News & Events | Community Housing and Therapy

29.06.22

NICE publishes new depression guideline – CHT’s view: not as bad as it was, not as good as it should be

NICE has this week published its new clinical guideline for depression in adults, following a guideline development process that lasted seven years and resulted in an unprecedented three consultations. The delay follows the persistence of our coalition of stakeholders, that saw Community Housing and Therapy (CHT) join forces with more than forty other mental health organisations to call on NICE to address major methodological flaws that underpinned previous drafts of the guideline.

Never has a draft treatment guideline in the UK received so much scrutiny and detailed attention, and the final version of the guideline has dramatically improved as a consequence. There is now a stronger focus on personalised care and a significant emphasis on the importance of service user choice and shared decision-making – all of which were notably absent from previous drafts. These changes should result in significant improvements in care for people with depression as the guideline is implemented.

Our coalition of stakeholders has brought together mental health organisations from across the UK, representing service users; professionals from psychiatry, psychology, social work, counselling and psychotherapy; research methodologists; GPs; pharmacists; nurses; and mental health charities and survivor-led organisations. Together we have argued strongly that the draft guideline wasn’t fit for purpose and that the resulting treatment recommendations would be misleading and impede good care and patient choice. The campaign received support from over 100 MPs and Peers from across all the major parties.

While NICE has not addressed all the key methodological issues we have raised, the significant efforts made by the Guideline Committee and the substantial additional work that has been carried out in response to our concerns and critique needs to be acknowledged. We hope NICE will learn from this process as future mental health guidelines are developed.

It is also important to stress that, despite the improvements, important methodological issues remain unaddressed which means that the guidelines are still likely to negatively affect treatment options for many people experiencing depression. Our coalition will continue to work together to encourage NICE to adapt its guideline development process – to ensure the growing number of people seeking mental health care are supported to find the right treatment for them.

What other people have said:

The coalition has been spearheaded by Dr Felicitas Rost, former President of the Society for Psychotherapy Research UK. She said: ‘We welcome the enormous efforts made by NICE to engage with our coalition and the substantial additional work that has been carried out in response to our concerns. We now have a much-improved guideline with a far greater emphasis on personalised care, service user choice and shared decision-making.

‘There are still, however, important methodological issues with this guideline that need to be addressed in the future, some of which are relevant to all mental health treatment guidelines. We look forward to working with NICE to address these, to ensure that mental health care improves as demand continues to rise.’

Sir Norman Lamb, former Health Minister, who, as an MP, led the parliamentary support for the coalition, said: ‘I am pleased to see a depression guideline that puts emphasis on personalised care, providing a genuine choice of treatments, and encourages clinicians to think more carefully before prescribing medication. These changes will undoubtedly have a positive impact on care for many people with depression.

‘It is vital that NICE learns lessons from this process and engages closely with organisations from across the mental health sector in developing future guidelines. The number of people needing mental health support is sadly growing quickly, and it is vital that clinical guidelines best reflect the needs and experiences of those they are designed to help.’

Adam Jones, Policy and Public Affairs Manager for the UK Council for Psychotherapy, said: ‘This updated guideline takes important steps to improve the care of people with depression. It is vital that anyone seeking help is aware that they have a say in their care and can be supported to find the right treatment for them – different things work for different people.

Matthew Smith-Lilley, Policy and Engagement Lead for Mental Health for the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, said: ‘This updated guideline is an important evolution from the previous 2009 version, with the changes ensuring that more people with depression will have access to a broader range of effective interventions. However, it falls short of the full package of changes needed to secure better care for all – for some people with depression this guideline will still not fully meet their individual care needs.

‘We hope that NICE have found the input and expertise from stakeholders such as the Coalition valuable – if challenging at times – and will seek to build on that dialogue in the development of future guidelines.’

Click here to download the stakeholder position statement

07.09.21

We finally got back to our celebrated CHT BBQs after an absence during Covid restrictions last year.

