Please visit NHS Inform for the most recent advice on the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine and pregnancy. Here you will find information specific to those in the process of having fertility treatment.
Update Friday 11th March 2022
On the 7th January 2022 it was nationally agreed that fertility treatment for unvaccinated women would be deferred with immediate effect. This recommendation was reviewed, as planned, alongside emerging evidence of risk and the prevailing levels of COVID-19, during January and February 2022.
Data from PHS demonstrates that both COVID-19 cases and hospitalisations are stabilising, and a reduced proportion of cases are resulting in hospitalisations, following the emergence of Omicron as the dominant variant. While data specifically on pregnant women is very limited, the available data on unvaccinated individuals suggests that the risk of severe disease requiring hospital or critical care admission has reduced over the last four to six weeks. Therefore, it has been determined that fertility treatment for unvaccinated patients will no longer be deferred.
The JCVI (Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation) advice on vaccinating pregnant women, namely that pregnant women should now be considered as a clinical risk group and part of priority group 6 within the vaccination programme remains the same. Therefore, we will continue to fully inform patients, prior to their treatment, of the evidence concerning the safety of vaccines in those planning pregnancy, undergoing fertility treatment and the pregnant population in respect of maternal and perinatal outcomes, including evidence for continued vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic COVID-19 disease. Furthermore, we will continue to advise patients at the start of the fertility pathway, and at every opportunity thereafter (making every contact count) about the risks of non-vaccination.
In line with the reviews recommendations, we will also ask patients to sign an informed consent form acknowledging that they are aware of the risks prior to treatment, similar to other aspects of the fertility pathway.
The COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and there is no evidence to suggest that the COVID-19 vaccines will affect fertility in women or men.
The Scottish Intensive Care Society Report, published on 13 October, highlighted that of the 89 COVID-19 positive pregnant women who were admitted to critical care between December 2020 and end September 2021, 88 were unvaccinated, 1 was partially vaccinated, and none were fully vaccinated. Wave 3 has seen increased numbers of pregnant women being admitted to hospital with moderate to severe COVID-19 symptoms requiring critical care, with clinicians reporting a particular peak in September.
On 16 December, the Scottish Government, Chief Medical Officer, Dr Gregor Smith wrote to NHS Chief Executives highlighting recent updates to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advice on vaccinating pregnant women, namely that pregnant women should now be considered as a clinical risk group and part of priority group 6 within the vaccination programme.
In addition to this, the latest evidence from the UK Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS) and the Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK (MBRRACE-UK) shows that unvaccinated pregnant women and their babies have died after admission to hospital with Covid-19 and 98 % of pregnant women in ICU with Covid-19 are unvaccinated. We also know that of all the women who have died during pregnancy or up to 6 weeks after birth, 88% of them were unvaccinated.
In light of the above evidence, the speed at which the Omicron variant is spreading through communities and the safety of pregnant women and their babies, it has been nationally agreed that fertility treatment for unvaccinated women will be deferred with immediate effect. We will review this decision during February 2022 or earlier if appropriate. Older women who have their treatment deferred, will have the deferral time added back on to their fertility journey to ensure that they do not lose out on eligibility for treatment due to their age.
Women who are within 12 weeks of having their second Covid vaccine dose or who have had their booster will continue their treatment as normal. For those who have recently had or are about to receive their booster vaccination, treatment can begin 10 days after the booster vaccination has been received. Positions on waiting lists will not be penalised if extra time is needed for vaccination.
Further information regarding the Omicron variant will continue to become available and any changes to current guidance will be communicated as soon as it becomes available.
For further information regarding covid vaccination in pregnancy and breastfeeding, please see the following link:
1. How long the treatment will be deferred / postponed?
Treatment will be deferred until February 2022 at which point the advice will be reviewed to determine if treatment can recommence of whether further deferral will be required.
2. If the risks are in pregnancy, why does my partner status matter?
If your partner gets infected you will be exposed to risk of infection. If you are a confirmed contact you will then need to isolate and will be unable to attend for monitoring/ treatment.
3. It is our personal choice to get vaccinate. Why are you forcing us to get vaccinated?
It is still your personal choice as to whether to have the vaccine, all we are saying is that we cannot proceed with treatment without evidence of vaccination due to the risks involved.
