People in Suffolk and Thetford are being invited to think about the mental wellbeing of their communities on World Mental Health Day.

Tomorrow, (October 10th), people from across the globe will be putting their minds to mental health as part of the annual celebration of positive mental well being.

Locally, Suffolk Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust is offering residents a chance to get involved in the direction of healthcare services and well being initiatives by joining them as a member of their planned NHS Foundation Trust which expects to be running from April 2008.

“Becoming an NHS Foundation Trust is a very significant move,” said Robert Nesbitt, the Trust’s director of community engagement. “Instead of being accountable to the Department of Health, we will be accountable to local people who join us as members.”

“We will also be organising ourselves differently, so that decision-making is transferred to the best staff in the organisation to make that judgement.”

Membership is free and people will be able to decide how much, or how little, they want to be involved. They could choose to join different advisory panels, add their views about their community needs or simply receive information and jump in if something comes up which is important to them.

To become a member, visit www.newmember.info, email [email protected] or call 01473 329148.