This is our second Bulletin. Two consumers have been employed on each of the acute units. Involvement in the routine activities of the Area Mental Health Service - providing a consumer perspective. Activity will initially focus on the inpatient services and may include attendance at ordinary community ward meetings and ward programmes and attention to consumer exit surveys and complaints mechanisms. Over time there will be involvement in other Area Mental Health Service forums such as management and programme committees, other Quality Assurance activities and policy development.
Consultants hope to develop mini versions on the wards.
Following the creation of these positions we have been associated with the courses outlined below. The four consumer consultants were eventually employed just prior to Christmas 1995 so we were forced to run a training course over a very difficult time of the year. The major focus within the orientation period was in exploring the role of a Staff-Consumer Consultant within an acute hospital setting and defining mechanisms which will enhance each individual's capacity to maintain a strong consumer perspective within this setting. Much of this learning has been respectfully incorporated into the Lemon Tree Learning Project. Now well into their third month, the Staff-Consumer Consultants report that the course helped them get off to a good start.