A north-east community group has been praised for setting the bench mark for mental health support across Scotland.
Maud Resource Centre describes itself as “quite unique” as it offers multiple services under one roof, such as a doctors surgery, a family nurse and occupational therapy – allowing people to be more easily directed to the care they need.
The team also run regular discussions through a Conversation Cafe.
Now their efforts have been highlighted at the Mental Health Forum conference in Edinburgh.
Representing the team from Maud at the conference was Don Allan, Vicky Brown and Calvin Little.
Mr Allan said: “It was absolutely fantastic to be acknowledged like this, we have such a wonderful team in Maud and the work that everyone does there really makes a difference. I feel so proud that we were invited along to this.”
The trio gave a 10-minute presentation accompanied by a video explaining how they support people in the community, followed b a workshop on what elements are required to build a gold standard community mental health service.
The work by the partnership was praised for it’s “multi-agency support network for vulnerable people in the community” by the principal medical officer for the Scottish Government, John Mitchell.
Mr Allan said: “He was impressed by our model and sees a future in community hubs offering support.”
Mrs Brown, who is the resource centre manager, added: “The conversation cafe is just one of many things we facilitate and it’s not just for people with mental health conditions. This helps start conversations, educate people and reduce feelings of isolation which can be quite common in many rural areas in Aberdeenshire.
“It’s all about bringing the community together, supporting people and breaking down barriers. We also get families involved too so it’s something that brings the whole community together.”
Following the conference, the Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership praised the team’s effort on Twitter and said: “Great to see one of our teams out shouting about the fantastic work they do.”