Promoting Well Being

Directorate Background

Mr Francis Rice is the Director of the Mental Health and Disability Directorate and the Executive Director of Nursing. The Directorate is broken down into four divisions; Learning Disability, Physical and Sensory Disability, Mental Health, and the Nursing and AHP division. The Mental Health and Disability Directorate is dedicated to:

·        Promoting health, safety and wellbeing

·        Prevention

·        Improved access (more timely, more convenient)

·        Timely intervention

·        Effective treatment and care, focused on recovery

·        Taking a person-centred approach, providing choice and self-determination in decisions on care and support  needs

·        Supporting patients and clients to achieve an improved quality of life and independent living, with a focus on developing citizenship.

·        Recognising the contribution that carers make and supporting carers to continue in their caring role.

·        Communicating clearly with people, ensuring that they have all the information they need, including information on how to complain

·        Responding quickly to put things right if a service is found to be underperforming

·        Working collaboratively within and across agencies to achieve quality cost effective outcomes for service users and their families.

Historically the legacy Trusts of Newry and Mourne, Craigavon and Banbridge, and Armagh and Dungannon, had a strong ethos and practice of user involvement in the areas of mental health and disability. The new Mental Health and Disability Directorate continues to demonstrate a high level of user involvement activity.

 The Directorate delivers services through four Divisions: 

·        Learning Disability Services

·        Physical Disability and Sensory Impairment Services

·        Mental Health Services

·        Governance, workforce development, training and planning for Nursing Staff and Allied Health Professionals

Learning Disability Division

Supported Living Services covers a range of services for the adults with learning disabilities including Social Education Centres, Day Centres and Supported Living Units, Community Access Services, Daytime Opportunities and Creative Arts. The Division is also involved in providing Domiciliary Care Services, Inpatient Hospital Services, an Assessment and Treatment Unit, Forensics, Behaviour Support. There are two Health Facilitators and an Epilepsy Specialist Nurse in the division.

Physical Disability and Sensory Impairment Services

Physical and Sensory Support Services covers day and resource centres and Community Access teams across the Trust area, Care Management Team, Physical Disability Teams and the Brain Injury Team. The division has Floating Support Worker, Social Workers, Rehabilitation Workers and Community Vision Co-Ordinators. The Transport Department which is involved in the movement of passengers and freight, and oversees taxi, private sector and voluntary drivers, is located in this division.

Mental Health Services

The division currently provides acute mental health in-patient care at the Bluestone Unit (Craigavon Area Hospital) and St Luke’s Hospital, Crisis Response and Home Treatment Services, Psychiatric Liaison, Day Hospital Services at Daisy Hill Hospital and Outpatient Care.

The Community Mental Health Services Manager is responsible for the teams covering the geographical areas of Newry and Mourne, Armagh, Dungannon, and Craigavon and Banbridge. Cathy also oversees Care Management and Primary Care Services.

The Mental Health Support Services Manager is responsible for Rehabilitation Services, Residential and Day Services, Domiciliary and Contracted Services, Health and Wellbeing, Suicide Prevention/Lifeline Helpline, Advocacy and Information Services, and Service User Involvement.

The Specialist Mental Health Services Manager is responsible for Addiction Services, Psychological Therapies, Forensic Services, Easting Disorder Services, Trauma Counselling and the Trauma Advisory Panel, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Service.

For copy of Baseline Report 2009 - Mental Health and Disability Directorate click here 

Please click on the link to see examples of PPI projects for this Directorate.