Understanding the basics
Spotlight on learning from local partner Moray Wellbeing Hub
The content displayed on this page was produced by Moray Wellbeing Hub and describes their reflections, experiences and learning over the years about lived experience leadership in driving change in healthcare / mental health services.
Visit Moray Wellbeing HubThis section provides an essential overview of how healthcare works in Scotland, helping you grasp the context and framework for effective advocacy. It introduces mental health stigma and discrimination; its impact on people accessing and receiving care and treatment, as well as how to influence services to become free from stigma and anti-discriminatory.
As well as providing an essential overview of how healthcare works in Scotland, this section introduces mental health stigma and discrimination; its impact on people accessing and receiving care and treatment, as well as how to influence services to become free from stigma and anti-discriminatory.
Key take-aways:
- The right to health is a basic human right. In Scotland, access to public healthcare is free to individuals. As an individual seeking healthcare you have a legal right to expect certain standards are met, whether you are looking for support with your physical health, your mental health or both.
- Unfortunately, the stigma surrounding mental health can limit access and/or impact the care and support experienced by people with lived/living experience of mental health problems or illness, sometimes leading to a breach of human rights and discrimination. Many people describe the stigma and discrimination they experience in services as worse than the diagnosis of a mental health problem.
- There are lots of types of healthcare services and these are often grouped around the level of support a person may need from them. There are more services for lower support needs and fewer for those with high need.
- Healthcare sits beside other statutory services like social care and education. While these link closely with healthcare, they are rarely seamless due to the complexity of each system.
- When trying to change healthcare understanding key terms, concepts and legislation can be powerful. This includes understanding
- what mental health is,
- how stigma and discrimination impacts mental health
- what groups of people may be affected more than others
- what works to end stigma and discrimination.
