Update on Progress

Work is currently in progress in two main areas:

Mental Health Helplines Partnership has been established under the umbrella of NIMHE. It is a group of around 50 organisations, including MIND, Turning Point, Samaritans, Saneline, Rethink, Eating Disorders Assoication, No Panic, Mental Health Matters and many other including NHS Direct.

The Partnership, under the project managment of the Telephone Helplines Association, has developed a quality standard for mental health helplines. Work on accreditation against the national standard began in April 2003

Whole organisations and individual call handlers, many of whom are service users, will enable the award of the standard and a recognised vocational qaulification.

In order to support commissioners a funding criteria, based on the standard, has also been developed. Both the standards and the funding criteria were launched at the Partnerships first national conference in May.

Work is just starting on the development of better integrated working between the voluntary sector providers of services across the wider area of mental health.

Contact Details

For further information about the this work, contact Carolyn Steele; E: [email protected]