30 November 2016

For immediate release

Ensuring #everyvoicematters at CNWL

CNWL Consultants Maria Clarke and Masum Khwaja were recently invited to attend an#everyvoicemattersministerial round table discussion by Chris Skidmore, the Minister for the Constitution.

Organised by the Cabinet Office as part of its democratic engagement programme, the event covered discussion around the barriers to registration and voting by those living with disabilities.

Informational, psychological and physical barriers to registering and voting for those living with mental illness were discussed as well as the benefits of becoming involved in the political process. The role of social inclusion in promoting recovery from illness was also emphasised.

In the meeting CNWL Consultant Psychiatrists Dr Maria Clarke and Dr Masum Khwaja promoted the work undertaken by CNWL staff in promoting the voting rights of people living with mental illness.

The Trust's successful'Do you know your voting rights?'strategy before the 2015 General Election included a short film of voting rights, the identification of voting rights leads on each ward and in each community team, circulation of knowledge for staff and patients on how to register and vote and importantly staff support for those patients requesting help to register and vote.

The short film was adopted by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and RETHINK and theresearchthat underpinned the strategy was referenced in a 2011/2012 CQC report.

Drs Clarke and Khwaja have been asked to continue to attend two monthly meetings at the cabinet office to support the development of initiatives to promote the rights of people living with disabilities to vote.

They said: "We very much hope that our involvement with the democratic engagement programme will ensure that the rights of people with disabilities to vote is addressed nationally and that CNWL continues to act as a Trust that is leading nationally on promoting an understanding of the importance of promoting the voting rights of patients living with mental illness.

"We hope our work will act as an incentive for CNWL, as well as other Trusts, to build on the work that has been undertaken so far. One important, relatively short term goal is for support to register and to vote to be included, if the patient wishes, as a routine part of a patients care plan. Only once we understand and implement initiatives, such as the promoting the right to vote, will we truly harness the power of social inclusion in promoting recovery."

The event also included representatives from leading charities including Mencap UK, RNIB, and MIND.

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
Stephenson House, 75 Hampstead Road, London NW1 2PL
Tel: 020 3214 5756 e-mail:communications.cnwl@nhs.net