Latest News

Lillia sat down to talk about the importance of International Women's Day for young people in the community and within Think4Brum.

Courageous Clare Gratrix, Autism Peer Support Worker in our Forward Thinking Birmingham service, has won a gold medal in her first World Masters Indoor Athletics Championship in Gainesville, Florida.

Forward Thinking Birmingham and Mental Health Services recently held their first annual conference ‘Sharing and Learning’ dedicated to our International Educated Nurses. Delegates representing many of our Forward Thinking Birmingham (FTB) Community and Inpatient teams came together for a  wonderful day of connection, reflection and celebration.

Two nurses at Forward Thinking Birmingham, the city’s 0-25s Community Mental Health Services, has been given the prestigious title of Queen’s Nurse (QN) by community nursing charity The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI).

Forward Thinking Birmingham (FTB), the city's 0-25s Mental Health Service, has joined hands with Compass, a charity providing health and wellbeing services, to deliver more Mental Health Support to school children in Birmingham.

TW: MENTIONS OF EATING DISORDERS, CPTSD,  SELF HARM, SUICIDAL IDEATION/ THOUGHTS, MENTAL HEALTH DIFFICULTIES

Stress is something that impacts everyone in different ways on a day-to-day basis. It is a big part of our mental health and wellbeing.

Caitlin Hoo, from Kings Norton, an expert by experience and one of our Think4Brum service users shared her top tips as a trained Peer Support Worker for coping with stress.

Nicki Twigg, Senior Mental Health Practitioner at Forward Thinking Birmingham (North), sat down with us to talk about neurodiversity and the importance of being open about it.  

PhD student, Kirsty Brown was first diagnosed by Forward Thinking Birmingham’s 18-25 service with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in her final year of her undergraduate degree at age 21.

As part of our ongoing review of FTB's facilities, and in response to feedback, we know that the Blakesley Centre doesn’t offer the right environment and facilities to effectively meet your healthcare needs. We base this view not only on the valuable input we have received from you, as our service users and carers, but it is also very clear from our recent CQC report.

Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust (BWC) is set to invest £2.7 million from the Service Development Fund (SDF) into a range of different mental health schemes for children and young people (CYP).

As part of the development of mental health services in Birmingham, the Oaklands hub is going to be undergoing refurbishment.

As part of our ongoing review of FTB's facilities, and in response to feedback, we know that the Blakesley Centre doesn’t offer the right environment and facilities to effectively meet your healthcare needs. We base this view not only on the valuable input we have received from you, as our service users and carers, but it is also very clear from our recent CQC report.

Bob Maxfield, Participation & Engagement Lead and Ian Wood, Interim Engagement and Volunteering Manager for our Trust, have been shortlisted as finalists for the coveted Unsung Hero Awards for their outstanding commitment to supporting young people and transforming services.

As part of our ongoing review of FTB's facilities, and in response to feedback, we know that the Blakesley Centre doesn’t offer the right environment and facilities to effectively meet your healthcare needs. We base this view not only on the valuable input we have received from you, as our service users and carers, but it is also very clear from our recent CQC report.

“I suffered with restriction and compulsive exercise between 2018-2022, with my parents watching me in despair, deteriorating in physical and mental health day by day."

Independent inspectors have reported improvements within our specialist community health services and increased their rating following an inspection.

Young people, including past patients and their siblings, took centre stage in a transformative Big Discussion event for healthcare professionals, advocating for youth voice within our Trust. 

Today, we're spotlighting Zoe Fung, Think4Brim EDI lead, and their work with our Pride Table Talks, which discussed the challenges that face the LGBTQ+ community when accessing healthcare.

This World Mental Health Day 2023, we're celebrating the pioneering wellbeing passport project led by young people in our mental health patient participation group, Think4Brum.

Our award-winning Specialist Eating Disorder Service (SEDS) at Forward Thinking Birmingham, the city's 0-25s Mental Health Service, hosted a recovery party earlier this year for those affected by eating disorders in the community.

Nahida Rahman, one of our fantastic young volunteers, has been appointed Chair for Think4Brum, a youth participation group in our 0-25s Mental Health Services.

This month, we mark the ‘Eating Out Without the Calorie Count’ (#EWOCC) campaign's one-year anniversary, celebrating its success and the positive impact it has had on the community. 

Forward Thinking Birmingham is part of the Government’s new Mental Health Mission, a £42.7m investment into developing targeted new treatments for mental health conditions.

A partnership between Shaw Trust and Forward Thinking Birmingham (FTB), the city’s mental health service for 0-25-year-olds, has successfully helped more than 260 young people into work; supporting their recoveries.

Zoe Fung is the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead for Think4Brum, a youth participation group in Forward Thinking Birmingham.

She spoke to us about why they joined the group and about their passion for promoting health equality in mental health services:

Gemma Badland, Trainee Nursing Associate (TNA) for the Learning Disability and the Disability Intensive Care Enhanced (DICE) team at our Trust, has been nominated for a prestigious Student Nursing Times Award.

In line with NHS England requirements, we are publishing our Birmingham and Solihull children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing local transformation plans for 2022/23.

Zaynab Sohawon, former Chair for Think4Brum, received a prestigious British Citizen Award (BCA) at the Palace of Westminster on Thursday 26 January, for her services to healthcare in the West Midlands. 

Charlotte Weir, Co-Chair for Think4Brum, has been part of the group since 2019. As a member of Think4Brum, she uses her experiences as a service user to create positive change in our Mental Health services. She reflected on her journey with Think4Brum: