Rethink Mental Illness

Rethink Mental Illness
Mh201102 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Name	Rethink Mental Illness
Formation	1972
Type	Charity
Headquarters	England
Region served	United Kingdom
Services	Mental health services, advocacy, crisis support, peer support

Rethink Mental Illness is a major UK-based charity providing support, campaigning, and information for people affected by severe mental illness. It operates a network of local services, national campaigns, and research initiatives across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, engaging with policymakers, clinical bodies, and voluntary sector partners. The organisation works alongside health trusts, charitable foundations, and professional associations to influence service delivery and public attitudes.

History

Founded in 1972 amid changes in postwar social provision and psychiatric practice, the charity emerged during debates involving figures such as Ewan Cameron, Franz Fanon, Erving Goffman, Michael Foucault, and policy shifts following the Mental Health Act 1959. Early development intersected with campaigns linked to groups like Mind (charity), SANE (charity), National Health Service (England), and community-based movements associated with activists inspired by cases publicised in outlets such as the BBC and The Guardian. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s it expanded local services in collaboration with bodies including NHS England, Care Quality Commission, Royal College of Psychiatrists, and municipal councils influenced by reviews such as the Millan Committee and period reports from the House of Commons.

Mission and Objectives

The organisation sets objectives aligned with improving outcomes for people diagnosed with conditions commonly classified as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and severe depression, positioning itself within policy debates involving Department of Health and Social Care, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, World Health Organization, and human rights frameworks like the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Strategic goals include reducing social exclusion similar to campaigns led by Crisis (charity), promoting parity of esteem as advocated alongside Royal College of Nursing, and influencing commissioning practices used by entities such as Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) structures and the Care Act 2014 implementation.

Services and Programs

Services span crisis helplines, peer support groups, supported housing, employment programs, and community psychosocial interventions working with partners like Turning Point (charity), Shelter (charity), Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction trainers, and local health trusts including Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust. Program models reference evidence from trials conducted by institutions such as King's College London, University College London, University of Oxford, and service-design influences from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Delivery sites often liaise with statutory commissioners, housing associations such as Sheltered Housing providers, and social care teams guided by protocols similar to those from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Campaigns and Advocacy

Public campaigns have targeted legislative change, crisis care reform, and stigma reduction, running national initiatives that engage media outlets like BBC Radio 4, Channel 4, and newspapers including The Independent and The Times. Advocacy work has included submissions to parliamentary inquiries such as those by the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee and collaborations with coalitions involving Mind (charity), Rethink Mental Illness UK partners, and human rights NGOs referencing jurisprudence from institutions like the European Court of Human Rights. High-profile supporters and spokespeople have included public figures associated with Prince's Trust, celebrity advocates who have worked with Heads Together, and clinicians from Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Research and Publications

The charity produces reports, policy briefings, and guides informed by research from academic centres such as London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, University of Manchester, University of Cambridge, and specialist units like the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health. Publications address topics comparable to studies by National Audit Office and policy think tanks including Institute for Public Policy Research and King's Fund, covering service models, economic costings, and lived-experience narratives. Outputs inform clinical practice, commissioning, and third-sector strategy documents citing standards from National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Governance and Funding

Governance structures include a board of trustees drawn from professional and lived-experience sectors; oversight practices mirror charity governance guidance from the Charity Commission for England and Wales and reporting frameworks similar to those used by large nonprofits such as Cancer Research UK and British Red Cross. Income sources combine statutory contracts with NHS bodies, grants from foundations like Big Lottery Fund and Atlantic Philanthropies, corporate partnerships, and public fundraising campaigns comparable to those run by Macmillan Cancer Support and Barnardo's.

Criticism and Controversies

Like many large charities, it has faced scrutiny over commissioning decisions, service closures linked to austerity debates discussed in reports by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, and tensions between professionalized provision and grassroots advocacy as observed in analyses by Third Sector and commentators in The Guardian. Critiques have arisen regarding transparency, outcome measurement compared with benchmarks from Care Quality Commission inspections, and strategic priorities debated in forums including the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Mental Health.

Category:Mental health organisations in the United Kingdom