Following on from my post last week, as a complete coincidence I am scheduled to meet the new deputy Mayor for Redditch (Joe) today to discuss issues around mental health and the LGBT community. It appears that there is a distinct lack of support in the Redditch area for people who are LGBT and who may have mental health issues.
I met with Joe and the task force who are gathering information with an aim to addressing this. We talked all things mental health for a while, and I just hope that I have been of some use to this group and can provide some assistance along the way.
This meeting has made me even more determined to expand the current services and get more people trained. The more people I speak with, the more need I see, and more of a gap in support. I also realised that again there is a real lack of knowledge for people in what services are available. Time and time again I hear tales of people just not knowing where to access appropriate support.
MHAG’s latest project for signposting should help address this issue. The project is aimed at providing appropriate signposting to services within Redditch and will be running from RYCE @ REDI CENTRE and drop in sessions will be available weekly.
I think this is a great idea and I am keen to see GP’s start to refer into this service, as often the GP is the first place somebody will go for help. A big part of this service will be getting information across and making sure that as many people as possible are aware of it. The LGBT community should be fully involved in this service.
Neil
