Trafford Mental Health Advocacy Project

Trafford Mental Health Advocacy Service
Park House
73 Northenden Road
Sale
M33 2DG
Map of Park House

0161 969 8686
TMHAS@vcatrafford.org

Trafford Mental Health Advocacy Service (TMHAS) provides advocacy services for people affected by mental health difficulties across Trafford.

TMHAS seeks to bring about changes in the lives of anyone, experiencing mental health difficulties, by enabling them to have a direct say in the issues that affect them and have their views and needs heard and acted upon.

TMHAS Advocates Can Help Get Your Voice Heard and Find Out Your Rights

• Do you need someone to speak at your meetings or appointments?
• Do you want support to make phone calls, write letters or ask questions?
• Do you feel you need some help getting your point across?
• Do you feel the need help to make complaints, or ask for reviews?
• Do you want help to find out about your rights, get information or advice?

TMHAS is run by qualified Mental Health Advocacy Workers who deliver services both in the community and hospitals. The hospital service now covers Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA) with advocates that are trained to work within the framework of the Mental Health Act (1983) to provide additional safeguards to those detained under the act.

For further information about IMHA download the 'What is an IMHA?" leaflet.

THMAS Service Update December 12th
For more than 14 years, TMHAS has worked to support mental health service users in community and hospital settings get their voice heard with a wide range of issues including benefits, employment, housing and legal as well as care and treatment. We are grateful to those who have worked to support the service during this time.

Trafford Council recently launched a consultation exercise linked to the need to reduce their budgets. Included in the consultation are recommendations to cut their budget for advocacy services by £50,000 per year, a 33% reduction. TMHAS is currently working with Trafford Council and other organisations such as Trafford Centre for Independent Living (CIL) and Trafford Citizens Advice Bureau to review advocacy provision in Trafford and to feed into this consultation process– all organisations involved are committed to delivering the best possible advocacy services to Trafford residents.

Due to the proposed budget restrictions in 2013, we will have to make reductions in our community advocacy service in December and January.

There are 2 pre-arranged Community Drop-in Sessions for December 2012.
Monday 17th Park House
Tuesday 18th Broome House
These will be the only times we will take on new referrals to the Community Advocacy Service. From 19th December we will be closed for new referrals.

From January 2013 we will offer two weekly Drop-in sessions but these will only be for clients already using the service.

We will to continue to offer the statutory IMHA service for Trafford residents who are patients at the Moorside Unit at Trafford General Hospital for the duration of our current contract up until March 2013.

We hope that these arrangements will be temporary. We will review them regularly in light of the discussions around advocacy fudning. THMAS and VCAT don’t make these decisions lightly'

We are concerned for anyone who cannot access the service during this time, but we feel that it would be unfair to take on new clients if we cannot guarantee to support them to a successful conclusion.

If you have any questions about these restrictions contact the Advocacy workers on 0161 969 8686 or VCAT Office Manager Rose Thompson on 0161 905 2414.

Further Information & How To Contact TMHAS
TMHAS is a FREE, impartial and confidential service available to anyone in Trafford with a mental health problem.

For further information download our leaflet  or contact us on 0161 969 8686 or tmhas@vcatrafford.org

User-led Service
TMHAS as a service has been developed and guided by the Trafford Advocacy Advisory Group (TAAG), which is made up of people who use the service and are interested in mental health and advocacy.

The group monitors TMHAS and advises how the service should develop in the future. To find out more see the TAAG leaflet or phone TMHAS on 0161 969 8686 to see how you can get involved.