Right to Health

The Belfast Mental Health Rights Group was one of the first groups PPR worked with, and have been together since 2006. Their members have personal or family experience of mental health issues and suicide/self harm. The group led a successful campaign for a ‘Card Before You Leave’ (CBYL) appointments system for mental health patients to ensure those in mental health crisis left Accident and Emergency Departments with a card bearing the date of their next appointment. This change was put in place across Northern Ireland.

Since 2013, PPR’s work on mental health has grown across Northern Ireland, and we now also work with groups with direct experience of mental health services in Draperstown and Cookstown.

10 May 2013 - Plans for Emergency Departments in Belfast Need More Work if the Most Vulnerable are to be Protected

PPR have expressed concern about the Health and Social Care Board's plans to reconfigure Belfast's Emergency Departments in a public consultation. The plans, which will see the permanent closure of Belfast City Hospital's Emergency Department do not adequately assess the potential impact on the most vulnerable.

1 March 2013 - PPR Express Concerns over HSC Board Proposals in Transforming Your Care

PPR's concerns about the Transforming Your Care proposals for the future of the health system in Northern Ireland include issues surrounding privitisation, procurement, governance and the rationale for change.

6 February 2013 - Card Before You Leave Scheme at Risk?

The Belfast Mental Health Rights Group have expressed their concern that the Card Before You Leave Scheme could be at risk. The scheme launched in 2011 by Minister for Health Michael McGimpsey (pictured) has been positively evaluated by the Health and Social Care Board, and has resulted in the number of mental health patients who do not attend their follow up appointments falling by almost half, yet indications have been made that it is 'under review'.

During the last 6 years the Belfast Mental Health Rights Group (BMHRG) have gathered evidence about problems in mental health services from other service users and carers through surveys, case studies and focus groups. BMHRG held workshops showcasing the CBYL campaign using a short film they made called, ‘What We Know About Change’.

A big thanks from Belfast Mental Health Rights Group to everyone who attended their ‘Services at Breaking Point: Fighting to Have our Voices Heard’ event on Wednesday 16th May at the MAC in Belfast. For more details on the event and to download the group's report please click below.

Julie Magee lost her brother to suicide in tragic circumstances on 29th January 2011. Jonny’s mental health had deteriorated rapidly over the last week of his life and in the early morning of Saturday 29th, he walked out of A&E at Belfast City Hospital after waiting for several hours to be sectioned. He took is own life later that day. Despite a terrible year for her and her family, Julie has fought and succeeded to ensure that families bereaved by suicide are treated with more respect by the health service.

At a rally in the Oldpark area of North Belfast last Monday night several hundred people heard Philip McTaggart a founder member of PIPS call for suicide prevention to be everybody’s business. The rally came in response to several suicides which took place in the North Belfast area since Easter – mostly of young men. Gerard McCartan spoke as an individual who has lost a son to suicide in 2005 but has not seen many of the changes in services promised by government after the Review in to his son’s death. Supporting people trying to get help when they most needed, through his work with PIPS and Belfast Mental Health Rights Group, he expressed frustration at seeing at first hand many of the same problems he and his wife Carol had encountered in getting services at the right time. He reiterated the main message of the rally which was that it was past the time for talking – it was time for action.

The Belfast Mental Health Rights Group visited Stormont on the 3rd March to meet with members of the Northern Ireland Assembly Health Committee. The Committee is made up of MLAs and exists to scrutinise and assist the work of the Minister Minister for Health.