use mental health crisis services (or have attempted to).
- Use any personal experience as a patient of the current services in a constructive and objective way to ensure views are as representative as possible.
- Be available to attend the event for the whole day.
- Understand that they may be asked to respect the confidentiality of items discussed at the event.
- Contribute to feedback on presentations given at the meetings, some of which will be made by people who use are currently using or have used services.
- Feedback to IMHN on matters discussed at the event.
- Help others attending decide on appropriate outcome measurements that will capture the experiences of those trying to access the services in the future.
BNSSG CCG and IMHN will provide the following support to representatives:
- An allowance of £84.00 for attending the whole event.
- Reasonable out of pocket travel expenses from within the Bristol, North Somerset & South Gloucestershire area (taxis must be agreed in advance).
- Free parking in the NCP Car Park by the Holiday Inn (where travelling by car).
- Lunch will also be provided (please tell us about any dietary requirements).
- Support to take part in the day from BNSSG CCG and IMHN.
Supporting Statementand Deadline
We are asking applicants to write no more than 250 words stating how they meet the criteria listed in the experience, knowledge and skills section. Please do specify if you have personal experience of crisis services as part of your supporting statement. If you need more advice or help, please feel free to contact Tom.
Please email expressions of interest to tom[@]imhn.org (removing the brackets from the email address) by Monday 11 November 2019. We will notify successful applicants by Tuesday 12 November 2019.
You can read more about the opportunity here.
November 6, 2019 at 5:53 pm
Press Release: Announcing Shine On
The Independent Mental Health Network (IMHN), with the support of its branches and partner organisations, are proud to announce the launch of Shine On, a campaign about working together to prevent suicide. The campaign will initially run over the winter period of 2019 to 2020, sparking conversations and opportunities to get involved in suicide prevention initiatives across the local areas of Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
The campaign will feature a range of events and activities exploring the complex topic of suicide, and how we can work together to prevent it. We will be discussing how we can move forward together with effective suicide prevention work, and how we can contribute to the wider conversation about the stigma that still surrounds mental health and suicide generally.
A booklet has also been produced in hard copy and digital format. It will be distributed across the campaign area, giving details of local mental health services and helplines, different lived experience perspectives of suicide prevention, and more information about the series of events.
Tom Renhard, CEO of IMHN, said
We want to bring people together to work more closely on suicide prevention. It is humbling to see how many organisations, community groups and individuals are signing up to get involved.
As someone who has experienced bereavement by suicide, I know how vital this work is and the difference it can make. By working together, we can enable more initiatives to flourish and support a wider regional ambition to reduce the number of people taking their own lives. One life lost is one too many, and there is plenty for us all to do to ensure people know there is support available out there.
Justine, chair of IMHN’s North Somerset Branch (Clarity-NSIMHN), said
Bereavement from suicide is deeply affective, both on an individual level, and as the ripples spread out through any community or network. The gaps left by those dying by suicide never go away.
Locally, Clarity-NSIMHN have roles in suicide prevention work and are collaborating with other partners to identify ways that may reduce deaths by suicide.
As IMHN’s North Somerset branch, we wish to shine a light on suicide and work together to prevent it.
Notes for Editors
What is the Independent Mental Health Network (IMHN)?
IMHN are a member-led organisation that work for and in the interests of people with lived experience of mental health. We support work improving local mental health services, contribute and campaign on mental health matters happening both locally and nationally, and actively challenge mental health stigma by working with partner organisations.
Why is the campaign being run in the Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire area?
In 2017, NHS England allocated an amount of money to address the higher than average suicide rate in the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire area. This fund is managed by the BNSSG Suicide Prevention Transformation Fund Working Group, and funds initiatives such as Second Step’s Hope Project, local campaigning and awareness raising, and more. This Working Group is supporting IMHN in delivering this campaign. You can find out more information here.
When will the campaign run until?
The campaign is ongoing over the winter months of 2019 into 2020. There will be a number of events taking place late November 2019, with activities continuing to run until January 2020.
What is the Suicide Prevention Innovation Fund?
As part of this campaign, £4500 is being distributed via a seed fund for local organisations and individuals to run their own event or initiative that combats suicide and related mental difficulties in some way. We are pleased to announce that a number of successful bids have been already made. You can find out more about the fund and its future here.
Who are the partners of the campaign?
This campaign is supported by the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Suicide Prevention Transformation Working Group. The Working Group is a partnership of local organisations that aim to address the higher-than-average rate of suicide across the local area. The group consists of:
- Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
- Bristol City Council
- Bristol North Somerset & South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (BNSSG CCG)
- Community Access Support Service (CASS)
- Independent Mental Health Network (IMHN)
- North Somerset Council
- Public Health England
- Second Step
- South Gloucestershire Council
- University of Bristol
- University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
Where Can I Get More Information?