JCVI (Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation) has put pregnant women in high risk category.
RCOG (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists), RCM (Royal College of Midwives), Scottish Government all are advising vaccination, including boosters for pregnant women.
4. Is it for all fertility treatment or only IVF?
The guidance relates to all fertility treatment and not IVF alone.
5. I am self-funding, why does policy apply to me?
As this is based on clear clinical advice around the risks for this group of women and the decision is based on protecting this group, this policy applies to all patients having treatment in Centres, not just NHS patients.
6. Will I have to provide evidence?
Yes. Please download the app. This will be checked when you come in to the centre.
7. If I wait, I will be more than 40. This will compromise my funding status
No this will not compromise your funding status. All patients having treatment deferred will have the deferral time added back on to their treatment journey to ensure that no patient loses out on treatment due to their age.
8. Can I go through stimulation and freeze embryos?
The same concerns around infection during treatment and subsequent cancellation of the cycle prior to egg collection apply.
9. Will there be further deferral?
We don’t know at this stage. The available data will be reviewed in February.
The Assisted Conception Service at Glasgow Royal Infirmary is a brand new state of the art facility providing assisted conception services to patients throughout the West of Scotland. The service has operated since 1983 but now benefits from a multi-million pound investment enabling the delivery of the latest innovative assisted conception technologies in modern purpose built accommodation.
The service treats NHS funded patients and those who choose to self fund via the Glasgow Royal Fertility Clinic.
All treatments we provide are NHS services and are individually tailored to meet your needs. In addition, in partnership with the Glasgow Royal Fertility Clinic, we provide services for those who wish to consider self funding their treatment. For more details, please visit the website at the Glasgow Royal Fertility Clinic website.
Please browse our pages for more information about the services we offer.
Hundreds of people in Scotland need the help of egg or sperm donors to give them the chance to become parents and the gift of starting a family.
The Scottish Government and NHS Scotland have launched the first national campaign of its kind to encourage people to become egg and sperm donors, with the four NHS tertiary Fertility Centres in Scotland (Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow).
Donating your eggs or sperm is something that requires careful consideration, but if it’s right for you then you have the potential to give the joy of starting a family to those people in Scotland, who need the help of donors to become parents.
The Achilles tendon is the biggest and strongest tendon in the human body. Achilles tendinopathy is a condition that can cause pain, swelling, stiffness and weakness of the Achilles tendon. It is a very common injury reported in runners, however, it is not exclusive to this population as people who have a more sedentary lifestyle will also suffer from it.
Symptoms of Achilles Tendinopathy
Pain generally tends to be worse in the morning, or during and after exercise. Some swelling and/or pain can occur around the tendon and calf area – most often in the areas shown below. The tendon may be very tender to touch and you may have increased discomfort wearing shoes that press against it.
The blue coloured area is the insertion of the tendon into the heel bone and the green coloured area is roughly the tendon itself with the yellow area the musculotendinous junction
Causes of Achilles Tendinopathy
The reasons for developing Achilles tendinopathy are varied but there are some common factors that seem to be important. The research consistently shows that reduced strength and endurance in the calf muscles is a major factor in developing Achilles tendinopathy. Also, being overweight will add more stress to the already struggling tendon. Footwear choice is important as the wrong shoes may aggravate the problem.
Treatment of Achilles tendinopathy commonly involves loading based exercises. This basically means exercises for the affected muscle/tendon unit with the aim that it improves strength and endurance and reduces the symptoms. Read a recent article in the British Journal of Sports Medicine around treatment.
Please don’t expect things to improve overnight though. It can take time for the tendon and muscles to adapt and improve. You may also find heel raises are useful to reduce the stress on the Achilles tendon while you are doing the rehabilitation, however, if they are uncomfortable, causing an increase in pain or other any other issues, then please remove them.
The video below demonstrates a range exercises that might help in the initial stages. There are 7 exercises in total. Numbers 1-4 relate more to problems with the Achilles Tendon, however, you may find the others useful too.
