University News Last updated 19 January 2010
Birmingham visit offers vision for future of Belgian health service
A Birmingham City University expert is supporting mental health policy development in Belgium.
It follows a fact-finding mission by a delegation of 31 Belgian VIPs, including the country's Vice-President, the Honourable Laurette Onkelinx. The trip, which took place on Thursday 5 November, involved a visit to the Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences at Birmingham City University and Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust (BSMHFT).
The visit was a second fact-finding mission from Belgium, and follows Professor Mervyn Morris's (Centre for Community Mental Health, Centre for Health & Social Care Research, Faculty of Health) consultation work for their Ministry of Health, focusing on de-institutionalising Belgian mental health services. The delegation gained further knowledge of the development of community-based mental health services in the UK, with a view to implementing similar services in Belgium.
The delegation of Belgium's most senior health policy makers began their visit at the University's City South campus, where senior representatives of the University and BSMHFT provided an overview of the infrastructure and systems used in Birmingham's community-based services, as well as experience from developing and implementing similar services outside the UK. The delegation then visited BSMHFT's Barberry Centre to meet team leaders, managers, clinicians and service users. The Ministerial delegation finally visited the Trust's Social Inclusion Project in Aston before their return to Belgium. A number of senior Belgian Government officials and the mental health and insurance professionals remained in Birmingham until Friday 6 November to allow them the opportunity to visit more of the Trust's services.
Birmingham has an international reputation for innovation in this area and the University's Professor Morris has worked in other countries to support comparable developments. Birmingham mental health services were at the heart of developing innovative community services in the 1990s and, supported by the Faculty's Centre for Community Mental Health, these services are now replicated across the UK. Over the past 12 months Professor Mervyn Morris has undertaken consultancy work for the Belgian Ministry of Health to develop a vision for community-based mental health services in Belgium.
The success of the visit has provided a strong foundation for future cooperation between Birmingham and Brussels. In addition to the depth of information and outstanding organisation of the visit, delegates experienced the critical difference made by treating people in their own environment, and were particularly impressed by the contributions made by service users. Vice-President Laurette Onkelinx said: "We have a lot more clarity around the finances and systems involved in community-based mental health teams and how they link in with other healthcare professionals. We were very happy with the visit and pleased we had the opportunity to visit Birmingham and see the services and the people for ourselves. It was an inspirational visit and we wish to thank everyone involved; we hope we can reach the excellent levels of service provision that is evident in Birmingham."
Professor Morris said: "It was a great pleasure and honour for Birmingham City University to welcome the delegation to our city. I am incredibly impressed by the welcome and engagement of Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust and we hope it has been a positive experience for everyone".
Notes
Attending the visit were:
Belgian government officials:
The Honourable Laurette Onkelinx, Vice-President of Belgium, and Minister of Social Affairs, Public Health and Social Inclusion; The Honourable Eliane Tillieux, Minister of Health, Social Action and Equal Rights for Region; Six Belgian Minister representatives; 19 Belgian mental health and health insurance professionals; and two Senior Representatives from the Belgian Embassy in London.
Birmingham City University:
Vice Chancellor of Birmingham City University, David Tidmarsh; Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences, Ian Blair; Associate Deans Maxine Lintern and Marion Thompson; and Professor Mervyn Morris.
Paul Sabapathy:
Chair of Birmingham East and North Birmingham Primary Care Trust and former Chancellor of Birmingham City University.
Regional Development Centre, West Midlands Strategic Health Authority: Kevin Heffernan
BSMHFT: Georgina Dean, Finance Director; Professor Peter M Marquis, Chairman; Chris Tidman, Deputy CEO; Jonathan Lloyd, Director of Adult Services.
Norwegians:
Jo Volle and Birgit Rod from Norway, colleagues of Professor Morris, who were also in Birmingham to visit local mental health services
Added by Chris Davies on January 19, 2010