National Members Day and Annual General Meeting 2010

National Members Day 2010 started with a walk around the historical centre of Bristol led by James Gorman, Rethink's Bristol Area Manager. Members who braved the cold to join the walk were treated to lots of local and historical information from those staff leading the walk and got a chance to enjoy the beautiful dock area of Bristol before heading back to the hotel for a well-earned cup of tea.

The day opened with a welcome address from Bert Johnson, Chair of Trustees and then Rethink's Chief Executive, Paul Jenkins, gave the membership an update on the last 12 months.

 “National Members Day is always a great opportunity for members from across the country to come together. That’s what this remarkable event is all about. This year, our theme ‘2010 – Mental Health in the Next Decade’ has forced us all to think ahead. Personally I have been very inspired by the workshops and speeches, but certainly also by sharing ideas and wishes for the future with fellow members. A day like today makes me feel very proud of our organisation and the enthusiasm and creativity that members and staff present. It gives me hope that together we can achieve many positive changes for mental health in the new decade to come. I would like to thank all members for their involvement with Rethink.” Bert Johnson, Chair of Trustees

Click here to view Bert Johnson's speech (part one) and Bert Johnson's speech (part two)

Rethink Trustee Professor Shôn Lewis spoke on the day, giving a hugely informative presentation on the most up to date research on schizophrenia and a comparison of what we currently know about the illness compared to what was believed in previous decades.

 We felt particularly privileged to hear about his own team’s groundbreaking research on the efficacy of second generation antipsychotic medication compared with the first generation. An exploration of the practical implications of his research for service users and carers really highlighted how crucial this kind of research can be to our member’s lives.

Coming soon! Watch Professor Lewis’s talk on Rethink’s Youtube channel and dowload the presentation slides.

Following on from the introductions and updates Terry Bowyer, Rethink member and activist, gave a powerful speech about his own experiences and how his activism has helped him use his story positively and has been crucial to his recovery. 

"I’ve seen many service users and carers step up to the plate in the last few years doing some pretty heavy hitting for Rethink – using their experiences and knowledge in a very positive way. What an asset this is and could be, and developing this concept to the maximum is, for me, the challenge for mental health in the next decade - making proper and effective use of people with lived experience who want to get involved and work in this field.... For me, the stuff I’ve done for Rethink has been THE major step in my recovery  journey. It has given me a sense of purpose and drive previously lost to illness, and restored my self-respect and self esteem. I’ve met some incredibly interesting and aspiring people who have helped me move forward with my life. Most of all it’s a worthy cause to champion – to help Rethink aid those affected by mental illness live their lives again..... Just remember: out of adversity comes opportunity – you just have to  grab it!!" Terry, Rethink member

This year's Marsh Award for Mental Health focused on celebrating outstanding mental health research. Rethink are delighted that Julian Leff, Emeritus Professor at the Institute of Psychiatry, was given this award. His long and outstanding career has impacted significantly on the lives of people affected by severe mental illness. As Professor Leff was unable to attend the National Members Day in Bristol, he nominated a close friend, Werner Seehoff, to collect the award from Mark Davies, Rethink's Director of Communications, on his behalf.

“I am delighted to have been associated with Rethink’s remarkable success story, and deeply honoured to be the recipient of this prestigious award.”  Professor Leff, Marsh Award Winner 2010

Rethink is a diverse organisation with work taking place in many different areas of mental health across the country. Together we help over 48,000 people a year through our services, support groups and by providing information and advice to people who need it. It is great to be part of an organisation with so many dedicated people that are prepared to stand up for mental health and change things for the better. The Pringle Awards are the yearly recognition of hard work, imagination and devotion of Rethink’s staff, service users, carers and members in supporting our work. This year's Pringle Awards were hosted by Eddie Godfrey, South West Trustee.

Winners

Group of the Year: Canterbury and Coastal Rethink Carers Support Group

Activist of the Year: Dawn Willis

Fundraiser of the Year: Will Hicks, Sue Darville and Fiona McNish

Service of the Year: CASS Plymouth and the Campaigns Team

Bill Pringle Award for Art and Poetry: John Exell, 'Oh No' sculpture

This year members were invited to join a workshop session on one of four topics - Stigma, NICE Guidelines, the Criminal Justice System and Benefits. Presentations and notes from the workshops can be found below and more will be added in the next few weeks. 

Tackling Stigma and Discrimination

This workshop discussed the results of the Time to Change campaign - changes in the population’s attitudes and behaviour and changes in people’s experience of discrimination. The group also heard from members who have tackled discrimination themselves and discussed ways to get Rethink members involved in the campaign.

Stigma and Discrimination Presentation for National Members Day 2010 (16202 kb)

Stigma and Discrimination Notes from National Members Day 2010 (25 kb)

NICE Guidelines for Severe Mental Illness

Despite clear guidelines from NICE, over 1.5 million people with severe mental illness are not getting the treatment they need. Rethink’s recently published report Fair Treatment Now  shows that the majority of GPs recognise that mental health treatment is at an unacceptably low standard. In this workshop members discussed how we can get the government to act and make the NICE guidelines a reality. The groups also talked about how you can get involved in Rethink’s Fair Treatment Now campaign.

NICE Guidelines Workshop for NMD (513 kb)

Criminal Justice System

Research suggests that 75% of people in prison have an identifiable mental health disorder. Rethink has been campaigning to address these issues and, where appropriate, diverting offenders from custody. Families, carers and service users from Rethink made a positive contribution to Lord Bradley's enquiry into the problem. This workshop explores ways in which the plans outlined in the Bradley report can be translated into practical help for those caught up in the Criminal Justice process.

Benefits

The Government has announced changes to many benefits that Rethink members rely upon, like housing benefit, Incapacity Benefit/ESA and Disability Living Allowance. In this workshop we will be talking about how you can get help if your benefits are threatened, what Rethink is doing to make sure people continue to get the money they need and how you can get involved.