We welcome the Strategy for Carers in Scotland. As an organisation set up by Carers of those with mental illness and providing support to service users and their families (including younger members of their family), we are well aware of the unmet needs for respite and support, particularly outside the main cities of Scotland. We hope that the additional expenditure of £5 million by the Scottish Parliament will go a significant way towards addressing these.
Carers supporting people with severe mental health problems have their own specific needs, and we look forward to being consulted locally and nationally on the best ways of supporting these carers.
Communication with professionals, and the provision of relevant information by them, often presents difficulties for mental health carers, and we are very pleased by the attention given to this issue in the Chief Medical Officer's Bulleting of July 1999. In support of this guidance, we particularly welcome the opportunity outlined in the Strategy to contibute to training of GPs, primary care teams and social workers.
The National Schizophrenia Fellowship (SCOTLAND) is a member led organisation which works to improve the wellbeing and quality of life of those affected by schizophrenia and other mental illnesses, including families and carers. We represent the interests of our 500+ members, and our service users, and promote meaningful involvement and empowerment of service users and carers in all support and services.
NSF (SCOTLAND) provides community based services to carers and service users, provides information/education and promotes greater public understanding of schizophrenia
Contacts:
For general information: Ian Harper, Information Officer
To meet some of our service users: Paddy Carstairs, Operations Manager
Re the review of the Mental Health Act: Mary Weir, Chief Executive
Address: NSF(SCOTLAND) Claremont House 130 East Claremont Street Edinburgh EH7 4LB
Email: [email protected]
Web site: www.nsfscot.org.uk
Phone no: 0131 557 8969 Fax: 0131 557 8968
