Stephen Fry opens SLaM's new website

Broadcaster, author and champion for mental health, Stephen Fry, has 'opened' the South London and Maudsley's (SLaM's) 'Well-being Garden' - the centre piece of the NHS Foundation Trust's new website.

Unique in its design, the website differs from most in the public sector, not just in the way it looks and feels to use, but also by the concept behind it. Reflecting thinking within SLaM about moving from a healthcare provider - reacting to and treating mental illness - to one that also promotes mental well-being; the new site gives visitors evidence based advice on maintaining and improving their mental health.

Hosted in the 'Well-being Garden', the advice is presented as five steps¹ that, if practised regularly, are proven to improve personal mental health.  Each step - 'connect', 'be active', 'take notice', 'keep learning' and 'give' - has its own page with tips on how to achieve each outcome and the latest research and thinking behind them.  Members of SLaM's mental health promotion team are also on-line to give help and support.

On opening the 'Well-being Garden', Stephen Fry said: "What an honour to open this virtual garden. Everyone is welcome to step in and enjoy this charming, innovative and important new open space.

"The well-being garden gives tips on taking time out and on making connections with the people and the communities all around you - vital steps in maintaining good mental health. I hope you find a place you will want to return to again and again."

The site's clean and simple layout makes it look and feel like few others in the public sector and has largely been based on feedback from people who use SLaM's services.  A key objective was to make the site easy to use and navigate around and all content from the old SLaM site - one of the first NHS trust websites - was ditched and new material worked up from scratch.

Written content has been included only if necessary and every effort has been made to avoid jargon, unexplained acronyms, out of date information and unnecessary documents - frequent pitfalls in many public sector websites.  The site is packed with freshly filmed video content including interviews with a leading professor talking about his attempts to develop new treatments to stop Alzheimer's disease in its tracks; a nurse giving advice on what to expect if you're admitted to hospital; and the personal experiences of people who have used SLaM's services or cared for someone who has.

Martin Baggaley, Medical Director, SLaM, said; "I am really excited about our new website.  We have tried to make it easy to use and good to look at.  It's a great improvement on our previous site.

"The real test will be what our patients, carers and other visitors think.  I would encourage anyone who visits the site to tell us about their experience of using it."

The site also hosts web pages for the UK's only Biomedical Research Centre for mental health - a pioneering centre bringing together researchers, clinicians and health professionals from both SLaM and the Institute of Psychiatry.

ENDS

¹ Five Ways to Well-being, New Economics Foundation (October 2008).