Patients’ Council, Royal Edinburgh Hospital

Maggie McIvor - Administrator

Tel: 0131 537 6462

Fax: 0131 537 6409

Email: maggie.mcivor@patientscouncilreh.co.uk

The Patient's Council now have their own website. Please head over to http://www.patientscouncilreh.co.uk

The Patients’ Council was set up 15 years ago and continues to be based in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital.  It facilitates collective advocacy for patients and former patients of the hospital, bringing about change in the way that services and treatment are provided.

This is a significant time for advocacy in Scotland, as the implementation of the Mental Health (Care & Treatment) (Scotland) Act gives every person with a mental health difficulty, learning disability or personality disorder the right to access advocacy services.

The Patients’ Council aims to give people a voice in situations where they may feel disempowered and isolated.  As a collective, it can represent the views of patients from a position of strength.  It also provides support when people are in psychiatric hospital and might find it helpful to come to a group which safeguards their interests.

How does it work?

There are a number of ways to access the Patients’ Council and these are designed to ensure that as many people as possible are included and can take part.

They are:

• Open meetings (six each year) where people bring concerns, raise issues and elect representatives

• Informal ‘drop-in’ sessions at the Patients’ Council coffee room

• Regular newsletters, reports and information

• Small groups for patients in acute, rehabilitation wards and at the ‘Church Centre’ run by the Scottish Association for Mental Health

• Workshops on topics of interest in mental health

The Patients’ Council is a user-led organisation with a wide membership and a management committee of people who are patients and former patients. It has two members of staff to help organise and administer the work. To safeguard its independence, the Patients’ Council is supported by Circles Network which provides an employer role for staff and resources to assist the management committee in its task.

If you would like to know more about the Patients’ Council, including how to join it or to support its work, please contact Maggie MicIvor, or go to http://www.patientscouncilreh.co.uk

Circles Network Scotland

Scottish Charity number: SC038068

Send mail to: information@circlesnetwork.org.uk with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2008 Circles Network
Last modified: February 05, 2008