Support in Mind Scotland has an important role in promoting the rights of the people we support, particularly those who are treated under the Mental Health Act, and other related legislation. We take a close interest in the development of national strategies and any policy developments that impact on people with mental health problems and mental illness and their families, friends and carers.We actively seek out and enter into partnerships and participate in working groups to ensure that the voices of those we support are heard. We engage in parliamentary activity and seek to develop productive relationships with politicians and decision-makers at national and local level.Our Policy Programme 2014-2017 - We have developed a policy programme to bring about change at strategic level, and we have matched this with new developments in services that aim to bring about change in people’s everyday lives.
A report by the Mental Health Foundation in 2011 considered health inequalities for those with serious mental health problems, identifying the depressingly persistent links between poverty and poor mental health, consigning people to lives of social disadvantage, lack of opportunity and unemployment. Read more
In 2004 the Government and the NHS conducted a major survey into schizophrenia care and treatment in Scotland and this review made recommendations and set standards for health professionals. Once of those standards was to introduce Integrated Care Pathways for people who received this diagnosis so that they could receive quick and streamlined care. Read more
Support in Mind Scotland was one of the founder members of the See Me campaign in 2002. At Support in Mind Scotland we have a specific interest and specialist expertise in challenging stigma associated with schizophrenia and psychosis. Read more
Support in Mind Scotland believes that people with mental health issues and their families, friends and supporters should control the decisions that are made that impact on their lives and should be involved in all levels of decision-making. Read more
A high proportion of people who are taken into custody and who receive prison sentences have mental health issues, including experiencing serious mental illness such as psychosis and bipolar disorder.[ Read more
Forensic mental health services assess and treat people who are called ‘mentally disordered offenders’ under the Mental Health Act and who are detained in secure health facilities. Read more
Schizophrenia is known as a young person’s illness as symptoms can first appear when someone is in their early teens. Read more
Our services support people without age limits, and so we provide continuity of support to people as they reach older age. Read more
Support in Mind Scotland has an important role in promoting the rights of the people we support, particularly those who are treated under the Mental Health Act, and other related legislation. Read more