More advanced/progressive loading exercises
As the initial exercises become easier and less painful, it is important to progress and make the rehabilitation more challenging in order to improve the strength and endurance of the muscle/tendon unit. This progression is vital to ensure that the muscles and tendon are capable of coping with whatever activity you want to return to. The video below shows 5 videos that will take you through this progression.
Please make sure that you are comfortable and ready before making the step up to more challenging rehabilitation, and if in doubt, stay with the current plan until you are.
Please note: If you do not see any sign of improvement after 6 – 8 weeks of following the advice and exercises, please phone 0141 347 8909 for more advice and support.
One of our aims as the Mental Health Improvement Team at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is to support and develop mental health improvement activity across the Board area. All areas of our work are underpinned by equality, diversity and inclusion. As an organisation we are opposed to all forms of prejudice and believe that everyone should be treated fairly regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership status, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.
On this page, we will be curating a diverse range of programmes and interventions that promote equality and anti-discriminatory approaches to mental health improvement.
As we continue to add to it over time, it will provide a range of information and resources and signposting to effective initiatives that have been proven to be effective to address equality, diversity, and inclusion to improve and support mental health and wellbeing.
We invite you to explore this page and discover the many ways teams and organisations are making a positive impact on the mental health and wellbeing of our diverse population across Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
LGBT Charter of Rights 2024
The LGBT Charter is a programme that enables your organisation to proactively include LGBTQ+ people in every aspect of your work, protecting your staff and ensuring that you are providing a high-quality service.
This strategic discussion paper provides an understanding of equalities in mental health and wellbeing, during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic in the area of Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
It identifies three aspects that are key to facilitating equalities in mental health and wellbeing; capabilities of the population, personal and professional relationships, and service providers.
This Showcase event brought together colleagues from across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (and beyond), from Mental Health Services, Health Improvement, and Third Sector Organisations.
It looked to share work that has been funded by the Mental Health Programme Strategy Board and linked to Third Sector activity under the Scottish Government’s Winter Social Well-being Fund.
In the event report, you’ll read about the range of work that has been undertaken across the area, and some of the key learnings, insights, and priorities that have been identified as part of this that can help to inform your future work.
This page shares information on self-harm work happening across Greater Glasgow and Clyde along with some useful resources and suggested reading.
What is self-harm?
Self-harm is an act that is intended to cause harm to one-self but which is not intended to result in death. It is often described by those who self-harm as a way of coping with emotional pain and of surviving distressing experiences. It is not a suicide attempt. Read our case study about developing a sustainable model of self-harm training delivery across Education Services in each of the six Health and Social Care Partnership’s in Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Suicide and Self-Harm – NHSGGC and Self-Harm | NHS inform.
Why should we focus on self-harm?
Self-harm is a growing public health concern. Self-harm is complex and it can be difficult to understand, both for the individual involved and for those around them who want to provide support. Stigma, discrimination and fear of being judged can stop people from disclosing their self-harm, making it difficult to keep records and have an accurate idea of scale. It is almost impossible to say how many individuals are using self-harm as a coping strategy, although data estimates that 1 in 6 people aged 16-24 have self-harmed at some point in their lives. The majority of those who self-harm do not go on to take their own life but a minority do and a small proportion of people who deliberately self-harm are at increased risk of subsequently taking their own life.
How you can get involved in supporting those using self-harm as a coping strategy
What’s the Harm Self-Harm Awareness and Skills Training Resource
What’s the Harm Self-Harm Awareness and Skills Training is a one day training course that seeks to standardise understanding of and responses to self-harm when used as a coping strategy. It has been informed by a wide range of existing work on self-harm from services supporting people who self-harm, research teams and those with lived experience of self-harm. The training recognises self-harm as a coping strategy, a response to distress and a means to keep living. It makes the distinction between suicide and self-harm whilst recognising that there are links between the two.
The NHSGGC self-harm forum is a group of trainers who have successfully completed the ‘What’s the Harm Self-harm awareness and skills Train the Trainer course. Trainers come from Health Improvement, Education and Third Sector.
The forum meets quarterly to keep abreast of national and board developments, share training updates and good practice and develop resources. The group reports to the NHSGGC Suicide Prevention Group and local structures as required. To find out more about the work of the forum, contact ggc.mhead@nhs.scot*.
*Please note that this is a generic admin inbox and not monitored immediately. If you, or someone you know are in distress and need an immediate response call the emergency services on 999 or NHS 24 on 111.
Resources
Self-Harm Resources and Supports is a comprehensive resource for staff providing support and advice to people who may be self-harming containing information on learning, resources, helplines, websites, apps and keeping safe.
A resource pack for teachers and professionals working with children and young people (upper primary onwards). It includes teaching support materials and further information in the form of signposting to external resources and advice services, references, and linked where relevant to the Curriculum for Excellence and other national guidance. Download via the links below:
We have gathered a range of different papers and reports which will provide you with helpful background reading on self-harm.
An Introduction to Self-harm: an evaluation summary from student wellbeing staff at Glasgow Caledonian University who attended an introduction session to self-harm.
Self-harm Strategy and Action Plan 2023-2027: Scotland’s first dedicated self-harm strategy and action plan aims for anyone affected by self-harm to receive compassionate support, without fear of stigma or discrimination.
Read our report: A partnership between the University of Strathclyde and the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Mental Health Improvement Team to build self-harm capacity for local training delivery within the University.
Read our case study about developing a sustainable model of self-harm training delivery across Education Services in each of the 6 Health and Social Care Partnership’s in Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
NHS Inform – Information about self-harm, including signs, causes, and treatment options.
“It’s not safe and consistent”: Read our report sharing the lived experiences of young people using social media who have experience of self-harm, including the potential risks and protective factors social media offers them.
This page shares information on suicide prevention activity happening across Greater Glasgow and Clyde along with some useful resources and suggested reading.
Suicide prevention is everyone’s business.
Sources of Support
For some people they might be finding it difficult to cope and may think of ending their life, if you are concerned about an individual’s mental health and wellbeing and feel they may be in distress, the GP should be their first point of contact or contact NHS 24 on 111. If you feel the individual is in immediate danger please call 999.
The topic of suicide can be emotional and triggering for some, support is always available, and you may find the below information useful.
Breathing Space
A free helpline for individuals experiencing symptoms of low mood, depression, or anxiety, and offers free and confidential advice for individuals over the age of 16. They can be contacted on 0800 838 587, 6.00pm to 2.00am Monday to Thursday; and from 6pm Friday throughout the weekend to 6am Monday.
Childline
For children and young people, for whenever they need support or advice. It is open 24/7, and there are many ways to get support. You can call 0800 1111. Other ways are set out on their website: www.childline.org.uk
NHS 24 Mental Health Hub
Telephone advice and support on healthcare can be obtained from NHS24 by phoning 111; the Mental Health Hub is open 24/7.
Samaritans
Provide confidential non-judgemental emotional support 24 hours a day for people who are experiencing feelings of distress or despair. You can contact Samaritans free by phoning 116 123 or via email on jo@samaritans.org.
SHOUT
A free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging support service for anyone who is struggling to cope. Text SHOUT to 85258.
Why Suicide Prevention?
Suicide is a significant public health issue. In 2023, 792 probable deaths by suicide were in Scotland. Every life lost to suicide is an enormous tragedy. And every life lost leaves devastating and long lasting impacts on families, friends and communities. Up to 135 people can be affected in some way by every suicide. Suicide is preventable and is everyone’s business.
How you can get involved in Suicide Prevention work across Greater Glasgow and Clyde
There is a commitment from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to local action planning and delivery to prevent suicide, through the development of a Suicide Prevention Concordat and planning group structures. These include the overarching NHSGGC Suicide Prevention Group and two subgroups, Youth and Young Adults and Suicide Prevention training, where all suicide prevention developments and activity are co-ordinated.
Find out more about some of the key Suicide Prevention progress and activity across NHSGGC over the last two years here, and watch the video below:
For more information on the Suicide Prevention Groups contact: ggc.mhead@nhs.scot.
Please note that this is a generic admin inbox and not monitored immediately. If you, or someone you know are in distress and need an immediate response call the emergency services on 999 or NHS 24 on111.
All Suicide Prevention Resources
Suicide Alert resources: for staff working in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area to support you if you are talking with someone who may be at risk of suicide. It explains the ‘ALERT’ model and provides some ideas for putting it into practice, as well as useful information about support services and suicide prevention resources. Resources include a briefing note and a generic prompt sheet and a Glasgow City specific prompt sheet. A resource directory of mental health APPS, helplines and websites to support staff with signposting and sharing of information that is appropriate to need.
Mental Health Pocket Guide: provides details for a mental health support organisation in each of the 6 Health and Social Care Partnerships; Glasgow City, Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire, East Dunbartonshire and West Dunbartonshire. Provides helpful tips for looking after your mental health and wellbeing and who to contact if you feel someone is in distress.
GAMH YouTube: GAMH and Glasgow City HSCP have created a playlist of videos called: Being there for someone at risk of suicide – A guide to taking care of Yourself and Others.
Being There For Someone at Risk of Suicide: A resource developed by GAMH and Glasgow City HSCP which is here for people who care about someone who has tried to take their own life, or are worried that they might. If you, or someone you know is in immediate danger, e.g. has a plan for suicide and the means to carry out this plan, call 999.
United To Prevent Suicide: is a social movement of people from all across Scotland, we are united in a shared belief that each and every one of us has a role to play in preventing suicide.
Snapshot Exercise: The Youth & Young Adults Suicide Prevention Group carried out a snapshot exercise in 2021 with 32 stakeholders to gain a picture of youth suicide prevention supports, interventions, collaborative working, referral pathways and examples of good practice.
NHS GG&C Capacity Building Contract Report: SAMH’s Workplace and Corporate Engagement Team worked with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Mental Health Improvement Team between April 2020 to March 2024, to deliver a variety of different training courses as part of the NHS Capacity Building Contract. The report summarises the training delivery and evaluation over the last 4 years.
This page provides information on Infant, Early Years, and Maternal Mental Health including resources, useful reading, and shares some of the work happening across Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
What is Infant, Early Years, and Maternal Mental Health?
Maternal Mental Health: also known as Perinatal Mental Health refers to mental health during pregnancy and up to one year after the baby is born. During this period new and expectant parents (mums, dads, partners) can experience issues with their mental health. These illnesses can be mild, moderate or severe, requiring different kinds of care or treatment.
Infant and Early Years Mental Health: An infant is a child from birth until about 1 year old, while the ‘Early Years’ refers to children who are under the age of five. Infant and early years mental health therefore is about the social and emotional wellbeing and development of children in the earliest years of life. It reflects whether children have the secure, responsive relationships that they need to thrive. It is often an overlooked and misunderstood subject.
Why should we focus on Infant, Early Years, and Maternal Mental Health?
Becoming a parent is often portrayed as a joyous time, however for many the reality is very different with reports showing that 1 in 5 women and 1 in 10 men and partners are affected by mental health problems during pregnancy and the first year after birth. The stigma and fear associated with perinatal mental health can leave those affected feeling inadequate as a parent, isolated, and vulnerable. It can impede or delay getting help, treatment, and recovery.
Whilst the perinatal period can be a vulnerable time for all women and their families, research highlights that those with protected characteristics including women of colour, LGBTQ and young parents are at greater risk of developing mental health problems. Their vulnerability is further intensified due to additional factors of culture and ethnicity, stigma attached to mental health, language barriers, poverty, discrimination, lack of awareness of supports available and many more.
Untreated perinatal mental health problems present a major public health concern and can have long-term impacts on the physical and mental health outcomes of mothers, babies, partners, and families. It is crucial that families are supported to have positive mental health and wellbeing during the perinatal period.
Exploring the experiences of the NHSGGC Perinatal and Infant Mental Health network in engaging with Black and Ethnic Minority women and their families during the perinatal period to support mental health and wellbeing. Read the report here along with a thematic analysis comparing the findings to other research papers.
How you can get involved in supporting Infant, Early Years, and Maternal Mental Health
The NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Mental Health Improvement Team have established a Perinatal and Infant Mental Health network to help deliver on the Infant and Maternal Mental Health agenda. The network is made up of partners from Health Improvement, Third Sector, Clinical Services, Social Work, Education, Health Visiting and many more.