Highams Lodge, Mount Lodge and Lilias Gillies House all hosted us over the summer. Each service put on a fantastic array of food and it was really special to be together in person seeing old faces and meeting new ones too!

02.08.21

Check out Lilias Gillies House’s virtual art show – ‘Splendid Isolation’ by clicking here.

Residents and staff contributed some lovely artwork with pieces available to buy.

‘Whirlwind’ by RoM

08.10.20

CHT is joining the Annual TCTC conference this year on 9th – 11th of November. The title for this years event is ‘Therapeutic Communities Today, and Tomorrow…?’ and our section will focus on Keyworking and Therapy in times of Coronavirus.

Click here for more information and to register.

25.09.20

Some of our supporters took part in a charity sky dive to raise money for CHT. We are so grateful to Carenza, Josh and Mariquita for being brave enough to do this. They jumped from 13,000 ft on Sunday the 13th September and have managed to raise over £4,000 for the charity. Click here to see some more pictures from the day and there is still time to donate to us here.

01.07.20

We have been given the excellent news that we have received another grant from the London Community Response Fund and we are incredibly grateful. The City Bridge Trust has done an amazing job organising this fund and we would like to say thank you to everyone that contributed. Check out our linked page and make sure to follow for more updates.

18.05.20

The coronavirus pandemic has been a very challenging time and it has forced us to adapt how we do things. One of our psychotherapists has written about her experiences adapting to virtual therapy sessions. Check out our LinkedIn page to read the full article.

18.05.20

We would like to say thank you to the Edward Gostling Foudation for agreeing to give us a grant to support out servcies during the Covid-19 Crisis. The Foundation has awarded us a generous grant that will help our charity and our beneficaireis through this time. Click here for some more information.

14.05.20

The City Bridge Trust has awarded us with a grant towards personal protective equipment, to keep out staff safe. and electronic equipment, so our residents are better able to keep in contact with their friends and family This was awarded as part of the London Community Response Fund which was put together to help London charities at this difficult time. Thank you to the City Bride Trust for helping to keep out staff safe and making sure our residents are supported through the Covid-19 Pandemic. Click here to have a look at our LinkedIn page and follow to stay informed with what we are up to.

07.02.20

CHT are delighted to announce that we have been awarded a Grant from the People’s Postcode Lottery. A big thank you to the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery for their support. Click here to check out the plaque we received from them. This Grant will go a long way in supporting people who have experience on complex mental health problems.

06.12.19

We had our residents Christmas lunch yesterday where we enjoyed party games and some excellent food. We used a room at Wheatsheaf hall which was a great space for the event and we’d like to say thank you to everyone who came along. Click here to see some pictures from the event.

02.12.19

Last week we had the last committee of the year where we decided how we will be spending the money we have received for the activities fund. The committee has approved some interesting and creative bids and thank you to everyone who took part. We wouldn’t be able to do this without our wonderful funders so thank you to the Vernon N Ely Trust and the Souter Charitable Trust. Click here to see some pictures from the day.

15.11.19

A big thank you to the Souter Trust for their grant towards our Theraputic Activities Group. It is very important to include our beneficiaries in the decisions of the organisation and as part of this, our activities committee, made up of residents and staff, evaluates activity ideas from the services and distributes money to the best idea. This process allows our beneficiaries to have a real say in what is going on. The committee is meeting at the end of this month, so we are excited to see what our beneficiaries come up with. Click here for more information.

15.11.19

CHT has been given a grant from The Percy Bilton Charity to support our Therapeutic office redesign project at our service Fairhall Court. The beneficiaries and staff have put together a plan for a redesign that will give the social space some more usability and a friendlier atmosphere. The Percy Bilton Charity have given us the money for our sensory corner, something that can be a great benefit to people suffering from mental health issues. Thank you to the Percy Bilton Charity. Click here to see some more information about them.

