Please select a question.

No, Viewpoint is not able to provide advocates. The idea is that people should be supported and, if necessary, trained to be able to voice their own and other service users’ views of mental health services to those who provide the services.
For advocacy please see our useful links or visit: www.pohwer.net.

Yes we achieved independent charity status as of the 10th August 2004. Registered charity number 1105423.

Viewpoint is not funded to guide clients through the NHS complaints system. Please see the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). However, if your complaint is a general one, for example about a policy, procedure or service you may wish to join a forum to bring this matter to the attention of a governing body.

We do not provide mental health services. We are a small charity whose remit is to facilitate consultations with users and providers of services.

We are not trained to give counselling or support. In a crisis you should contact your GP/ support worker or Crisis Assessment and Treatment Team (CATT). Please visit: www.hertsparts.nhs.uk/mh/index.htm and scroll down to the question: What to do in a Mental Health crisis.

The service user / survivor movement has been evolving for some time. It’s aim is to procure the type of care that mental health service users feel suits their needs. It is in the 1990s, real headway began to be made in terms of the government’s commitment to listen to people who were using or had used mental health services. In 1999, the government brought out a paper called the National Service Framework for Mental Health in which it stated: “All mental health services must be planned and implemented in partnership with local communities and involve service users and carers.” Viewpoint supports service users in this process.

This is a group of service users who have undertaken an introductory course to train nurses, social workers, doctors and other mental health care staff on the service user experience. Trainers co-facilitate exercises and discussion on mental health care issues. At present, the Training group is supported and administered by Viewpoint, but it is hoped that it will evolve into a co-operative. Please contact Viewpoint if you are interested in becoming a trainer. The courses run for 8 weeks initially but further training will be offered on the Mental Health Act (1983) and the Care Programme Approach etc.

Once you have joined our mailing list, we will send you a newsletter and information about any meetings, consultations, projects, training or workshops that would benefit from a service user’s views. We are currently looking for people to help us update and develop this website. We hold local forums across the county to share information, views and news on local health services. Which you are very welcome to join. (Click here to find out about the forum meetings.) Where appropriate, these views can be taken to Local Implementation Team Meetings (LITS), where decisions are made about current and future services in the area. If you wish to be a service user representative at such a meeting, Viewpoint provides training and support.

To make a difference to the future of your own and other’s care when coming into contact with healthcare services. Mental health service users are ‘experts by experience’ and are key to the decision making process.