1000 local people sign up to NHS Trust

Over 1000 people from the local area have now joined the South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust as a member.

The Trust – which provides mental health and learning disability services across Kirklees, Calderdale and Wakefield is currently applying to become a foundation trust, a different type of NHS organisation which is run locally with local people as members. People who become members of the Trust can have a say in how services are developed and improved, and also help to combat the stigma that surrounds mental illness.

Chief executive Steven Michael explains, "We’re delighted that more than 1000 local people have decided to join our Trust and make a real difference to the future of mental health and learning disability services in the area. We’d like to thank everyone who has joined so far and encourage even more people to sign up as members and get involved in improving the local NHS. So if you’re interested in making sure that people with mental health problems and learning disabilities in your community get high quality NHS services, then we need your help – become a member!"

Anybody aged 11 or over from the Yorkshire and Humber area can join the Trust and members can choose how much they want to be involved, from simply receiving information about services through to active involvement in issues that interest them. Members will also be able to vote for people to represent their interests on the Members’ Council or even stand for election themselves.