15.11.19

We are delighted to announce that CHT has been selected to take part in the Co-op Local Community Fund. If you are a member, you can choose us as a cause to support. Click here to see our page and share the link with all the members you know. Thank you to the Co-op Local Community fund for your support to our charity.

11.10.19

Yesterday was world mental health day and the staff and residents of Lilias Gillies House celebrated with an open day. They included an art exhibition of their work as it is always fantastic to see the talent in the service (see below). We had the chance to meet some neighbours and it was a great day to think about the excellent work that takes place in the service. Thank you to the Maudsley charity and the Time to Smile grant programme for funding the day and thank you to the residents and staff for all the hard work they put in. Click here to see some more pictures on our LinkedIn page.

06.09.19

Mount Lodge hosted the last of CHT’s summer BBQs this week and they did a fantastic job. The food was amazing and a couple of us took a trip to the beach afterwards. Thanks you so much to all the residents and staff for all their hard work. Click here to see some pictures from the day.

23.08.19

This week we had our second Fundraising Committee of the year and there was a great turnout. Thank you so much to everyone who took part and it was a very productive meeting. Fundraising bids are so much stronger when they are coproduced with service users meaning involvement from our services is crucial. Click here to see some pictures from the day.

15.08.19

Highams Lodge held an Art Festival for the local community on 8th August 2019. This was funded by The Mayor of London’s Borough of Culture and Waltham Forest Borough of Culture 2019. Local residents joined in craft activities and Highams Lodge residents held an exhibition of their wonderful art work in their garden room. The event was a great success, with positive feedback from local residents, including asking if we could hold another one!

26.07.19

The Lilias Gillies House BBQ was an excellent day and happened to fall on the second hottest day in London ever. There was some amazing food and we managed to cool off with a water balloon fight. The residents and staff did an incredible job putting everything together. Click here to see pictures from the day.

19.07.19

Our newest service, Onkar House, has recently opened in Southall. We are working in partnership with Thinkcare Housing to provide a 24-hour, 6 bed shared house. Thinkcare Housing provides the housing management and CHT provides the psychosocial support and therapeutic components of the programme. Check out the CHT services section of the website for more information and click here to see pictures of the service.

15.07.19

Booking is now open for then International Network of Democratic Therapeutic Communities conference 2019. This event will bring together experts to discuss relational practice and more genuinely democratic ways of working in mental health services. Come and join the discussion at the Cassel Hospital on the 14th September 2019. Click here for more information.

05.07.19

Happy Co-Production week! An important part of CHT’s model is beneficiaries and staff learning from one another, resulting in Co-Production being at the centre of our approach. Residents are expected to increasingly take part in community groups and work together with staff and each other to achieve a particular purpose. One of these groups is our Fundraising committee where residents and staff get the opportunity to learn about fundraising and, last week, put together two fundraising bids that will be sent out later this month. Co-Production is an invaluable process that results in services users and staff being happier and healthier as well as, most importantly, an improved overall service. Here are some pictures of what we achieved at the fundraising committee.

21.06.19

The first CHT barbeque of the year was in May at George Dooley House. The residents and staff did a great job of organising and set a high bar for the rest of the services. Click here to see pictures of the day.

14.06.19

Last night we celebrated 25 years of CHT with the help of staff, residents and supporters from throughout the years. The October Gallery is an excellent venue with very helpful and friendly staff and was the perfect place to display art work by our residents. It is a great time to be part of the organisation with a very bright future ahead of us. Click here to see pictures from the evening.

11.06.19

We had a great time at the Highams Lodge BBQ last week with an excellent turn out. Thank you to the service who did a fantastic job cooking and decorating. Click here for more pictures of the day.

29.05.19

This years TCTC (The Consortium of Therapeutic Communities) Annual Windsor Conference is now open for bookings – the very last at Cumberland Lodge in Windsor – so one not to be missed! See link below for info and to book.

https://www.therapeuticcommunities.org/events/2019-windsor-conference/

13.05.19

To mark the start of Mental Health Awareness Week which runs from 13th-19th May 2019, CHT would like to celebrate residents and staff at Highams Lodge taking part in a local Art Trail over the weekend as part of the Waltham Forest London Borough of Culture 2019.

