Links

Here are a few Star Wards recomended links.

Mental Health

Rethink
Aims to help everyone affected by severe mental illness recover a better quality of life
www.rethink.org

Mental Health Foundation
Provides information, carries out research, campaigns and works to improve services for anyone affected by mental health problems.
www.mhf.org.uk

Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health
Works to improve the quality of life for people with mental health problems by influencing policy and practice in mental health and related services.
www.scmh.org.uk

MDF The Bipolar disorganisation
Helps people affected by bipolar disorder
www.mdf.org.uk

Mentalising
Mentalising and Borderline Personality Disorder
www.mentalising.com

Mentalising underpins TalkWell and is a crucial skill for people with borderline personality disorder, and everyone else. This website is an accessible guide to mentalising, Mentalisation Based Therapy and borderline personality disorder. It’s also one from the Buddy stable (kennel?) of websites and Marion had a small hand in producing it.

Support

Samaritans
Providing confidential, non-judgemental support 24 hours a day for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those which could lead to suicide
www.samaritans.org

Support dogs
Marion is regularly asked about her support dog, Buddy. Mainly what breed she is (Tibetan Terrier) but also how our relationship works. There are articles in the Ideas and Inspiration section and an excellent sources of information is the American Psychiatric Service Dog Society. And there's a truly wonderful company which provides tailor-made jackets - Lonewolf. Fab_Support_Buddy_1

Acute Care

City
Department of Mental Health and Learning Disability. The leading source of (practical and accessible!) research on inpatient mental health care.
http://www.city.ac.uk/sonm/mhld/index.html

Virtual Ward
News, events, policy, and best practice in Acute Care. Awesomely useful website.
www.virtualward.org.uk

NAPICU
Advances the care and treatment of those people who require Psychiatric Intensive Care and low secure units in acute services through promoting and sharing good practice, providing education and training, encouraging clinicians to establish networks and by undertaking research and audit.
www.napicu.org.uk

Productive Ward
The Productive Mental Health Ward programme is designed to increase the amount of direct care time given to patients in mental health wards by improving the effectiveness, safety and reliability of mental health wards.
http://tinyurl.com/productivemhward

Standards

AIMS
Royal College of Psychiatrists' Accreditation for Inpatient Mental Health Services (AIMS) identifies and acknowledges services which have high standards of organisation and patient care, and supports and enables others to achieve these.
http://tinyurl.com/mhaims

Care Quality Commission
The independent regulator of health and social care in England whose remit includes protecting the interests of people whose rights are restricted under the Mental Health Act
www.cqc.org.uk

National Patient Safety Agency
The National Patient Safety Agency leads and contributes to improved, safe patient care by informing, supporting and influencing the health sector
www.npsa.nhs.uk

Professionals

British Psychological Society
The representative body for psychology and psychologists in the UK, with national responsibility for the development, promotion and application of psychology for the public good
www.bps.org.uk

College of Occupational Therapists
The professional body for occupational therapists and OT staff in the UK
www.cot.co.uk

Royal College of Nursing Mental Health Forum
Covers all mental health issues affecting users and care providers, and promotes expertise in the field.
http://tinyurl.com/rcnmhforum

Activities

National Association for Providers of Activities for Older People.
Works to equip staff with the skills to enable older people to enjoy a range of activity whilst living in care settings.
http://www.napa-activities.co.uk/