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Mental Health service users will soon have an improved environment at the Recovery College thanks to a successful Cardiff & Vale Health Charity staff lottery bid for new equipment.

Daniel Crossland, Programme Manager at the Vale Locality Mental Health Team, who completed the application form for the bid said: “Mental Health service users and their carers need to access environments that are calm and therapeutic.

“Often people with mental health problems come into contact with services in environments where they feel vulnerable (such as medical clinical environments or police facilities). Many have suffered trauma and research shows that these individuals are highly represented in mental health services.

“These individuals may experience a sense of lost control or disempowerment which in turn may trigger a trauma response in an environment that aims to support them.

“By changing the environment to one that promotes choice, self-determination, value, respect and autonomy, their journey through mental health services can be transformed into one that is collaborative rather than confrontational.

“Traditionally mental health services have focussed around providing “for” people or “doing to.” Our intention is to better meet the needs of service users by equipping them with a sense of responsibility and ownership over their difficulties.

“By promoting self-help resources, in a comfortable and supportive environment promotes more effective working and better relationships with our services users.

“Service users have commented that the groups provided are helpful but the equipment used is old and does not convey a sense of value in their experience.

“A laptop and projector will enable our staff to use up-to-date presentations for service users within their group therapy treatments, conveying professionalism, a sense of value and pride in their vital work.  In addition, the provision of seating and artworks for the group area will allow these treatments to be offered in an appropriate environment to a larger number of service users.  At present, one of the group rooms has no chairs for group work.

“These changes will make a huge difference to our service users, I’d like to thank Cardiff & Vale Health Charity’s Staff Lottery for supporting this project.”

If you would like to apply for funding for equipment or a project in your clinical area from our Staff Lottery Bids Panel, please email Lucie.Barrett@wales.nhs.uk

If you are applying for funds which are less than £250, then you would be eligible for our fast track scheme.

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