Being part of the local community and finding meaningful occupation is key to recovery for our residents and promoting good mental health as it is for all of us. A fun day was had by all of the community and the service will have it’s own Art Festival in July! Click here for more pictures from the day.

18.04.19
A big thanks to National Lottery Community Fund for supporting us and to Lillevilla for their amazing work in building the Garden Room. This will provide an extra space to Highams Lodge and is the first phase of our therapeutic garden project. Click for more information

20.03.19
CHT is now registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as a community-based service for people with mental health problems providing Treatment of Disease, Disorder and Injury (TDDI)! Click for more information

14.03.19
Latest edition of CHaT Newsletter – CHT’s Resident led newsletter, this edition has been produced by staff and residents at Fairhall Court & George Dooley House.

03.01.19
CHT Featured in Waltham Forest Echo on the benefits of outdoor space on mental health – see page 5 for feature written by, Natalie our Head of Relationships.

05.12.18

Latest edition of CHaT Newsletter – CHT’s Resident led newsletter, this edition has been produced by staff and residents at Mount Lodge.

07.09.21

We finally got back to our celebrated CHT BBQs after an absence during Covid restrictions last year.

Highams Lodge, Mount Lodge and Lilias Gillies House all hosted us over the summer. Each service put on a fantastic array of food and it was really special to be together in person seeing old faces and meeting new ones too!

02.08.21

Check out Lilias Gillies House’s virtual art show – ‘Splendid Isolation’ by clicking here.

Residents and staff contributed some lovely artwork with pieces available to buy.

‘Whirlwind’ by RoM

08.10.20

CHT is joining the Annual TCTC conference this year on 9th – 11th of November. The title for this years event is ‘Therapeutic Communities Today, and Tomorrow…?’ and our section will focus on Keyworking and Therapy in times of Coronavirus.

Click here for more information and to register.

25.09.20

Some of our supporters took part in a charity sky dive to raise money for CHT. We are so grateful to Carenza, Josh and Mariquita for being brave enough to do this. They jumped from 13,000 ft on Sunday the 13th September and have managed to raise over £4,000 for the charity. Click here to see some more pictures from the day and there is still time to donate to us here.

01.07.20

We have been given the excellent news that we have received another grant from the London Community Response Fund and we are incredibly grateful. The City Bridge Trust has done an amazing job organising this fund and we would like to say thank you to everyone that contributed. Check out our linked page and make sure to follow for more updates.

18.05.20

The coronavirus pandemic has been a very challenging time and it has forced us to adapt how we do things. One of our psychotherapists has written about her experiences adapting to virtual therapy sessions. Check out our LinkedIn page to read the full article.

18.05.20

We would like to say thank you to the Edward Gostling Foudation for agreeing to give us a grant to support out servcies during the Covid-19 Crisis. The Foundation has awarded us a generous grant that will help our charity and our beneficaireis through this time. Click here for some more information.

14.05.20

The City Bridge Trust has awarded us with a grant towards personal protective equipment, to keep out staff safe. and electronic equipment, so our residents are better able to keep in contact with their friends and family This was awarded as part of the London Community Response Fund which was put together to help London charities at this difficult time. Thank you to the City Bride Trust for helping to keep out staff safe and making sure our residents are supported through the Covid-19 Pandemic. Click here to have a look at our LinkedIn page and follow to stay informed with what we are up to.

07.02.20

CHT are delighted to announce that we have been awarded a Grant from the People’s Postcode Lottery. A big thank you to the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery for their support. Click here to check out the plaque we received from them. This Grant will go a long way in supporting people who have experience on complex mental health problems.

06.12.19

We had our residents Christmas lunch yesterday where we enjoyed party games and some excellent food. We used a room at Wheatsheaf hall which was a great space for the event and we’d like to say thank you to everyone who came along. Click here to see some pictures from the event.