The network meets monthly to keep up to date on national and board developments, work together to translate national policy into local meaningful actions, share good practice and hear from different services. The service spotlight section is an opportunity for partners and organisations to provide an overview of the services and supports they provide. If you would like to attend one of the meetings to promote your service please contact ggc.mhead@nhs.scot*.
*Please note that this is a generic admin inbox and not monitored immediately. If you, or someone you know are in distress and need an immediate response call the emergency services on 999or NHS24 on 111.
Watch our short clip below to find out more about the Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Network and the work we do.
Read how our NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Network are translating recommendations from the Delivering Effective Services: Needs Assessment and Service Recommendations for Specialist and Universal Perinatal Mental Health Services (2018) into local action.
The network works closely with Fathers Network Scotland to build capacity around understanding and awareness of paternal and partner mental health. Read more about the work here.
Building partnerships between the Greater Glasgow and Clyde Perinatal Service and Third Sector organisations, read about our Conversation Workshops here.
The Early Years Mental Health Improvement Framework
This framework has been created as a planning tool to help support those working with babies and young children who are under 5 and their parents/carers to plan and deliver mental health improvement activities. It outlines the range of themes that evidence shows promotes positive mental health in the early years and highlights factors that both threaten and support good mental health.
Policy Mapping Document: A document illustrating how the framework links to some of the key policy drivers for early years mental health and how they interconnect.
Evidence briefings: A series of documents highlighting evidence that underpins each element of the framework:
Voice of the Infant Best Practice Guidelines and Infant Pledge
The Scottish Government has published the Voice of the Infant Best Practice Guidelines and Infant Pledge. Co-produced by a short-life working group, on behalf of the Infant Mental Health Implementation and Advisory Group, which was part of the Scottish Government’s Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Programme Board, the new guidelines provide direction on how to take account of infants’ views and rights in all encounters.
The guidelines offer suggestions on how those who work with babies and very young children can notice, facilitate and share the infant’s feelings, ideas and preferences that they communicate through their gaze, body language and vocalisations. The Infant Pledge states clearly what babies and very young children should expect from those around them, and can be printed off as a poster.
This is an educational film that has been produced to help those suffering from Perinatal Health Conditions – mother’s experiences to help other mothers.
Perinatal Mental Health Posters
A series of posters and supporting animations, developed by Public Health Scotland targeting mums, partners and staff to help raise awareness of mental health during the perinatal period.
We have gathered a range of different papers and reports which will provide you with helpful background reading into infant and maternal mental health.
From Bumps to Bundles: a research paper exploring Perinatal Mental Health in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
This page provides information about mental health stigma and discrimination, including information about how you can get involved to help tackle it, helpful resources, and further reading.
What is mental health stigma and discrimination?
Mental health problems can be challenging for people, but it can be made worse by having to deal with stigma and discrimination from others, or from ourselves.
Stigma is “The negative attitudes or beliefs based on a preconception, misunderstanding or fear of mental health”.
Discrimination is “When a person performs an action, whether they mean to or not, that creates barriers and inequality for people with lived experience of mental health problems”.
Why is mental health stigma and discrimination an issue we should focus on?
According to research by See Me, Scotland’s national anti-stigma programme, more than two-thirds (71%) of people with mental health problems in Scotland experience stigma and discrimination. In addition, 1 in 3 young people in every classroom will experience a mental health problem, and 3 in 4 say that they fear the reaction of their friends.
The impact of stigma and discrimination can be wide-ranging, including making someone’s mental health problems worse and stopping them from getting support. That’s why it’s so important we all play our part to challenge stigma and discrimination.
How you can get involved to challenge mental health stigma and discrimination
Join See Me’s movement
There are lots of ways that you can get involved to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination. You can join thousands of people across Scotland by taking part in See Me’s movement for change. Visit See Me’s website to get all the tools and resources you might need to take action – we have listed some of them below in the ‘Resources’ section too.
