Meeting description: To raise awareness of the national mental health charity Support in Mind Scotland (SiMS) which has nearly 50 years' experience in the mental health world and who support up to 1 500 individuals (80% of whom live in rural Scotland) with poor mental health every week employ over 100 individuals have around 21 services across Scotland from Golspie to Stranraer. Also informed the Member that along with Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) we explored tackling mental health in rural Scotland. With this research around 20 organisations from Government departments research bodies National Health Service Health Scotland mental health organisations and rural membership organisations came together to discuss the data and agree actions. The overall action was to create the National Rural Mental Health Forum. The Government has rural needs throughout its Mental Health Strategy and Action 12 is to support further development of the National Rural Mental Health Forum. The Forum has grown in a little over two years of its existence to around 120 membership organisations from third private and public sectors. We informed the MSP that the Forum: - works with several Universities in helping with their research which is helped by our outreach of circa 500 000 people through our membership organisations; - informs policy as part of several Government department stakeholder groups Social Security National Health Service Mental Health Rural; - raises awareness of mental health through the membership organisations' media newsletters magazines conferences and events; - encourages mental health training; and - creates opportunities for its members to partner up to tackle mental health and wellbeing.
Topic label: Health