'see me' Pledge gets a nice summer boost
There have been a number of new Pledge signings over the summer, bringing the total to nearly 200. On 25 June February Scotland’s largest health board and police force together with six neighbouring local authorities pledged their joint commitment to tackling the stigma associated with mental ill health.
Representatives from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Strathclyde Police, Glasgow City Council, Inverclyde Council, East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire Councils and East and West Dunbartonshire Councils all signed the ‘see me’ Pledge at a special event in Glasgow.
Suzie Vestri, 'see me' Campaign Director, said: “Today's pledge is a important declaration for all the partners involved and we are grateful for their support and commitment in addressing the stigma of mental health in the west of Scotland. Local authorities and NHS partnerships have a vital role to play in tackling the stigma of mental health for both staff and patients, and we hope that other authorities across the country will follow NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Glasgow City, Inverclyde, Renfrewshire and Dunbartonshire Councils example and also pledge their support in 2009.”
Councillor George Redmond, Glasgow City Council's Executive Member for Health and Well-being, said: "Promoting mental health and tackling stigma and discrimination are vital areas of activity for local authorities. By challenging stigma we can help people play a full and active part in out society - both socially and economically. I am delighted to sign the pledge on behalf of Glasgow City Council and also very pleased to see our neighbouring authorities in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area are making the exact same commitment."
In addition to the signing of the ‘see me’ Pledge, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde also set out it’s ambitious programme of anti-stigma activity - with projects ranging from addressing discrimination in the workplace and schools to the largest mental health arts festival in the world which seeks to challenge and counter negative perceptions.
Shortly following this, The Central Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) for the Central area signed the ‘see me’ Pledge on 8 July. With stress, depression and anxiety being cited as the most common reasons for absence from work, the topic of mental health is moving up the agenda for employers. Recent research also demonstrated the importance of mental health and well-being in relation to our physical health, social inclusion and productivity.
As part of their Disability Awareness Week COPFS publicly signed the Pledge at an official ceremony in Stirling making an assurance to challenge the stigma experienced by its employees in order to ensure that they are all able to lead mentally healthy working lives.
Suzie Vestri, ‘see me’ Campaign Director says: “One in four Scots will experience a mental health problem at some stage in their life and the vast majority of those who have experienced associated stigma say that the discrimination they experienced was worse than living with the condition itself.
“The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal for the Central area is the first of its kind to come on board and we welcome their commitment to providing a mentally healthy work place for their employees. We all have a part to play in ridding our country of stigma and the backing of organisations and employers can really help make this happen. We hope the support which COPFS has promised will encourage others to take positive action by joining us in signing the Pledge.”
Michelle Macleod the Area PF for Central adds: "As part of the promotion of the COPFS Disability Awareness Week I am delighted to sign the ‘see me’ Pledge on behalf of all COPFS staff in the Central area. We are committed to working with ‘see me’ to challenge stigma and discrimination in relation to mental ill health.”
The following week, on 15 July, we welcomed Inverclyde Council leader, Councillor Stephen McCabe to sign the Pledge on behalf of the Inverclyde Alliance. The signing follows the recent launch of the Inverclyde Anti-Stigma Partnership that brings together a range of agencies, organisations and individuals in a unified attempt to positively tackle stigma and discrimination in its widest sense.
Councillor McCabe says: “There is no health without mental health and committing to the ‘see me’ Pledge is a great way to raise awareness of the partnership and get the whole community involved in achieving a mentally healthy Inverclyde.
“As many as one in four Scots is known to experience poor mental health which impacts on our ability to live a normal, productive day-to-day life. Our mental health also has a bearing on our physical health and social inclusion and without it we would struggle to get a job, engage with our community or remain in general good health. Inverclyde needs positive mental health to help it to thrive both socially and economically.”
Finally, on 18 August, Reid Kerr College in Paisley finished the busy Pledge signing summer by adding to the growing number of colleges that have signed up to support ‘see me’. Staff from the College including members of their Healthy Working Lives committee and the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Group, attended the ‘see me’ pledge signing by Suzie Vestri, ‘see me’ Campaign Director and Joe Mooney, Reid Kerr College Principal.
Joe Mooney said, “Following the signing of the ‘see me’ Pledge this month, Reid Kerr College is committed to working with ‘see me’ to challenge stigma and discrimination in a variety of ways and we look forward to continuing a strong partnership into the future.”