Exploring mental health care
02 November 2009
Denise Fisher, a mental health nurse and senior lecturer in mental health at LJMU, has recently returned from a four-week Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship to Queensland, Australia.
The aim of her Fellowship was to explore mental health care in rural and remote areas, how mental health awareness and promotion is delivered, and the use of information technology to support delivery.
Denise reported: “This was a wonderful opportunity to observe innovative ways of dealing with mental health issues. Organisations such as the Queensland Alliance, MIE-Australia (Mental Illness Education Australia) and E-CYMHS (Children & Young Person’s Mental Health Services) in Brisbane; Queensland Health and KASH (Kalkadoon Alcohol Sobriety House) in Mount Isa and the CRRMHQ (Centre for Rural & Remote Mental Health Queensland) in Cairns, were all very welcoming and willing to share their experiences.
"I am very appreciative of the support and opportunities provided by Gil Hainey (Primary Care Services Manager) and colleagues at The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (Queensland) who organised visits to aboriginal communities in Yarrabah and Aurukun, where innovative services are being provided to meet the specific needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. I have particularly valued the willingness of indigenous staff to share their knowledge in helping me to gain some understanding of Australian indigenous people, their culture and the tailoring of needs to specific cultural groups, including Lloyd (KASH), Thomas & Anne (Mount Isa) Brian (Yarrabah) and Herbert (Aurukun).”
Denise will be producing a report on her experiences which will be available on the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust website later this year (www.wcmt.org.uk). She is also hoping to incorporate her newly acquired knowledge into both her teaching activities at the University and her work as a mental health trainer with the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust across the North West of England.
