NHS in Derbyshire joins the fight to end discrimination

As Time to Change hits the streets of England with roadshows and Get Moving, support for the programme is growing – and our recent launch in the heart of Derbyshire marked another first for the programme.

We broke new ground earlier this month when the Chief Executives of all five of the county’s NHS organisations joined forces to sign our pledge.

While several Trusts have already signed the pledge and many more have supported the campaign by running local activity, this was the first time that the whole of the local NHS – five organisations in all - demonstrated their commitment to end mental health stigma and discrimination.

Derbyshire County's NHS Trust Chief Executives sign the Time to Change pledge Their actions have set a high standard for others to follow and we hope this level of support for Time to Change will be repeated as we take our work into new communities across England.

The signing was spearheaded by Derbyshire Mental Health Services NHS Trust Chief Executive Mike Shewan. He was joined by Derbyshire’s four other NHS Chief Executives, including Julie Acred, of Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Prem Singh, of NHS Derby City PCT; Eric Morton, of Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and Derek Bray, of Derbyshire County PCT.

Mr Shewan said: “As the biggest employer in the county, the local NHS is committed to supporting this campaign – and encourage other businesses and organisations to follow our lead.”

Time to Change’s launch in Derbyshire has also given extra impetus to a series of events promoting mental health and well-being organised by Derbyshire Mental Health Services NHS Trust www.derbyshirementalhealthservices.nhs.uk.  

Later in the year, Derbyshire Mental Health Services NHS Trust is planning a major campaign tackling mental health discrimination in the workplace.