A Dublin man who turned to an Action Mental Health service dedicated to supporting individuals in their place of work has paid tribute to the ‘life saving’ care he received.

Mick Finnegan was taken under the wing of staff from Action Mental Health, which delivers the Workable NI programme, when he began to struggle with his mental health at his job.

With the help of the Workable Employment Support Officer (ESO), Stephanie Prince, Mick was able to express to management how the workplace was impacting upon his mental health. Workable thrives on the creation of a three-way partnership between the ESO, the client and the employer. Together, they created a personalised action plan which implemented measures to promote well-being in the workplace. Through one-to-one meetings, along with advice and guidance from the ESO, Mick’s employer began to show him more support and understanding towards his mental health issues.

Now, 36-year-old Mick, who lives outside Belfast, is an advocate for people with mental health issues, working with those affected by mental ill-health, locally, and also represents their interests nationally, across the UK.

Action Mental Health is one of seven partners within the SES – Supported Employment Solutions consortium – which is contracted to deliver the Department for Communities Workable (NI) Programme across Northern Ireland. SES supports people with disabilities and health conditions and helps them get back into employment and includes joint lead partners Cedar & AMH, as well as Mencap, Orchardville, NOW, RNIB and Action on Hearing Loss.

Mick is bi-polar and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, after spending some of his youth homeless and hopeless on the streets of Dublin.

In recent years, Mick has spent time in London working with the homeless, before later coming to Belfast, where again he worked with local people who found themselves sleeping rough on the streets. Working here in Northern Ireland however, he found himself victim of the stigma which remains to this day on the issue of mental health.

At the time, management had a limited understanding of mental health in the workplace which made it difficult for Mick to speak openly about his condition. His GP encouraged him to seek help and he eventually discovered Workable NI as a means of in-work support.

Enlisting their help about two and a half years ago, AMH staff, who deliver the Workable NI programme, helped Mick regain his confidence while also managing to smash the stigmas surrounding mental health.

“My keyworker Stephanie started by putting policies in place and it really did improve things. “Sometimes employers view people with mental health issues as a burden and sometimes employers think people with mental health issues are using that as an excuse for absences from work.

‘Getting Workable involved gave me breathing space and gave me the flexibility to take time off to deal with things and I went from feeling isolated and marginalised to feeling much better. It saved my life when I was going through a rough spot and I managed to keep my job,” he said.

“I wouldn’t have got through a lot of the things I did if it wasn’t for Stephanie’s support and the Workable programme.”

Though conditions did improve, Mick soon found new employment – allowing him the freedom to discuss his mental health issues with total impunity, as a mental health peer support worker with the Southern Health and Social Care Trust. He also works as a national advisor for the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health at the Royal College of Psychiatrists in London.

Patricia Kelly AMH Workable Project Co-ordinator commented: “I am delighted that with Stephanie’s help Mick was able to avail of the specialist in-work support that Workable (NI) offers and that his employer was able to glean a better understanding of how best to deal with employee mental health issues within the workplace as well.

“Our team of ESOs work tirelessly to deliver the Workable programme across the province, supporting a range of employees and employers to come to manageable solutions within the workplace.”

A project worker with AMH everyBODY has clinched this year’s coveted ICE Award for the unstinting enthusiasm and sheer hard work she brings to her role every single day.

Deborah McCready only took up her role within Action Mental Health in 2018 but since her arrival she has been vital in helping to raise the profile of the specialist eating disorder service among the general public.

Receiving her award during a recent ceremony from Robert Mowbray, vice chair of the board of Action Mental Health, Deborah expressed shock and delight after being informed of her win by her manager, Colin Loughran.

Deborah, who is based in Portadown, had been nominated by AMH’s Communications team which had called upon Deborah on numerous occasions within the past year to help drive and steer communications campaigns on eating disorders and related issues.

AMH everyBODY, which operates within the Southern Health and Social Care Trust (SHSCT) area, introduced a vital and effective new model of support for people experiencing eating disorders and their families and carers in partnership with the trust.

The Chairman’s ICE award recognises individuals’ contribution to Innovation, Creativity and Excellence within the organisation and are presented twice a year to celebrate individual achievement. Recipients are presented with an ICE award and also win an extra day’s leave.

The awards were conceived in recognition that AMH’s people are “the organisation’s most important resource in achieving its mission and advancing its vision”, according to chairman Peter Fitzsimmons.

Reacting to the news, Deborah said: “Oh my goodness, I was like a deer in headlights shocked. I thought I was meeting Colin for a catch-up but little did I know! I can think of so many people deserving of it though, especially the Comms team. So much of the work I’ve gotten to do has been a team effort with yourselves, so thank you all too!”

