Background

The ireach project was set up in early 2000 as a pilot scheme aimed at providing adults with severe and enduring mental illnesses with innovative types of support to enable them to live independently in their own homes in the community.

The project was funded by the NHS Management Executive through the Mental Health Development Fund in its first year, and continuation has been obtained since then from Western Isles Health Board (later NHS Western Isles) and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.

The project can assist people by providing them with social support in their own homes or within the community, to enable them to access educational, social and leisure facilities, or by providing additional goods or services as part of a process of reducing the social isolation that people with mental health needs often experience.  It will provide financial support such as travelling expenses for both users of the service and support staff.

The project also includes the provision of information to services users, carers, staff and the general public.  This website forms part of this.

Organisation of the Project

The project is operated by a multi-agency panel drawn from the Western Isles Mental Health Partnership and is administered by Western Isles Association for Mental Health (WIAMH).  The project is designed to be as flexible as possible in meeting the needs of people referred to it.

Examples of the type of support that has been provided to date are:

  • travelling expenses to enable someone to access a college course;
  • funding to purchase a bicycle to reduce social isolation for a person living alone in a remote rural area;
  • tuition in a person’s own home to stimulate their interest and skills in painting and artwork;
  • tuition and equipment to revitalise someone’s interest in playing a musical instrument;
  • funding of a course of driving lessons;
  • the payment of expenses to help someone meet a friend for lunch on a regular basis.

This support may be provided by a variety of people, to be identified by the person making the referral.  Some support workers are independent contractors with particular skills and expertise.  Others are staff employed by agencies such as NHS, CnES, Penumbra and Crossreach (Church of Scotland).  They are matched up with specific people depending on their particular skills, experience and expertise, and on the needs of the individual service users.  Users are fully involved in this process.