MHC is ‘continually working towards ordinary lives for people affected by severe mental health problems'

‘Ordinary Lives' in this context means a life which is highly valued by society generally. Our aim is to recognise and respond to the ordinary and mental health needs of those within our services. To do this we provide services of a scale which enable individuals social, emotional, psychological and fulfillment needs to be expressed and respected.

We have 7 guiding principles

Independence

Citizenship

Choice

Fulfilment

Privacy

Dignity

Rights

These are fundamental to ‘ordinary lives' and our services.

We also believe that, for our services to be effective, we must acknowledge service users need for flexibility, hope, risk taking and empowerment.

Inclusion criteria for people referred to our services are outlined in the service descriptions below; there are no other specific exclusion criteria. Referrals are prioritised in terms of immediate need and potential benefit.

Our nurse-led accommodation based services are specifically for those who need very high levels of support, therapeutic intervention and risk management. The severity/complexity of their mental health problems means that care is provided in environments with a 24 hour nursing presence or through nurse supervised support packages in our supported housing service.

Both these services give priority to people:

•  Currently receiving in-patient mental health care

•  Living in the community who are at risk of admission to hospital

Our services aimed at promoting access to meaningful day activities have a broad client base. We encourage service users to play a significant part in the planning and delivery of these services. Access is via:

•  Referral from statutory and non-statutory mental health agencies

•  Self-referral

Our services can be described under 3 main headings;

•  Day services

•  Dementia care services

•  Rehabilitation services