9 GHP Q4 2022 Mental health has been in the media spotlight dozens of times over the past decade, with awareness increasing on a daily basis. However, there is still a great amount of work to be done – that’s where Focus 4-1, a lifesaving organisation, comes in. Most Innovative Mental Health User Led Organisation - Europe anessa Anenden has accomplished a lot in her life: she is a Master Neuro-Linguistic Practitioner with a BSc in Pharmacology, has worked as a Forensic DNA Trainer and Scientist, is a Mental Health First Aider, and much more. Vanessa also has lived experience of Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, severe depression, and severe anxiety – experience that she uses to help others through her organisation, Focus 4-1, London’s first 100% user-led mental health organisation. Priding itself on its independent status, Focus 4-1 works with and is run by individuals living with mental health issues who are currently accessing or who have previously accessed mental health services. The aim is to encourage, enable, and empower these individuals to thrive and accomplish their goals, no matter what their diagnosis may be. After all, Vanessa firmly believes “that the best people to know what they need is the individuals living with mental health challenges themselves. By turning the current approach on its head, I believe this approach will give every individual living with mental distress a voice and help them empower each other, themselves, and other people.” The best way of gaining an understanding of mental health issues is, of course, by speaking about them, and Focus 4-1 puts the “expert by experience at the centre, not at the edge.” For far too long people dealing with mental health problems have been shunned, their voices taken away. This has only created a stigma surrounding mental illness, and as a result, many people dealing with such issues have felt ashamed or like they cannot access help as they’ll be turned away. Yet by creating a safe and accessible community, Focus 4-1 subverts this stigma, allowing people to express themselves without fear or judgement. Moreover, Focus 4-1’s work has had an even greater impact, becoming a pivotal meeting point for South West London and St. George’s Mental Health NHS Trust (SWLSTG NHS TRUST) to engage with its service users. This has led to the improved provision of mental health services, ward facilities, treatments, and aftercare with the home treatment team – meaning that Focus 4-1 has gone from becoming an important barometer on service quality to an important contributor, with this being further evidenced by SWLSTG awarding the organisation a primary care uplift contract. Focus 4-1 collaborates with each of its members for development and design projects, for which it holds focus groups and consistent ongoing discussions. As part of this development, the organisation is constantly reviewing and evolving its service offerings in response to feedback from both its members and public bodies, including the ICB and Mental Health Trust. This ensures that its services are reflective of the needs and desires of those it supports. In addition, Focus 4-1 strives to be transparent, confidential, and upfront, maintaining itself as a small and agile organisation. However, whilst the organisation has had numerous triumphs, it has also faced several challenges. As a Black and Asian led organisation funding has been one of the most significant hurdles for Focus 4-1, as it has often been inconsistent or comes with constraints, which, with the organisation’s growth, has been causing greater problems. Indeed, this issue was further amplified by the outbreak of Covid-19, and it took the horrifying death of George Floyd for funders to even consider the organisation. These challenges have neither defined nor hindered Focus 4-1, as its success can be measured by the number of members that are still with the group; since 2013, no member of Focus 4-1 has died by suicide. Contact: Vanessa Anenden Company: Focus 4 1 CIC Web Address: focus-4-1.co.uk V Aug22272
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