Community Advocacy for anyone experiencing mental health issues that feel like they need support to be understood and heard. Expand This project is for people who need a voice but don’t fit in to any of the categories where there is a legal entitlement to advocacy. This may be that you are experiencing mental health problems but struggling to get help via your GP, or that you simply don’t know who to tell and what to say.
Forensic Providing Independent Mental Health Advocacy for those at Moorlands View, Bradford Expand This service is primarily a statutory service under the Mental Health Act, providing a voice to those in forensic services, including attending ward rounds and meetings with you. If you are detained under a section, you are legally entitled to this advocacy service. We are hoping that we will secure further funding for this project so that we can support people moving in to the community after discharge.
ICAT - NHS Complaints Advocacy Independent Complaints Advocacy Team Expand ICAT is a team of three very experienced advocates working as part of the VITAL team. The provision of this service has run for the last 8 years, on average supporting over 170 individuals per year from providing information about making your own complaint to full case work right through the complaint procedure. What we do - At ICAT we provide advocacy support to any Bradford and District citizen who wants to make a complaint about an NHS provided or funded service anywhere in the UK. (Basically, if you pay your council tax to Bradford and District Council, we can work with you.) We are completely independent from the NHS, our service is funded by the local authority and it is a citizen's statutory right to have advocacy support in making NHS complaints. We provide a free and confidential service and work under your instruction only. Knowing who to contact, what your rights are, how the complaint process works etc can be a confusing process for anyone, but at times of illness, bereavement and distress the process can seem so very daunting. we will listen to your concerns and suggest options for ways forward, we will support you in how you choose to go forward - this can be calling service providers to try to get informal short-term resolutions (e.g. getting issues with prescriptions resolved or arranging for a service provider to talk things through with you.); helping you make a formal complaint by writing letters for you, attending resolution meetings with you and helping you access the Health Service Ombudsman at the right time in the most effective way. What can we achieve? - In some situations, we can help you achieve informal resolutions to your concerns and complaints - where the issues are more complex and you would like a formal investigation the complaints procedure can achieve: Explanations for what has happened, apologies for what has happened and changes to health service practice that may have been identified as a result of your complaint. Some complaints processes can be short and resolved in a matter of a few phone calls; other complaints procedures can continue for years, when lots of investigation etc is needed, but we support you through this whatever the length of the process and can provide information on any next steps. Our work with NHS providers: We work closely with the NHS services in the area and often know who to contact to get answers for you and to make the maze seem less confusing. Whilst we are completely independent of the NHS and we are on your side working for you, we have developed good working relationships with NHS providers over the years and we will work with them to try in every way to resolve your concern or complaint. NHS providers often welcome the involvement of an advocate as we understand the processes and can communicate people's concerns effectively