Introduction
This project, funded by the Western Cheshire PCT, forms the next phase in Mind in Chester’s work to ‘Bridge the Gaps’ in mental health services identified in Mind the Gaps. We launched our ‘Bridging the Gaps’ initiative on 11th May 2009 during Mind Week.
Our information service
As part of our Bridging the Gaps project in 2009/10, Mind in Chester launched an information service for mental health service users.
- We developed a range of information materials such as leaflets and information packs on various mental health issues
- We launched our new website www.mindinchester.org.uk – giving Mind in Chester’s information service a widely accessible web based presence, aimed at service users living in and outside of Chester
- We created opportunities for mental health service users, their carers, and members of the public to meet us at Mind in Chester’s ‘Mind Out Meet-ups’ at locations in and around the Chester area
- We launched a telephone based information service
- We developed and are continually developing relationships with other mental health service providers, to take our information out into the Chester communities through our information outreach stall
Our aim
The aim of Bridging the Gaps is to contribute to improving the capacity of Mind in Chester to deliver mental health services in the Chester area and to start to meet the gaps identified in our service user consultation exercise, Mind the Gaps.
During this stage of Mind in Chester’s development we are laying the ground work for ultimately providing a direct, comprehensive and long-term range of mental health services to adults in the Chester community. We have already started to do this by building upon our organisation’s current capacity, and strengthening our structure in order to operate more effectively and thus reach more people.
Through developing our staff team, services, internal resources, outreach activities, and by making information and resource materials on mental health more accessible we hope to achieve our aim of expanding high quality source service provision.