Her manager Colin Loughran, Service Manager for AMH Craigavon and Banbridge, paid tribute to Deborah’s zeal for her job.

“Since taking up her post with AMH everyBODY Deborah has really owned and advanced all her duties, bringing vital support to greater and increasing numbers of individuals and families. Deborah has played a central role in elevating AMH everyBODY as the preferred provider status in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust area, being pivotal to the comprehensive rebranding process which led to its relaunch last September. That rebrand was critical in re-establishling AMH’s eating disorder service as a competent option, nurturing confidence from AMH funders and the general public.”

In the nomination, Deborah was highlighted for her expertise, warm and giving personal manner, and the empathy with which she deals with vulnerable clients and their loved ones.

In delivering the remit of her post, she was also noted for her skill in equipping people with better self-support skills, while informing and reinforcing healthy lifestyle behaviours to keep people safe and to allay their fears during times of distress.

In assisting the Communications team, Deborah has routinely gone well beyond the expectation of her job description on many occasions to ensure that the service provided is comprehensive and complete.

Key to her nomination was also Deborah’s development of a monthly carers’ support group which has been pivotal to clients and their families, and also, her key role in AMH’s collaboration with Queen’s University’s Mental Health Week campaign. As a speaker in the high profile event, she shared her insight and expertise on her specialist subject before a host of academic panelists.

“In short, Deborah was singled out for the honour of the ICE award for consistently going above and beyond for her clients and for Action Mental Health,” added Communications Manager, Tricia Browne.

A Review of Mental Health Policies in Northern Ireland

By Professor Siobhan O’ Neill, Professor Deirdre Heenan and Dr Jennifer Betts

Supported by Action Mental Health

 As Ulster University launched a new review of Northern Ireland’s mental health policies, it has been revealed that waiting lists for services in Northern Ireland are now 24 times greater than in England and Wales combined.

Brand new figures set out in the policy review by Ulster University

‘Making Parity a Reality’  

showed that as of March 2019 approximately 120,000 people of all ages in Northern Ireland were waiting over a year for access to health services.

The UU policy review, launched in conjunction with Action Mental Health, is a call to action for a ten year mental health strategy in Northern Ireland – the only UK region without one. It comes in the face of rising suicide rates and a system delivered in a fragmented and piecemeal manner.

The figures, obtained by the University, cast a damning light on health services here in Northern Ireland in comparison to similar statistics for England and Wales combined, where approximately only 5000 people were waiting for over 12 months.

‘Making Parity a Reality’ was unveiled at Stormont on Friday, June 21, at an event featuring special guest, Gary Lightbody of internationally renowned and multi-award winning rock band, Snow Patrol.

Last November the Co Down born singer, who has suffered from depression in the past, hit out at politicians over the impact on mental health services of the absence of a functioning devolved government at Stormont.

Other speakers addressing invited guests of health practitioners, academics, departmental officials, campaigners and local political representatives included policy review lead author, Professors Deirdre Heenan, Ulster University; Action Mental Health Chief Executive, David Babington; Dr Gerry Lynch, Consultant Psychiatrist at the Northern Health Trust and Chair of the Northern Ireland division of the Royal College of Psychiatrists; and Professor Nicola Rooney, chair of the British Psychological Society branch for Northern Ireland. The event was sponsored by the Ulster Unionist Party’s spokesperson for Mental Health, Robbie Butler, MLA for Lagan Valley alongside Nichola Mallon, MLA from the SDLP and the Alliance Party MLA Chris Lyttle.

Report author, Professor of Mental Health Sciences at Ulster University, Professor Siobhan O’Neill said: “The evidence suggests that in NI there is an urgent and compelling need for a fully costed, mental health strategy as current provision is fragmented, under-funded and overstretched. We need a long-term commitment to address the changes required.”

Commenting on the latest figures for waiting times in Northern Ireland, Professor Deirdre Heenan, Ulster University, said: “Waiting times for services here have become even worse relative to Wales and England – largely because both regions have made progress in reducing their long waits, whereas Northern Ireland has not. The impact of this extensive waiting on a patient’s mental health and well-being, and on their families, can be only negative, indeed a recent report by the Children’s Commissioner explained how vulnerable young people talked about their mental health deteriorating, for some to a crisis point, as a direct result of the delay in being able to access services.’

“As of March there were 120,000 waiters over a year in Northern Ireland, compared to 5000 across England and Wales combined. That equates to 1 in 16 people in Northern Ireland being on waiting lists for more than a year, compared to, at most, 1 in 750 in Wales and 1 in 48,000 in England.

“A patient on the waiting list in Northern Ireland is at least 36 times more likely to have been waiting for more than a year compared to Wales, and more than a thousand times more likely to have been waiting over a year than a patient in England. This is simply not acceptable. For too long mental health services have been an afterthought in Northern Ireland. If the health service is to become more efficient, it is vital that physical health and mental health are integrated.”

The launch of Making Parity a Reality heard calls for a fully costed, ten year mental health strategy with clear targets, aligned to other health strategies, with spending, as a percentage of the overall Northern Ireland health budget doubled to at least 12%, on par with spending in England.

Campaigners are also calling for the Protect Life Two suicide prevention strategy to be urgently implemented, to help reverse Northern Ireland’s suicide rate and for better crises services. The rate of suicide here outstrips all the other UK regions, indeed in 2017 it was more than double the rate of England, standing at 18.5 per 100,000 people compared to 9.2 per 100,000 in England.

Action Mental Health Chief Executive David Babington welcomed the new review, stating: “Northern Ireland’s policy makers need to be ambitious as the mediocre approach that’s been delivered up to now is not good enough. Mental health has for too long been the Cinderella service of the NHS and despite an increased focus and awareness in the area of mental health, as championed by the likes of Action Mental Health, many key challenges remain.

“There are a number of systemic barriers that limit the mental health sector in providing consistent high-quality care, from inconsistent variable commissioning of services, increasing demand and inadequate funding, to the lack of integration with other services. Northern Ireland urgently needs a joined-up approach.”

Dr Gerry Lynch, chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists NI and a Board member of Action Mental Health said:  “We would like to see parity for Mental Health made real by the commissioning of services currently unavailable or under provided in Northern Ireland, as well as access to crisis services and a targeted increase in trained staff.

“Funding must be put in place in any plan and we need access to data in order to judge progress. This further contribution by Ulster University to the public discussion on mental health is most welcome and we are delighted to support this launch.”

Making Parity a Reality calls for a more holistic approach to health services, with a greater focus on prevention and early intervention to reduce the long term impact for people experiencing mental health problems and their families, and to reduce the costs for the NHS and emergency services.

The review calls for Northern Ireland’s high waiting lists to be presented in relation to their impact on mental health and for a new emphasis on creating mentally healthy communities. Urging politicians and policy makers for greater innovation within Northern Ireland’s devolved administration, the review calls for strategic leadership roles for people with lived experience of mental ill-health.

Clients at Action Mental Health Promote have been treating the cast and crew of a major national TV show to delicious treats during their hard-earned break time.

Presenter Nick Knowles and his DIY SOS Big Build team arrived in Bangor last week to kit-out a home for a local family with special health needs, and washed down their coffee at break-time with delicious traybakes made by the clients from AMH Promote.

AMH Promote provides opportunities for adults with a learning disability to be socially active and develop new skills in a supportive and engaging environment.

Nick Knowles and his team were fittingly attired in their trademark ‘purple shirts’ – the same branding colours of Action Mental Health – with the project marking the SOS show’s first ever Big Build in Northern Ireland.

The show was filming the transformation of the McCreight family house in Bangor, home to Mandy and Davey and their teenage children Ben and Kara.

Clients were star struck meeting the familiar TV face of Nick Knowles and his team, including DIY SOS build manager Mark Millar, a native of Bangor who was ‘over the moon’ to be back on home turf.

The gang from Promote were filmed handing over the traybakes, so hopefully they’ll make the finally editing cut and appear on the popular show when the episode appears on our screens in the autumn. The clients had to explain to Nick exactly what a traybake was after he said he hadn’t heard the term for the delicacies loved by the sweet-toothed Northern Ireland community.

AMH Promote Service Manager Niaobh Adams said clients were delighted to meet the DIY SOS team. “There was great excitement among the clients, getting to meet with Nick Knowles and the Purple Shirt team, especially since purple is our colour here at Action Mental Health.
“They all worked very hard in the kitchen, making a variety of tray bakes to make the cast and crew’s break time all the more enjoyable.  It was a great day for everyone at AMH Promote.”

The public can taste the tray bakes that the DIY SOS crew sampled during Promote’s regular coffee mornings that take place on the last Thursday of each month, the next one taking place on June 27.

We’re supporting a campaign spearheaded by MenCap and the Law Centre to make the Personal Independence Payment process better for people with disabilities. We especially want to gather responses from as many mental health service users as possible.

If you have claimed PIP, or supported someone who has, we want to hear from you. What went well? What didn’t go well? How would you improve the process?

Complete the anonymous survey www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/PIPexperience

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