oasis Our OASIS service will continue to run after the end of March, even though we will no longer have the Solihull Council contract to provide mental health drop-ins. The new council funded drop-ins, run by Mental Health Matters, will be provided in three locations within the borough over seven days: two sessions in the south, two in the north, and three in Solihull town centre. As our OASIS service provides access to our other services and is located in a dedicated building providing mental health support seven days a week we believe that it offers a sufficiently different service to the new drop-ins to justify continuing to provide the service. The service will be funded by our reserve funds while we look for new sources of funding for it. Covid precautions We are continuing to run our OASIS/drop-in service at Faulkner Road. There will be social distancing inside our building and people will need to have a lateral flow covid test before entering - we can provide the test kits or you can use your own. The days and times are the same as pre-covid: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 12 - 5pm, Tuesday evenings 6pm - 11pm, Saturday and Sunday 12 - 6pm. The Friday, women only ,session is on earlier than before the pandemic: 12 until 2-30pm. The art/craft group is running on Thursdays from 10am - 12-30pm, but the music group can’t restart until the situation with covid infection risks improve. We continue to provide counselling in our building using masks, visors and clear screens, although there is still the option of receiving counselling by telephone. The horticulture/conservation project continues to be open on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10-30am until 4pm. The women only session is on Tuesdays,11am - 2pm. There will still be advice and support available on the telephone and through email (0121 742 4941 or 0121 743 4237; and contact@solihullmind.org.uk). Our seven day a week crisis service is open from 6pm until 11pm from 4th October in our building in Faulkner Road and has the same covid precautions as the OASIS service. Facemasks Although the government has dropped the compulsory wearing of facemasks in enclosed spaces, many shops are still requiring them. However, there are exemptions from this requirement; including young children, people with breathing difficulties, and, most significantly, “people whose disabilities make it difficult for them to wear a face covering”- and this includes people who are unable to wear masks due to their mental health. As it isn’t obvious that people with “hidden disabilities” are exempt from wearing a mask, there are badges available that can be worn or displayed on your smart phone. The government issued ones can be obtained here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face- coverings-when-to-wear-one-and-how-to-make-your-own. You can also buy a card and a lanyard or plastic holder at the Hidden Disabilities website: https://hiddendisabilitiesstore.com/hidden-disabilities- face-covering.html Black Lives Matter Mind believes that Black Lives Matter and black mental health matters and we share our support for the Black Lives Matter movement. In mental health – as in other areas of life – there is a huge disparity in how black people are listened to and supported at every level. People from black and minority ethnic groups living in the UK are more likely to be diagnosed with mental health problems, be diagnosed and admitted to hospital, experience a poor outcome from treatment, disengage from mainstream mental health services, leading to social exclusion and a deterioration in their mental health. Under the outdated Mental Health Act, Black people are more likely to be compulsorily admitted for treatment, more likely to be on a medium or high secure ward and more likely to be subject to seclusion or restrain. We know there’s no easy solution and that there is still a long way to go to make sure everyone experiencing a mental health problem and other forms of discrimination, is treated equally, both within our organisation and outside it.

oasis…covid….face masks….black lives matter…