OASIS Project - Online Access to Services, Information and Support for mental health

Help shape the vision
Would you like to get involved in exploring ideas about the design of new online systems to help people better manage their mental health needs? Mental health problems are widespread and in a climate of recession and redundancy affect a wide range of people as well as those that have severe and enduring conditions. Many people may live with their problems and do not even visit their GPs for help but would welcome a reliable source of information and support.

OASIS is a new Cambridge and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) project to scope out the vision and requirements for online services to assist in self help and self management.

A co-development approach
To most effectively design this type of system requires the contribution of people from many different perspectives. We are therefore using ‘co-development’ approach in which a variety of people are asked to help formulate and review ideas.

We are looking for:

• Members of the general public
• Past, present and potential future users of mental health services
• Carers
• Young people, adults and older people
• Representatives of service user groups
• Representatives of voluntary/third sector organisations
• Innovative designers
• Software technologists
• Researchers
• GPs and other professional health workers
• Foundation Trust members

who have an interest in how modern communications technologies can be integrated with more people-centred approaches to provide some great new services over the next few years.

Some examples
Some ideas to see how technology can help facilitate include:

• structured support from friends, family and professionals (care networks, buddy systems)
• better signposting to support, services and tools for self help and management
• better integration of support from different organisations (personal care plans)

Times are changing
There are going to be some major changes in mental health services over the next few years such as greater personalisation of services, self directed support and use of recovery-based principles, most of which put the people who use services at the centre of provision. Factors like an increasingly open market, greater choice, personalisation of services, and GP budget holding will drive Foundation Trusts to consider new ways of providing services.

Technologies like broadband internet and mobile devices are widespread. They can be used to support mental wellbeing in many ways – not just information provision but all sorts of other methods that encourage self help and management such as: social networking, peer support, collaboration tools, and online care planning. Most of these applications already exist but the barriers to their use need to be identified and overcome, so that technology can be used to improve mental health and wellbeing.

Join the discussion
If you would like to be kept informed, you can join the email list. We have also set up small (face to face and online) discussion groups to talk through ideas and requirements and are looking for people to participate. No special knowledge of technology or services is required for participation in discussion groups but we are looking for people who are forward thinking and can help think through requirements and ideas.

If you would like to be involved then please e-mail rod.rivers@cpft.nhs.uk with either "OASIS mailing list" or "OASIS discussion group" in the subject field.