Many of us have an interest in mental health for one reason and another. For some this interest comes from personal, lived experience. We may have experienced mental distress ourselves or we may have been close to someone else who has. We may have used or be using mental health services or we may be close to someone else who does. Many of us wish to get involved and share our ideas, skills, knowledge, experience and expertise in the hope that we can make things better.
Here you can find out what opportunities there are for you to use your experience and get your voice heard. If you see an opportunity that interests you but you are not sure about getting involved, feel you need some support or training or have any questions, then please just get in touch with us and we will try and help. If you don’t see an opportunity that you are interested in but have an idea about how you might like to be involved then do please get in touch.
You can email mentalhealth@pavo.org.uk or call the team on 01597 822191.
Powys Regional Partnership Board Carer Member Recruitment
Powys’ Regional Partnership Board are looking for carers in Powys who have an interest in health and wellbeing to become part of the Board and to help to shape services.Are you a passionate unpaid carer?
Do you want to make a difference and play a key part in helping make decisions about Health and Social Care Services in Powys?
Do you use local (Powys) health or social care services and/or have you/do you care for someone who has needed services?
If so this might be the opportunity for you.
Please follow the link here for more information.
Supporting our Veterans: A consultation
More HERE.
Consultation: Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping
A consultation on the proposed actions the UK Government and devolved administrations will take to tackle smoking and youth vaping.
More HERE.
Have your say about your Fire Service
Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service invites you to share your views on our Draft Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP) 2040.
Our CRMP highlights how we intend on addressing the risks, threats and challenges facing our communities and how we propose to meet and reduce them, whilst ensuring our assets and resources are used successfully, providing the best possible service to the communities we serve.
More HERE.
Have your say on Day opportunities
A wide scale engagement exercise about the day opportunities available across Powys has begun, the county council has said.
There are currently a variety of day opportunities available in the county. These include:
- Day centres for older people and adults with learning disabilities.
- Independent organisations that provide activities for adults that have specific care and support needs, such as Dementia café’s, Integrated sports groups, and wellbeing sessions.
- Activities that are open to everybody that people can attend with or without support.
For more details and to take part in the online engagement exercise, please visit: https://www.haveyoursaypowys.wales/day-opportunities-review
Paper copies of the survey are available to pick up from your local library and once complete you can hand it back to staff at a Powys Library, alternatively you can scan it and email it to haveyoursay@powys.gov.uk.
The closing date for responses is Monday 11 December 2023.
If you would prefer to provide your views on day opportunities in person, a number of engagement events will be held throughout the county during November 2023, more HERE.
Veterans gambling addiction research study - volunteers wanted
The veterans’ charity Change Step are working alongside Swansea University on a 3 year study investigating gambling addiction and the harms produced from that addiction. They are currently recruiting veterans for a voluntary study.
It does not have to be a full blown “addiction,” anyone who bets, or has done in the past, would be eligible, they are happy to meet up with veterans and explain the project.
All details of individuals who wish to take part will be anonymous, and those who take part can, if they so wish, pull out at any time in line with the British Psychological Society code of ethics.
Contact details for the project ask@change-step.co.uk
Bevan Commission: conversation with the public
We are conducting a national conversation to engage the public in shaping how we all experience health and social care services in the coming years. Everyone’s experience of health and care services is important. This poll will help inform the Bevan Commission’s thinking, practice and contribution to developments in this area.
Survey here.
Survey of Older People's Experiences of General Practices
Older people’s access to GP services is a longstanding issue. The Older People’s Commissioner for Wales produced a report, GP Services in Wales: The Perspective of Older People, intended to improve access, in 2018.
For many older people the Covid-19 pandemic made access more difficult, especially for those living with dementia and those who were isolated with no-one nearby who could help them. The shift to online and telephone-based services was accelerated by the pandemic. This has been helpful for some older people, but has created barriers for others, especially those who are not online. For example, a number of older people have told the Commissioner they have been unable to take part in online / video call appointments with their GP and have been unable to book a face-to-face appointment.
Reported NHS pressures are also having an impact on people’s access to health services. This is something that many of the older people whom the Commissioner and her team have met and spoken with throughout Wales have experienced while trying to access the NHS.
The Commissioner is keen to know what your experiences of accessing GP practices have been like in the last few months and whether you have found any issues. If you are aged 60 or over, this survey is for you. If someone under 60 is filling in the survey form for you, they will need to include your information, not theirs.
If you would like to tell us in more detail about any of your experiences, please use the text box at the end of the survey.
All of the answers you provide will be anonymised so you will not be personally identifiable by the information you provide.
You can share your experiences here – it will only take a couple of minutes – or, if you’d prefer, you can call us on 03442 640 670, email ask@olderpeople.wales or write to us:
Older People’s Commissioner for Wales
Cambrian Buildings
Mount Stuart Square
Cardiff
CF10 5FL
Many thanks for your help!
If you need assistance with any of the issues you have experienced, please remember you can contact the Commissioner’s Advice and Assistance team on 03442 640 670 or email ask@olderpeople.wales for help and support.
What does advocacy mean to you?
For this year’s Advocacy Awareness Week (6 -10 November 2023) the organisation Advocacy QPM’s theme is All About Advocacy. “We will be being going back to basics, exploring what advocacy is, what advocacy isn’t, what advocates do and don’t do as well as busting some myths about advocacy.
We want to share what people’s thoughts and ideas about:
What advocacy is
What advocates do
What advocates don’t do
How advocacy helps
We would really like to know more about what advocacy means to you.”
Link to a short survey about advocacy HERE.
Do you want to help develop Perinatal Mental Health Services in Powys?
Sign up at Bit.ly/YourVoiceProject or email: PowysMentalHealthLD@wales.nhs.uk
Community Mental Health Team patient survey
You can also complete the survey ONLINE HERE.
You can also download the survey in PDF document format Community Mental Health Team Patient Survey FINAL
You can print out and return the survey free to this address:
CMHT Patient Survey 2023
RTXZ-TUJU-XGBT
PECS DATA SERVICES LTD
95A THE GREEN
WEDNESBURY
WS10 8JP
Hospitals Transformation Programme at Royal Shrewsbury and Princess Royal (Telford) Hospitals
Opportunity: Individual Carer Representative on Mental Health Regional Planning and Development Partnership
The Powys Mental Health Planning and Development Partnership is recruiting for a new Mental Health Carer Representative to help shape Mental Health services in Powys at a strategic level. The partnership is responsible for overseeing how the Welsh Government’s Together for Mental Health strategy is delivered in Powys and consists of all organisations involved in this delivery. ( E.g. Powys County Council, Powys Teaching Health Board, Dyfed-Powys Police). As an equal member of the partnership board you will help ensure that service users and carers have their voice heard in the decision making process around mental health provision in the county .
There are 4 partnership meetings each year, and there are other opportunities to take part in further sub-groups looking at specific areas of services. You would also gather views and experiences of other carers and service users at meetings so that you are actively representing the views of people from around Powys. This would be supported and facilitated by PAVO.
If you would like to apply please contact PAVO Mental Health Team at mentalhealth@pavo.org.uk.
Time to Talk Public Health Conversation
Have your say and help shape public health policy for Wales!
Time to Talk Public Health is Public Health Wales’ nationally representative panel of 2,500 residents across Wales. By sharing their experiences and views each month, panel members will help to shape public health policy and decision making, and contribute to improving health and well-being across Wales.
Panel members wanted
Public Health Wales is looking for residents of Wales aged 16+ to join the Panel!
To ensure the information collected by the Panel reflects the population of Wales, they need a diverse range of residents from all regions of Wales to take part.
Find out more on the Time to Talk Public Health website.
Powys Leisure Review 2023
Llais - we want to hear from you
Carers UK annual state of caring survey 2023
Please see message from Carers UK below:
“We are delighted to launch our State of Caring 2023 survey, and we would be really grateful for your help in encouraging carers to take part. All the information we get from carers helps us to build a picture of what caring is like at the moment and we are keen to hear from as many different carers as possible.
The State of Caring Survey is the UK’s most comprehensive research into the lives and experience of unpaid carers – 13,400 responses in 2022 (State of Caring 2022 report | Carers UK). We want to understand carers’ priorities for the future and what support they need to help recover from the pandemic, and to create a positive legacy for the future. We will use the evidence to continue to campaign for carers to get better support. We know that our evidence has helped shaped Government policy and has helped commissioners and service delivery organisations look at practice.
We ask that you share our survey with your supporters wherever possible and we appreciate each and every person who takes the time to complete the survey. We would particularly welcome responses from carers from lesser heard communities, such as carers from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds and LGBTQ+ carers.
Together you help us paint a picture of what caring has been like in the last year.
Please share the link here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/LL729N7
If you have any questions about the research, please get in touch with our policy team by emailing info(at)carerswales.org
Thank you.”
This is a Carers UK survey and is therefore only available in English
New study exploring Black African clients' experiences of CBT
Rusha Mohamed is a Master’s student at the University of Hertfordshire and an accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist.
Rusha is currently conducting a piece of research exploring Black African clients’ experiences of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). The aim of the study is to gain a better understanding of why they are dropping out of CBT treatment earlier than planned at a higher rate than people of other ethnic backgrounds. This will hopefully provide us with further insight into how to improve our services for this demographic.
Rusha is hoping to recruit participants (who meet the inclusion criteria) to interview in this study. Please contact her to discuss any of this further and to answer any questions.
Telephone: 07502 277 613
Email: rm21acl.herts.ac.uk
Twitter: RushaMohamed121
More HERE.
