HUG Meetings

When and where do we meet?

Every two months the 13 branches of HUG meet to discuss local issues or a common topic, such as medication or admission to hospital. The notes from these meetings form the bedrock of our policies, reports and ideas about mental health. The branch meetings usually occur in mental health facilities, such as drop-in centres, hospitals, residential homes or Training and Guidance Units.

HUG has branches across the whole of the Highlands. We meet in:

• Achiltibuie
• Badenoch & Strathspey
• Dingwall
• Fort William
• Gairloch
• Golspie
• Invergordon
• Inverness
• Nairn
• New Craigs Hospital, In association with the patients council
• Portree
• Thurso
• Wick

Please phone or email us for dates of meetings.

• Where & When
• What We Do

The following pages will be useful to you if you want to start coming to HUG meetings:

• Code of Conduct
• Map of our groups

What do we do at our meetings?

Whilst we try to keep everything fun and enjoyable, we do discuss things with an aim to changing things for the better. The topics that we discuss come from subjects that are of concern to us as members – suggestions are always welcome.

At each meeting we talk about local and national issues that concern us as service users. Over the last few years we have used the meetings as a basis for producing reports, which are sent to a range of health and care professionals in the hope of influencing change.

At each meeting we talk about local and national issues that concern us as service users.

Over the last few years we have used the meetings as a basis for producing reports, which are sent to a range of health and care professionals in the hope of influencing change.

The reports we have produced so far are:

•  Closure of Craig Dunain
•  Medication
•  Employment
•  Housing
•  Crisis Services
•  Suicide
•  A Mental Health Strategy for the Highlands
•  Ward Rounds
•  The Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984
•  Quality
•  Rural Mental Health in the Highlands
•  Current Issues in Mental Health in the Highlands
•  A Place of Safety (Alternative to Police Cells)
•  Admission to Hospital
•  Respite Care
•  Benefits 'Living or Existing?'

All reports are available to download in this site, or alternatively, can be obtained free of charge from the HUG offices.