02.12.19

Last week we had the last committee of the year where we decided how we will be spending the money we have received for the activities fund. The committee has approved some interesting and creative bids and thank you to everyone who took part. We wouldn’t be able to do this without our wonderful funders so thank you to the Vernon N Ely Trust and the Souter Charitable Trust. Click here to see some pictures from the day.

15.11.19

A big thank you to the Souter Trust for their grant towards our Theraputic Activities Group. It is very important to include our beneficiaries in the decisions of the organisation and as part of this, our activities committee, made up of residents and staff, evaluates activity ideas from the services and distributes money to the best idea. This process allows our beneficiaries to have a real say in what is going on. The committee is meeting at the end of this month, so we are excited to see what our beneficiaries come up with. Click here for more information.

15.11.19

CHT has been given a grant from The Percy Bilton Charity to support our Therapeutic office redesign project at our service Fairhall Court. The beneficiaries and staff have put together a plan for a redesign that will give the social space some more usability and a friendlier atmosphere. The Percy Bilton Charity have given us the money for our sensory corner, something that can be a great benefit to people suffering from mental health issues. Thank you to the Percy Bilton Charity. Click here to see some more information about them.

15.11.19

We are delighted to announce that CHT has been selected to take part in the Co-op Local Community Fund. If you are a member, you can choose us as a cause to support. Click here to see our page and share the link with all the members you know. Thank you to the Co-op Local Community fund for your support to our charity.

11.10.19

Yesterday was world mental health day and the staff and residents of Lilias Gillies House celebrated with an open day. They included an art exhibition of their work as it is always fantastic to see the talent in the service (see below). We had the chance to meet some neighbours and it was a great day to think about the excellent work that takes place in the service. Thank you to the Maudsley charity and the Time to Smile grant programme for funding the day and thank you to the residents and staff for all the hard work they put in. Click here to see some more pictures on our LinkedIn page.

06.09.19

Mount Lodge hosted the last of CHT’s summer BBQs this week and they did a fantastic job. The food was amazing and a couple of us took a trip to the beach afterwards. Thanks you so much to all the residents and staff for all their hard work. Click here to see some pictures from the day.

23.08.19

This week we had our second Fundraising Committee of the year and there was a great turnout. Thank you so much to everyone who took part and it was a very productive meeting. Fundraising bids are so much stronger when they are coproduced with service users meaning involvement from our services is crucial. Click here to see some pictures from the day.

15.08.19

Highams Lodge held an Art Festival for the local community on 8th August 2019. This was funded by The Mayor of London’s Borough of Culture and Waltham Forest Borough of Culture 2019. Local residents joined in craft activities and Highams Lodge residents held an exhibition of their wonderful art work in their garden room. The event was a great success, with positive feedback from local residents, including asking if we could hold another one!

26.07.19

The Lilias Gillies House BBQ was an excellent day and happened to fall on the second hottest day in London ever. There was some amazing food and we managed to cool off with a water balloon fight. The residents and staff did an incredible job putting everything together. Click here to see pictures from the day.

19.07.19

Our newest service, Onkar House, has recently opened in Southall. We are working in partnership with Thinkcare Housing to provide a 24-hour, 6 bed shared house. Thinkcare Housing provides the housing management and CHT provides the psychosocial support and therapeutic components of the programme. Check out the CHT services section of the website for more information and click here to see pictures of the service.

15.07.19

Booking is now open for then International Network of Democratic Therapeutic Communities conference 2019. This event will bring together experts to discuss relational practice and more genuinely democratic ways of working in mental health services. Come and join the discussion at the Cassel Hospital on the 14th September 2019. Click here for more information.

