Wendy Brock
Wendy Brock was the Communications Manager for the National Programme from January 2005 to March 2008.
When I joined the National Programme in 2005 so many excellent initiatives and campaigns were already underway and I was impressed by the range of the work and the dedication of the people working within the National Programme.
The original objectives of the National Programme were always ambitious, and focused on four main areas: raising awareness of positive mental health, eliminating stigma, preventing suicide and promoting recovery. Much of this work is carried out by a range of organisations and agencies dedicated to their cause. One aspect of my role was to help bind us together under the National Programme umbrella, identify us as a Government-led collaboration of agencies, working across agendas with a common vision.
Feedback told us that people working in mental health improvement in Scotland liked being part of, or associated with, a national unit directed by government policy and supported by ministers. So we have worked to nurture the National Programme ‘family’, encourage and facilitate collaborations, offer national leadership and support, and develop ways to showcase the work.
Launched two years ago the WellScotland website offers a one-stop shop for links to all the agencies involved in mental health improvement in Scotland and a place to go for contacts, news, definitions, top tips and personal stories. Our monthly e-bulletin, which goes out to nearly 4,000 subscribers, helps to keep health practitioners and the public in touch with our agenda. The website continues to grow and to show that Scotland is leading the field in innovation, research, training and evaluation in this arena and, importantly, that mental health improvement is a Government imperative.
Well? magazine was already established as a means of communicating with health practitioners when I joined, but as the programme grew so did public interest and we have strived to make it a magazine which appeals to both audiences. It is another excellent way to share our progress, draw attention to the importance of the work and offer a forum for debate. Circulation is now around 80,000 and we continue to make connections with new organisations in Scotland as each issue brings a flurry of new requests to write for the magazine or obtain copies.
Working with a group of young people to build a way of promoting positive mental wellbeing that appeals to young people, a virtual character, Positive Pete, was created. His aim is to share his thoughts on how to stay mentally positive with the vast social network of young friends online at Bebo.com. The network is growing and feedback is good, but more funding and development is needed to optimise its impact.
Each year since 2005 we have had some advertising and editorial platforms in a variety of media including the Daily Record, The Big Issue, STV’s Talking Scotland, and Life Matters. These have been augmented by online, viral and national billboard campaigns. All of these opportunities have helped us hone our messages and target some key vulnerable groups – men, children and young people and the elderly. I’m proud of all the marketing work that the National Programme has done but it is a drop in the ocean and we need more funding to develop integrated social marketing interventions to educate and empower the people of Scotland to make some shift changes in their attitudes and behaviour around mental illness, and to promote mental wellbeing as a vital part of overall health improvement.
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