Get inspired by participants in our Anti-Stigma Fund
You could also get inspiration from others who are doing great work in this area. For several years, the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Healthy Minds Network ran an Anti-Stigma Fund, inviting creative bids from organisations to help address some of the issues surrounding mental health stigma and discrimination. To find out more about some of the projects that received funding, you can read our Glasgow City-Based Case Study, or have a look through some of the other projects detailed below:
Youth Inspired – Mental Health Stigma Amongst Young People
This video was funded by the Healthy Minds Network’s Anti-Stigma Fund. It was co-produced by a group of young people who worked with Youth Inspired, formerly Youth Interventions, and a professional videographer to show the mental health stigma that they have faced.
Mental Health Stigma and Chronic Conditions
The animation below was funded by the Healthy Minds Network’s Anti-Stigma Fund. It was developed by the Teapot Trust and a group of young people with chronic physical conditions to show what it’s like to have a chronic physical health condition, and how it can impact someone’s mental health.
Helpful Resources
We have listed below a range of resources that will help you tackle mental health stigma and discrimination across the life course:
General
Healthy Minds Awareness-Raising Resource: An awareness-raising session offering an introduction to mental health stigma and discrimination that is free to download and can be used by anyone (session number 15).
“Let’s Chat” tool: A tool from See Me that provides guidance, tips, and scenarios for line managers and supervisors to start open and honest conversations about mental health in the workplace.
Perinatal and Infant
Perinatal and Infant Good Practice Guide: A resource to support Health Care Workers, Third Sector Partners, and any community organisations that are in contact with, supporting and/or working with new and expectant parents. It is underpinned by the nine protected characteristics as set out in the Equality Act (2010).
Young people
“What’s on your Mind?”: A pack to support teachers and young people to learn about mental health and develop the skills and confidence to tackle stigma and discrimination in school and the wider community.
FeelsFM: An emoji jukebox that can be used to host conversations with young people, to get their views on mental health and how to tackle stigma.
Further Reading
We have gathered a range of different papers and reports which will provide you with helpful background reading into Anti-stigma and discrimination.
See Me in work e-Learning Portal: An online programme to help you understand more about mental health stigma and discrimination in work.
The Scottish Mental Illness Stigma Study (2022): Shares the findings from a survey with adults in Scotland who identified as living with severe, complex and/or enduring mental illness where they described the ways in which they experienced stigma and discrimination in the last 12 months.
Please email the team at ggc.mhead@nhs.scot* with any questions about Anti-stigma and Discrimination.
*Please note that this is a generic admin inbox and not monitored immediately. If you, or someone you know are indistress and need an immediate response call the emergency services on 999or NHS 24 on 111.
This page shares information on mental health training and capacity building opportunities available to the public health workforce across Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Scotland’s 10-year Mental Health Strategy (2017-2027) puts a strong emphasis on the importance of training and building capacity across the public mental health workforce to promote positive mental health and wellbeing.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) and its partners are working together to ensure we meet these strategic outcomes via our Board’s mental health and wellbeing workstream. It recognises the importance of ensuring staff working with people across GGC are equipped and confident to support and promote positive mental health and wellbeing and respond to those in distress.
Building Mental Health Improvement Capacity across Greater Glasgow and Clyde
Mental Health Improvement Training and Capacity Building Calendar
There are no training opportunities planned for the foreseeable future.
Mental Health Improvement, Self-harm and Suicide Prevention Training Pathway
Our NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Mental Health Improvement, Self-harm and Suicide Prevention Training Pathway reflects the NHS Education for Scotland Mental Health Improvement and Suicide Prevention Framework; Scotland’s Knowledge and Skills Framework for Mental Health Improvement, Self-harm and Suicide Prevention.
The pathway is a tool to encourage the public health workforce to progressively build their knowledge and skills relevant to their role and responsibilities in the area of mental health. The resource is not a training calendar but rather a reference and guidance document to help individuals, teams and organisations explore potential training opportunities that are available, and whilst not exhaustive it can support navigation through the relevant and appropriate levels according to roles.
Running your Own Mental Health Session
Healthy Minds
Healthy Minds is an awareness-raising resource that supports delivery of the public mental health agenda. It aims to promote basic awareness and understanding of mental health and covers a variety of topics that can impact people’s mental health and wellbeing. Anyone can deliver a Healthy Minds session – you don’t need previous experience and the sessions are completely free to download and adapt to suit your own purposes. Visit the Healthy Minds page to find out more Healthy Minds Resource – NHSGGC.
