National Rural Mental Health Forum

11am – Welcome and Introductions

11:05am – Patients’ Association, Healthcare patients in rural communities: experiences and impact on mental health. Tom O’Connor, Head of Income Generation and Project Management.

Tom O'Connor is Head of Income Generation and Project Management at the Patients Association, one of the oldest and most distinctive health and care charities in the UK. Non-disease-specific; the Patients Association cover all issues that affect patients, including social care and public health. Tom is responsible for the design and delivery of projects that ensure that everybody can access and benefit from the health and care they need to live well. Previously Head of Programmes with Mental Health UK, Tom grew up in rural Warwickshire and now lives in Inverclyde.

12pm – Presentation on the Scottish Government’s Rural Delivery Plan, Dr. Kate Anderson, Team Leader – Rural Delivery Policy, The Scottish Government - This session will introduce the Rural Delivery Plan (RDP); its background, scope and approach, deliverables, and how it is being developed. Key Scottish Government strategies and investments in mental health in rural space will be presented, with a short discussion on monitoring performance and existing data.

12:20pm – Ending Conversion Practices – Legislative & Non-Legislative Measures

Since 2021, the Scottish Government has made a continual commitment to end conversion practices in Scotland, both through legislation and non-legislative, supportive measures. While there is no current universal definition of conversion practices, the Scottish Government consultation on proposals for legislation on ending conversion practices (Jan – April, 2024) focused on certain forms of behaviour that are intended to change or suppress the sexual orientation or gender identity of another person. The Scottish Government has committed to introducing legislation to address harmful conversion practices, using both the criminal and civil law, along with a range of non-legislative measures to raise awareness, provide guidance and signpost towards help for victims and survivors of conversion practices. Scottish Government officials will outline current steps with regards to ending conversion practices, and welcome a discussion on how to engage with rural communities on this issue.