MENTAL HEALTH

A Future Vision for Mental Health (7th July 2009)
This report sets out a new vision for the future of mental health and well-being in England. Based on four principles, it outlines the priorities the Future Vision Coalition believe should underpin mental health policy for the next decade.
Report

The Bradley report and the Government's response (Briefing 38) (21st July 2009)
The Bradley Report made 82 recommendations to improve the treatment of people with mental health problems and people with learning disabilities in the criminal justice system. The Government's response accepted almost all of the recommendations in full or in principle.

This briefing paper examines these reports in terms of the mental health of offenders. It is our assessment of and response to their recommendations.
Briefing Paper

Moving on Up (June 2009)
‘Moving on up’ reveals the barriers that are preventing patients with mild or moderate depression from accessing exercise on prescription. They include funding constraints within local government and primary care trusts, and that many GPs simply aren’t aware that exercise schemes are available in their area.
Report

MENTAL HEALTH

Death of the Smoking Den: The initial impact of no smoking legislation in England in 2008 (22nd June 2009)
A survey has uncovered widespread problems with the implementation of the smoking ban in psychiatric units in England. The survey, published by the Mental Health Foundation, shows that 85% of respondents said that the ban had been implemented only partially, or not at all, effectively.

The survey recommends that the National Mental Health Development Unit (NMHDU) leads on gathering and disseminating good practice from successul units, as well as calling for a formal review of the impact of the ban by the Department of Health.
Survey

Taking a deep breath: the mental health implications of anti-smoking legislation in July 2007 (22nd June 2009)
The evidence examined in this report shows that care is needed to ensure that the smoking ban brings opportunities for people with mental health problems to give up smoking. It also shows that careful monitoring is needed to ensure that imposition of the ban does not cause unnecessary distress and harm in in-patient settings.
Report

Florid (30th June 2009)
Florid is a website run by mental health service users for people who have experienced mental health difficulties. It’s a website which aims to bring together information relating to mental health in a way that is user-friendly and simple.
Website

MENTAL HEALTH

In the face of fear. How fear and anxiety affect our health and society, and what we can do about it (16th April 2009)
This report, launched for Mental Health Action Week 2009, reveals a UK society that is increasingly fearful and anxious, backing the latest national statistics that show a long term increase in the rate of anxiety disorders in the general population.
Report

Living Well with Dementia - a National Dementia Strategy: demonstrator site programme (7th April 2009)
The National Dementia Strategy requires an improved evidence base about the effectiveness of two service models proposed:

• Objective 4 - enabling easy access to care, support and advice following diagnosis,
  

and

• Objective 5 - development of structured peer support and learning, and we are inviting applications for demonstrator sites for these two areas.

Publication