Conference focuses on mental health

GUESTS and speakers at the International human rights and dignity conference at the Rock Street Resource Centre were (from the left) Councillor Brian Lord, Paul Murray, (chairman of Oldham Open User Forum), Mary Maddock, Bob Johnson, Rowland Urey, John McCarthy and Mayor Shoab Akhtar

LEADING mental health experts from across the UK and Ireland came together in Oldham for a special conference on mental health recovery and human rights.

The conference, which took place at the Rock Street Resource Centre, is the first of its kind in the region and saw professionals in the field debate issues surrounding emotional and social trauma.

Speakers, including author and UN delegate to the convention of rights for the disabled, John F McCarthy, discussed the impact of the new Mental Health Act, which will come into force later this year, as well as the UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities.

The event was organised by the Oldham Open User Forum, which campaigns for the rights of mental health sufferers, and Oldham Council’s Adult and Community Services.

Rowland Urey, from the forum, said: “The conference aimed to make people aware of the articles of the UN and how the law relating to mental health is changing and how that affects them in their recovery.”

Lead member for adult and community services, Councillor Brian Lord, said: “It is very apt for Oldham to host this event. Oldham’s Open User Forum is at the forefront of changing attitudes towards mental health across the borough and country.”

“One in four people will have some sort of mental health problem in their life.

“This means there are millions of people in Britain who are either facing problems themselves or who know someone else who is experiencing them. Our partnership is an example of the kind of differences we can make by working together.”