Cllr Michael Lilley (Green Independent), IW Council Vice Chair of Scrutiny Committee, and a member of the Policy and Scrutiny Committee for Adult Social Care and Health, has joined up with Sam Schroeder, a Ventnor resident, in promoting a film about mental health and mental health services on the Isle of Wight.
The film is being realised to coincide with the recent publication of the Care Quality Commission’s latest report on IW NHS Trust in June. The report still rates our NHS services as inadequate and this includes mental health services.
Wednesday Films
Sam Schroeder has recently established Wednesday Films and as the famous nursery rhyme titled Monday’s child says, “Wednesday’s child is full of woe”.
It’s an appropriate title for a film-making enterprise that’s first film is about one out of four of us who experience depression, anxiety and other mental health issues every day.
First hand experience of the difficulties
Ryde East Councillor, Michael Lilley, states:
“I want to see the Island’s Wednesday’s children heard and Sam’s film is a great start. Sam is an incredible local man who has overcome great difficulties in making this film. Sam is partially disabled and has volunteered for many years in local mental health projects.”
Simple, workable, and affordable reforms
Cllr Lilley went on to say,
“He has seen at first hand the problems that mental health service users encounter every day, and the needless suffering they are going through. He decided to capture people’s stories on film and draw from those stories a number of key simple, workable, and affordable reforms that is, not pie-in-the-sky stuff, that would literally transform the Island’s mental health services if taken on board.”
Continued despite cancer diagnosis
He also added,
“The film took two years to make, and Sam was diagnosed with cancer half-way through the project, but managed to carry on and complete it, and is now trying to organise five screenings of the film around the Island to promote mental health reform on the Island.
“He is a hero in my eyes and we need to shout his story as well as the stories he has filmed across the Island and get those who commission services to take on board Sam’s ideas.”
Mental health motion
Cllr Lilley successfully put forward a motion about mental health to the IW Council meeting in May.
The motion called for reaffirmation of the IW Council’s commitment to making sure mental health and improvement of mental health services as a priority and that there would be a reaffirmation until the Island had services judged as excellent.
Cllr Michael Lilley states:
“I have been campaigning for many years on the Isle of Wight for the Wednesday voices of those who use mental health services on the Island and I am continuing to shout about this as in my view it is still not being heard.
“There has been a fortune spent on mainland consultants over the years by the IW Clinical Commissioning Group and IW NHS Trust to consult with users of services and I have seen little outcome or achievements.
“Here we have a local man who with only support from local charities goes out and interviews people with lived experience of mental health on the Island and produces a great film with little cost.
“We can change our continuing struggling mental health services by listening more strongly to the people who need these services and this film should be essential viewing to all those working in these services, commissioning them and designing future improved services.”
Where to see the film
Five screenings are planned during July and August.
For full details see the Website.
1st . . Aspire Community Centre, Ryde, 3:30pm, Thursday 12th July 2018
2nd . . Shanklin Conservative Club, 6pm, Wednesday 18th July 2018
3rd . . IOW Community Club, Cowes, 2pm, Thursday 26th July 2018
4th . . Ventnor Arts Club (for this venue seats must be booked online) 6:30pm doors for 7pm screening, Wednesday 1st August 2018
5th . . Riverside Centre, Newport, 2pm, Wednesday 15th August 2018
The film is 50 minutes long, but attendees are invited to stay for up to an hour after the film has finished, to meet people, discuss the ideas proposed, and exchange contact details.
Article shared by Michael Lilley, Ed
