At the North London Mental Health Partnership we use the term ‘service user’ to describe anyone who is a patient or a user of our services. Throughout our website and in our literature we frequently interchange the terms service user and patient. In both cases we mean the same thing.
A person can be formally classed as a ‘carer’ if they provide regular unpaid practical support to a relative or friend or person that cannot manage without help because of their age, illness or disability. But people who assist someone in this way may not necessarily identify themselves as being a ‘carer’, particularly if they are a parent or a neighbour who helps out occasionally.
In this section you can find sources of support, access to our Feedback, Advice and Complaints Team and details about the Mental Health Act.
This is a monthly newsletter from Dr Vincent Kirchner, Chief Medical Officer at the North London Mental Health Partnership. Please read Vincent's monthly letters and pass on to those you think may find them of benefit.