Medway Liberal Democrats support Mental Health Awareness Week - 18-24 May 

Local Liberal Democrats have vigorously campaigned for investment to help transform Medway's mental health services and are proud to support Mental Health Awareness Week, an initiative hosted by the Mental Health Foundation to raise awareness of mental health and mental health problems.

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With the news last year that Medway Council are proposing to close the Community Resource Centre at 147 Nelson Road in Gillingham, we are calling on the Council to retain the Centre for its current usage in aiding attendees in their recovery from mental health problems.

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The facility provides support to vulnerable adults with a range of daytime group activities, 1-1 outreach support, and opportunities to develop resilience and independence skills. If the Centre closes, people will lose access to vital professional support to keep them well.

In 2017, we campaigned on the negative impact of referring patients out of area, as a consequence of closing the Mental Health Unit at Medway Maritime Hospital in 2013. We believe that with a population of 270,000 people, Medway's own health trust should be able to provide residential mental health care to local people within the towns.

We collected over 1200 signatures to our petition, which was handed in to the Department of Health. During the campaign, many people came forward to tell us that as well as costing the NHS more, out of area referrals negatively impact on the quality of patient treatment.

Local Liberal Democrat campaigner Alan Collins, who lives with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, said " Too many people living with mental health problems are not receiving the support they need, particularly those who require acute or ongoing care.

With the right care and support from family, friends and healthcare professionals, most of us who experience mental ill health are able to thrive and live long and successful lives. But despite the importance of individual support networks, out of area treatment for mental health problems is now being regarded as standard practice nationwide.

We believe this is not in the best interests of patients and does not provide good quality of care. This is why local Liberal Democrats will continue to call to reinstate a fit for purpose mental health unit at Medway Hospital and retain services such as 147 Nelson Road.

ENDS