05.07.19

Happy Co-Production week! An important part of CHT’s model is beneficiaries and staff learning from one another, resulting in Co-Production being at the centre of our approach. Residents are expected to increasingly take part in community groups and work together with staff and each other to achieve a particular purpose. One of these groups is our Fundraising committee where residents and staff get the opportunity to learn about fundraising and, last week, put together two fundraising bids that will be sent out later this month. Co-Production is an invaluable process that results in services users and staff being happier and healthier as well as, most importantly, an improved overall service. Here are some pictures of what we achieved at the fundraising committee.

21.06.19

The first CHT barbeque of the year was in May at George Dooley House. The residents and staff did a great job of organising and set a high bar for the rest of the services. Click here to see pictures of the day.

14.06.19

Last night we celebrated 25 years of CHT with the help of staff, residents and supporters from throughout the years. The October Gallery is an excellent venue with very helpful and friendly staff and was the perfect place to display art work by our residents. It is a great time to be part of the organisation with a very bright future ahead of us. Click here to see pictures from the evening.

11.06.19

We had a great time at the Highams Lodge BBQ last week with an excellent turn out. Thank you to the service who did a fantastic job cooking and decorating. Click here for more pictures of the day.

29.05.19

This years TCTC (The Consortium of Therapeutic Communities) Annual Windsor Conference is now open for bookings – the very last at Cumberland Lodge in Windsor – so one not to be missed! See link below for info and to book.

https://www.therapeuticcommunities.org/events/2019-windsor-conference/

13.05.19

To mark the start of Mental Health Awareness Week which runs from 13th-19th May 2019, CHT would like to celebrate residents and staff at Highams Lodge taking part in a local Art Trail over the weekend as part of the Waltham Forest London Borough of Culture 2019.

Being part of the local community and finding meaningful occupation is key to recovery for our residents and promoting good mental health as it is for all of us. A fun day was had by all of the community and the service will have it’s own Art Festival in July! Click here for more pictures from the day.

18.04.19
A big thanks to National Lottery Community Fund for supporting us and to Lillevilla for their amazing work in building the Garden Room. This will provide an extra space to Highams Lodge and is the first phase of our therapeutic garden project. Click for more information

20.03.19
CHT is now registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as a community-based service for people with mental health problems providing Treatment of Disease, Disorder and Injury (TDDI)! Click for more information

14.03.19
Latest edition of CHaT Newsletter – CHT’s Resident led newsletter, this edition has been produced by staff and residents at Fairhall Court & George Dooley House.

03.01.19
CHT Featured in Waltham Forest Echo on the benefits of outdoor space on mental health – see page 5 for feature written by, Natalie our Head of Relationships.

05.12.18

Latest edition of CHaT Newsletter – CHT’s Resident led newsletter, this edition has been produced by staff and residents at Mount Lodge.

07.09.21

We finally got back to our celebrated CHT BBQs after an absence during Covid restrictions last year.

Highams Lodge, Mount Lodge and Lilias Gillies House all hosted us over the summer. Each service put on a fantastic array of food and it was really special to be together in person seeing old faces and meeting new ones too!

02.08.21

Check out Lilias Gillies House’s virtual art show – ‘Splendid Isolation’ by clicking here.

Residents and staff contributed some lovely artwork with pieces available to buy.

‘Whirlwind’ by RoM

08.10.20

CHT is joining the Annual TCTC conference this year on 9th – 11th of November. The title for this years event is ‘Therapeutic Communities Today, and Tomorrow…?’ and our section will focus on Keyworking and Therapy in times of Coronavirus.

Click here for more information and to register.

25.09.20

Some of our supporters took part in a charity sky dive to raise money for CHT. We are so grateful to Carenza, Josh and Mariquita for being brave enough to do this. They jumped from 13,000 ft on Sunday the 13th September and have managed to raise over £4,000 for the charity. Click here to see some more pictures from the day and there is still time to donate to us here.

01.07.20

We have been given the excellent news that we have received another grant from the London Community Response Fund and we are incredibly grateful. The City Bridge Trust has done an amazing job organising this fund and we would like to say thank you to everyone that contributed. Check out our linked page and make sure to follow for more updates.

