10 Reasons to be Proud

Start Manchester, part of Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust's citywide arts service, has been selected as one of 10 case studies of best practice and innovation across the whole NHS, by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, for its new national publication '10 reasons to be proud'. 5000 copies of the publication will be distributed throughout the NHS to promote the best of innovative practice that is improving patient care.
The case study about Start, featured in '10 reasons to be proud', profiles Start's Whitworth Art Gallery based scheme, 'Now Voyager', which is also registered as an NHS Live project, and was a finalist for the Greater Manchester NHS Awards 2006. The 'Now, Voyager' scheme has now become a developmental arm of the service, using partnerships with galleries to enhance the experience of coming to Start. Nick Metcalfe, Service Manager for Community Living, which includes Start in its services, explains:
" 'Now, Voyager', in its original form, made a strong impression on me, both for the outcomes achieved by service users involved in the project, and for the mental health promotion impact attained, with the tens of thousands of visitors who came to the exhibition. I am pleased to see how this scheme has now developed into an integral part of what Start does."
Says Lead Artist for Start Wendy Teall:
"This is a great piece of recognition for Start, both for the achievements of those who use the service, and for the hard work of the Start team"

Interim Chief Executive for the Trust, Jackie Daniels, was greeted with this news on her very first day and commented:
"I was delighted to find news of the recognition the NHS Institute have given to Start in my in-tray. This is fantastic news. Congratulations to all involved!"

Former Start service user Anthony Lomax, who also took part in the 'Now, Voyager' project, says: "I think it's wonderful news. Start so deserves this...I felt so proud to be part of the exhibition and it was a privilege to be working in the gallery; it gave me more confidence and took me out of my comfort zone. I'm chuffed to bits - there should be more services like Start".

Another former Start service user and 'Now, Voyager' participant adds: "Over the years Start has helped many people gain confidence, through art. In particular, a lot of good work went into and came out of 'Now, Voyager'. It's fantastic that Start has been recognised for all its good, hard work, both that of the patients and of the staff as well. This has made me proud to be a part of it!"

To order a copy of '10 reasons to be proud' email institute@prolog.uk.com

To read more about 'Now, Voyager', go to our Exhibitions page.