Westminster PCT ... Guide through the mental health maze
How does a PCT ensure that mental health services reach those who need them? The question particularly concerns Westminster PCT. Its BME Health Forum found a worryingly low number of Bangladeshi residents accessing services. Meanwhile other groups - particularly African Caribbean men - had more members than one might expect being treated by acute services.
'There is a big Bangladeshi community,' explains Fatumo Abdi, appointed as Community Health Development Coordinator to tackle the issue. 'There is stigma in some communities around mental health. Sometimes, Bangladeshi people who are ill stay at home or, if their condition gets worse, it is reported that they may be taken back to Bangladesh, rather than being treated by the NHS.
'In the African Caribbean community, there can be distrust of the mental health system so people miss out on primary care, get into trouble and may be tagged as criminals before they get the treatment they need. Our research shows that some groups use faith-healers as their first port of call.
'I try to improve the flow of information about mental health and services into these communities, for example by organising mental health awareness days for community and voluntary organisations. Next, we plan to recruit a number of 'mental health guides'.
'We might, for example, recruit a local Bengali-speaking member of the community, who can talk to community organisations about services and ways to maintain mental health,' says Ms Abdi. 'That person will also be our 'guide', telling us what we need to do to organise services better.'