18.05.20

The coronavirus pandemic has been a very challenging time and it has forced us to adapt how we do things. One of our psychotherapists has written about her experiences adapting to virtual therapy sessions. Check out our LinkedIn page to read the full article.

18.05.20

We would like to say thank you to the Edward Gostling Foudation for agreeing to give us a grant to support out servcies during the Covid-19 Crisis. The Foundation has awarded us a generous grant that will help our charity and our beneficaireis through this time. Click here for some more information.

14.05.20

The City Bridge Trust has awarded us with a grant towards personal protective equipment, to keep out staff safe. and electronic equipment, so our residents are better able to keep in contact with their friends and family This was awarded as part of the London Community Response Fund which was put together to help London charities at this difficult time. Thank you to the City Bride Trust for helping to keep out staff safe and making sure our residents are supported through the Covid-19 Pandemic. Click here to have a look at our LinkedIn page and follow to stay informed with what we are up to.

07.02.20

CHT are delighted to announce that we have been awarded a Grant from the People’s Postcode Lottery. A big thank you to the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery for their support. Click here to check out the plaque we received from them. This Grant will go a long way in supporting people who have experience on complex mental health problems.

06.12.19

We had our residents Christmas lunch yesterday where we enjoyed party games and some excellent food. We used a room at Wheatsheaf hall which was a great space for the event and we’d like to say thank you to everyone who came along. Click here to see some pictures from the event.

02.12.19

Last week we had the last committee of the year where we decided how we will be spending the money we have received for the activities fund. The committee has approved some interesting and creative bids and thank you to everyone who took part. We wouldn’t be able to do this without our wonderful funders so thank you to the Vernon N Ely Trust and the Souter Charitable Trust. Click here to see some pictures from the day.

15.11.19

A big thank you to the Souter Trust for their grant towards our Theraputic Activities Group. It is very important to include our beneficiaries in the decisions of the organisation and as part of this, our activities committee, made up of residents and staff, evaluates activity ideas from the services and distributes money to the best idea. This process allows our beneficiaries to have a real say in what is going on. The committee is meeting at the end of this month, so we are excited to see what our beneficiaries come up with. Click here for more information.

15.11.19

CHT has been given a grant from The Percy Bilton Charity to support our Therapeutic office redesign project at our service Fairhall Court. The beneficiaries and staff have put together a plan for a redesign that will give the social space some more usability and a friendlier atmosphere. The Percy Bilton Charity have given us the money for our sensory corner, something that can be a great benefit to people suffering from mental health issues. Thank you to the Percy Bilton Charity. Click here to see some more information about them.

15.11.19

We are delighted to announce that CHT has been selected to take part in the Co-op Local Community Fund. If you are a member, you can choose us as a cause to support. Click here to see our page and share the link with all the members you know. Thank you to the Co-op Local Community fund for your support to our charity.

11.10.19

Yesterday was world mental health day and the staff and residents of Lilias Gillies House celebrated with an open day. They included an art exhibition of their work as it is always fantastic to see the talent in the service (see below). We had the chance to meet some neighbours and it was a great day to think about the excellent work that takes place in the service. Thank you to the Maudsley charity and the Time to Smile grant programme for funding the day and thank you to the residents and staff for all the hard work they put in. Click here to see some more pictures on our LinkedIn page.

06.09.19

Mount Lodge hosted the last of CHT’s summer BBQs this week and they did a fantastic job. The food was amazing and a couple of us took a trip to the beach afterwards. Thanks you so much to all the residents and staff for all their hard work. Click here to see some pictures from the day.

23.08.19

This week we had our second Fundraising Committee of the year and there was a great turnout. Thank you so much to everyone who took part and it was a very productive meeting. Fundraising bids are so much stronger when they are coproduced with service users meaning involvement from our services is crucial. Click here to see some pictures from the day.

