Foundations

Minds for Health was established in September 2001.

Its work started from links made by volunteers to Antara, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) working in mental health in West Bengal, India. Volunteer's experiences demonstrated the importance of essential mental healthcare, accessible and affordable to the poorest communities, families and patients. They witnessed at first hand the social causes and costs of mental illness and the role of healthcare in unlocking this vicious cycle.

As our work grew we recognised that access to mental healthcare was a problem across many Low and Middle Income Countries. We now see our work as part of a wider Movement for Global Mental Health which recognises the need to scale-up mental healthcare and remove inequities in access worldwide.

Progress

Organisation

• Minds for Health (then Friends of Antara UK) was established in 2001. 
  
• In 2007 a landmark series on Global Mental Health in the medical journal the Lancet inspired us to widen our remit and bring its messages to health and social work students and the general public.
  
• Minds for Health was registered as a charity on 4th Nov 2008.
  
• In October 2010 we were affiliated with the national student network Medsin which addresses health inequalities internationally and in the UK.

Financial Support: 

• Supported the development of a comprehensive inpatient, outpatient and community children's mental health service in West Bengal, India.
• Made improvements to inpatient care and developed sustainable methods of providing subsidised and free mental healthcare to the most disadvantaged families in West Bengal.

Advocacy

• Given talks and presentations to the general public, students of health and social care and at national conferences.
• Contributed to articles in national newspapers.
• Developed patient advocacy through partner organisations.
• Launched a  10-part national Global Mental Health advocacy campaign. 

Direct Support

• Developed an effective volunteer programme for health and social workers and trainees to work alongside our partner organisations.
• Created a letter exchange for personal correspondence between patients and UK supporters.

Research and Cooperation

• Supported both informal and published research by local partner organisations and UK researchers.
• Created links to UK mental health organisations.