- the campaign website can be found at www.shine-on.life
- for further enquiries, please contact Ali at ali[at]imhn.org, or engagement[at]imhn.org
November 6, 2019 at 5:14 pm
IMHN’s Bristol branch is a key partner of the Time to Change Bristol hub. The hub furthers the work of Time to Change, a growing movement of people dedicated to breaking down mental health stigma.
One of Time to Change’s key initiatives is the Employer Pledge. This is a pledge that employers can sign to show commitment to changing the way we all think and act about mental health in the workplace.
Yesterday, on World Mental Health Day 2019, Bank of Ireland signed up to the Time to Change Employer Pledge at its offices at Temple Quay, Bristol, in the presence of employees, members of the Bank’s leadership team, representatives from the Time to Change Bristol hub, and Bristol City Council.
Bank of Ireland join over 1,200 organisations, collectively employing over 2 million people, who have now signed the Time to Change Employer Pledge nationally. The Bank of Ireland also joins a number of other large employers within Bristol who have signed the pledge within the last twelve months, including Bristol City Council and Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group.
Read more at the press release published to BIMHN’s website.
October 11, 2019 at 2:58 pm
IMHN represents a diverse community of past, current and future users of mental health services, as well as those with lived experience of mental health. By working together, we believe that we can be a force for positive change in the way that mental health is treated, perceived, and recognised.
As the network grows, we are looking for volunteers to join us and bring new skills and experience to the table. We have two different roles, which will greatly contribute to the work and projects that IMHN are involved with: Content Creators and Event Assistants. Both roles are a great opportunity to experience working with a growing start-up mental health charity.
Within both of these roles, there will also be the opportunity to support a campaign we are launching later this year focused on suicide prevention. This will see activities organised across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire encouraging people to open up about mental health and find out more about support they can access.
Role: Content Creators
We are looking to increase the range, diversity and frequency of our original content across multiple platforms. This includes our monthly newsletters, opportunity mailouts, website content including blog posts and news articles, and social media accounts.
Typical tasks would include researching and writing content for our websites and newsletters (this may include news items, blogs, comments on policy pieces) and drafting posts for social media.
What do we offer?
- Experience in developing content for different platforms.
- Visibility of content you post to an audience of thousands of people.
- The opportunity to develop your skills and experience for use on your CV.
- A reference letter confirming the skills you developed with us and the number of hours you volunteered for.
Role: Event Assistants
We are looking to increase the range, diversity and frequency of our events across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. Currently we run several successful events and meetings across the area. These include:
- Mental Health Conversations
- Monthly Member Meetings
- Panel discussions
- Engagement activities through the Time to Change Campaign
We are also planning a large-scale Suicide Prevention campaign this Winter, which will involve a programme of events. More information about this will be published soon.
Typical tasks would include assisting with event planning, promotion and evaluation; supporting attendees at events to ensure that they have the best experience possible; and supporting the development of an annual events cycle.
What do we offer?
- Experience in running events and understanding the event planning cycle
- Experience in project coordination.
- Experience in understanding the policy landscape that mental health operates in.
- The opportunity to develop your skills and experience for use on your CV.
- A reference letter confirming the skills you developed with us and the number of hours you volunteered for.
Getting involved: what do we need from you?
- The expected commitment is between 2 and 4 hours per week, which can be flexible to fit around your commitments, including work, studies, and exams.
- Ability to work to deadlines.
- Ability to absorb and interpret information.
- Ability to be able to work as part of a team and communicate with others effectively.
Interested?
Send an email with your CV and a short covering letter (up to one side of A4) on why you would like to volunteer with us, what you would bring to the role and what you hope to get out of the role. Please send completed expressions of interest to .
If you have any questions or would like to know more, we would be happy to hear from you.
October 2, 2019 at 4:10 pm
Time to Change are a growing movement of people changing how we all think and act about mental health problems. The Time to Change Bristol hub is a partnership of local organisations and people within the city of Bristol who are committed to ending mental health stigma and discrimination.
The Bristol hub is organised by a partnership of local organisations. The Bristol Independent Mental Health Network (BIMHN), IMHN’s Bristol branch, is a lead partner, and takes an active role in bringing local partners and stakeholder to deliver an effective and open campaign combatting mental health stigma.
Read more about the Time to Change Bristol hub here.
What’s Happening this Autumn?
This October and November will see two sets of training delivered to local Time to Change Champions.
Social Contact Training will develop participants’ skills, knowledge, understanding and confidence in opening up a conversation in everyday life to improve negative attitudes surrounding mental health.
Speaking Out Training will build the confidence and skills of Time to Change Champions to speak out to an audience about mental health, their own experience of mental health problems, and why we need to continue to challenge stigma.
Furthermore, on Thursday 23 October, the hub will be hosting the Time to Change Bristol Celebration Event. This will see members of the public and local Time to Change Champions come together for an evening of networking, information, food and activities to celebrate the work and successes of the hub over recent months. Conversations will take place around how the hub can continue to have a positive impact in the future.
If you’re in Bristol on that date, there are still some spaces available at the event, but are limited – get your free ticket here!
September 28, 2019 at 12:29 pm