As the NHS shakes up its approach to the delivery of services for people with mental health problems, BBH and The Ark Group are organising the Enhancing Mental Health Environments conference in central London on 30 June.

The event will look at the transformation brought about by the National Service Framework and the development of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme and will consider how the Government’s New Horizons initiative will further the improvements already made.

The conference will look at the impact of infrastructure design on patients and staff, the role of the arts and will highlight best practice across the sector.

Speakers will include Joe Forster, chairman of the Designers in Mental Health Network; Dan Burningham, director of Mental Health Strategies, a division of Niche Health; and Martha McSweeney, director of architectural firm, Nightingale Associates. They will address the challenges facing mental health providers and building designers as well as the impact of expected cuts in NHS funding following the general election.

Case studies will include an overview of the Oak and Beech Units at the Harper Lane Psychiatric Hospital in Hertfordshire and details of work carried out by the Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust.

After lunch delegates will be able to get the answers to pressing questions during a panel discussion on how to address risk in the healthcare environment. This will explore how to achieve the right balance between risk, recovery and independence and the importance of empowering patients.

In the afternoon the focus will shift to the role of the arts in mental health environments, with a talk from Jane Willis, director of arts and health consultancy, Willis Newson. She will be followed by Graham Spence, associate director of operations at Community Health Partnerships, who will advise on how to deliver fit-for-purpose estates using the LIFT procurement method.

To register as a delegate email the link below: