Sixty local women become community mental health champions

Pictured are local women receiving their certificates

A local NHS trust has helped break stigma around mental health, with 60 women from the South Asian community now trained as community mental health champions in Oldham.

Research highlighted local women, particularly from South Asian heritage, face more barriers and struggles in accessing mental health support.

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, which provides mental health services in the borough, in partnership with Women’s CHAI Project, set up dedicated training sessions to help tackle the issue.

The sessions describe what mental health is and explains causes of mental illness, as well as the impact stigma and discrimination has on individuals who wish to seek help and support.

With a particular focus on Islam, the women were taught about health and wellbeing, and how people can improve their own mental health and support others.

They also gained an understanding of what services are available in the area.

Nicky Littler, director of workforce at Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, explained: “We are passionate about addressing health inequalities and reducing the stigma associated with mental health.

“Our partnership with the Oldham Women’s Chai Project has been an amazing opportunity to connect with the women in the community and help to bring about change.”

Through the co-production of a mental health champions training programme and development of the network, the initiative is helping to increase mental health awareness and empower people in the community to signpost and support others.

The programme has received high praise from participants, with volunteer Yaasmin Mughees saying: “There was a time when talking about mental health was simply not done and was frowned upon, particularly in our community.

“But now, thanks to this training, more and more people are talking about their mental health, as well as those around them and the challenges it can bring.

“We’re more aware of the signs of poor mental health and feel that we can now offer helpful advice on a more personal level to someone going through mental health issues.”

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