15.08.19

Highams Lodge held an Art Festival for the local community on 8th August 2019. This was funded by The Mayor of London’s Borough of Culture and Waltham Forest Borough of Culture 2019. Local residents joined in craft activities and Highams Lodge residents held an exhibition of their wonderful art work in their garden room. The event was a great success, with positive feedback from local residents, including asking if we could hold another one!

26.07.19

The Lilias Gillies House BBQ was an excellent day and happened to fall on the second hottest day in London ever. There was some amazing food and we managed to cool off with a water balloon fight. The residents and staff did an incredible job putting everything together. Click here to see pictures from the day.

19.07.19

Our newest service, Onkar House, has recently opened in Southall. We are working in partnership with Thinkcare Housing to provide a 24-hour, 6 bed shared house. Thinkcare Housing provides the housing management and CHT provides the psychosocial support and therapeutic components of the programme. Check out the CHT services section of the website for more information and click here to see pictures of the service.

15.07.19

Booking is now open for then International Network of Democratic Therapeutic Communities conference 2019. This event will bring together experts to discuss relational practice and more genuinely democratic ways of working in mental health services. Come and join the discussion at the Cassel Hospital on the 14th September 2019. Click here for more information.

05.07.19

Happy Co-Production week! An important part of CHT’s model is beneficiaries and staff learning from one another, resulting in Co-Production being at the centre of our approach. Residents are expected to increasingly take part in community groups and work together with staff and each other to achieve a particular purpose. One of these groups is our Fundraising committee where residents and staff get the opportunity to learn about fundraising and, last week, put together two fundraising bids that will be sent out later this month. Co-Production is an invaluable process that results in services users and staff being happier and healthier as well as, most importantly, an improved overall service. Here are some pictures of what we achieved at the fundraising committee.

21.06.19

The first CHT barbeque of the year was in May at George Dooley House. The residents and staff did a great job of organising and set a high bar for the rest of the services. Click here to see pictures of the day.

14.06.19

Last night we celebrated 25 years of CHT with the help of staff, residents and supporters from throughout the years. The October Gallery is an excellent venue with very helpful and friendly staff and was the perfect place to display art work by our residents. It is a great time to be part of the organisation with a very bright future ahead of us. Click here to see pictures from the evening.

11.06.19

We had a great time at the Highams Lodge BBQ last week with an excellent turn out. Thank you to the service who did a fantastic job cooking and decorating. Click here for more pictures of the day.

29.05.19

This years TCTC (The Consortium of Therapeutic Communities) Annual Windsor Conference is now open for bookings – the very last at Cumberland Lodge in Windsor – so one not to be missed! See link below for info and to book.

https://www.therapeuticcommunities.org/events/2019-windsor-conference/

13.05.19

To mark the start of Mental Health Awareness Week which runs from 13th-19th May 2019, CHT would like to celebrate residents and staff at Highams Lodge taking part in a local Art Trail over the weekend as part of the Waltham Forest London Borough of Culture 2019.

Being part of the local community and finding meaningful occupation is key to recovery for our residents and promoting good mental health as it is for all of us. A fun day was had by all of the community and the service will have it’s own Art Festival in July! Click here for more pictures from the day.

18.04.19
A big thanks to National Lottery Community Fund for supporting us and to Lillevilla for their amazing work in building the Garden Room. This will provide an extra space to Highams Lodge and is the first phase of our therapeutic garden project. Click for more information

20.03.19
CHT is now registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as a community-based service for people with mental health problems providing Treatment of Disease, Disorder and Injury (TDDI)! Click for more information

14.03.19
Latest edition of CHaT Newsletter – CHT’s Resident led newsletter, this edition has been produced by staff and residents at Fairhall Court & George Dooley House.

03.01.19
CHT Featured in Waltham Forest Echo on the benefits of outdoor space on mental health – see page 5 for feature written by, Natalie our Head of Relationships.

05.12.18

Latest edition of CHaT Newsletter – CHT’s Resident led newsletter, this edition has been produced by staff and residents at Mount Lodge.

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