Shrewsbury & Telford NHS Hospitals Transformation Programme
Shrewsbury & Telford Hospitals NHS Trust is improving the way it delivers hospital care across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and Mid Wales and want to hear from you.
There are 4 focus groups, into which the Trust would like your input:
- Urgent & Emergency Care and medicine Focus Group – 7 quarterly meetings between 25th May 2023 and 30th January 2025.
- Clinical Support Services Focus Group – 4 – Six monthly meetings between September 2023 and March 2025.
- Women’s & Children’s Focus Group – 8 quarterly meetings between June 2023 and March 2025.
- Planned Care Focus Group – 9 quarterly meetings – March 2023 to March 2025.
The Trust can also provide a speaker to discuss the Hospitals Transformation should your group or organisation wish to avail
themselves of this offer.
For further information please contact the Engagement Officer, Michael by emailing Michael.crawshaw@nhs.net
There is also information on the Trust website HERE.
Self-harm in rural Wales: a research study
Older People's Forum seeks individual representatives
Powys Older Peoples Forum
The Powys Older Peoples Forum are in the process of a recruitment drive to gain older people representatives from all over Powys to gain the views on Health and wellbeing services offered in Powys aimed and used primarily by people aged 60+
What is the Older People Forum?
The Older People’s Forum is a Forum made of older people throughout Powys to enable citizens aged 60+ to contribute ideas and opinions with regards to matters affecting them and their lives. These will influence decisions about how Adult Care Services in Powys County Council and Powys Teaching Health Board spend the money available and on what services, for the benefit of older people.
The main aims of the forum are:
- To help to ensure that the services provided meet older people’s needs.
- To hold Powys County Council (PCC), Powys teaching Health Board (PtHB) and third sector organisations commissioned to provide services for older people to account and give feedback about their services.
- To feed back issues affecting older people in their communities.
- To undertake consultations on behalf of older people in Powys conducted by PCC, PtHB, the third sector and Welsh Government.
- To advise the Age Well Partnership Board on services that are being developed or provided.
- Providing older citizens, a chance to influence policy, service design and delivery of services.
Who sits on the Older People Forum?
The forum is made up of older citizens of Powys (60+) from the 13 locality areas
The 13 localities are:
- Llanfyllin & Tanat Valley
- Brecon
- Welshpool & Montgomery
- Newtown
- Llanfair Caereinion
- Builth & Llanwrtyd Wells
- Llanidloes
- Crickhowell
- Llandrindod Wells & Rhayader
- Machynlleth & Bro Dyfi
- Hay on Wye & Talgarth
- Knighton & Presteigne
- Ystradgynlais
From these members we aim to include people with an interest and/or experience of:
- Unpaid carers
- Mental health issues
- Long term health issues
- Older people in work
- Care home or sheltered housing resident
- Older people living with dementia
- Transport issues
- Sports and leisure activities
- Physical disability
- Sensory loss
- Rural living
- Welsh Language
What is the commitment?
- The Forum hold a minimum of 4 meetings per year.
- There may be sub groups that members would like to be involved in.
- One member would also be appointed by the forum to sit on the Age Well Board.
Membership term
- Members are expected to sit on the Forum for a 3 year period.
- This is to give a greater understanding of the issues and give a meaningful experience.
- Extra dispensation is given if elected chair or vice chair so as to carry out their term of office.
What support will be offered?
The Older People’s Forum will have a dedicated support officer whose role it will be to:
- Enable members to attend meetings.
- Ensure all materials are accessible in a timely manner and in a format that can be accessed by individual members.
- Support in accessing the correct areas of PtHB, PCC and the third sector to offer additional information and support for community issues.
- Gain feedback on the Forum as a whole and how it can be improved.
- Carry out induction training for all members.
- Process any expenses claims that are occurred.
In your area
We are holding meetings in each of the 13 locality areas over the next few months working collaboratively with Age Cymru Powys.
These meetings will be an opportunity for residents to share their experiences of services provided aimed at people 60+ in their local areas and how things can these services can be improved.
These dates and venues will be announced as soon as possible.
If I would like to become a member who do I contact?
Andrew Davies
Health & Well Being Participation Officer / PAVO
Ffôn / Tel: 01597 822191
Ebost / email: andrew.davies@pavo.org.uk
Or click the link – https://forms.gle/c7BWev179UioWFJJ8
Samaritans Policy, Partnerships and Research Committee Lived Experience Member required
The Samaritans are looking for someone with lived experience of suicide, self-harm, or of using their services to join their Policy, Partnerships and Research Committee (PPRC). PPRC is a sub-committee of the Samaritans Board, which helps to ensure that their public policy positions are right for their organisation, that they have a high-quality programme of research, and that their national partnerships are strategically focused. More here.
Hafal asks - what needs to change in mental health services in Wales?
The national mental health charity Hafal asks you to complete this new survey – what needs to change in mental health services in Wales since the Covid-19 pandemic:
English: https://surveymonkey.co.uk/r/R7RRSWY