We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive.  Albert Einstein


Mental Health Bus International Projects
International clinical outreach division of CINAPS Ltd
Cambridge Independent Neuroscience and Psychiatry Services

We offer specialist outreach mental health services to vulnerable and hard to reach children, young people and families in high risk and high need areas in developing countries and underprivileged communities in the UK and other developed countries.

Our service is provided by
UK-based and -licensed medical and mental health professionals, ranging from Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists and GPs to Clinical Psychologists and Social Workers.  Child Psychiatrists and allied professionals from further afield, such as Europe and the USA, also often contribute input and support.  

The service is delivered through
GP practices, community hospitals, clinics or mobile clinics; one option is - a clinic in a bus - the Mental Health Bus. 

Professionals offer direct clinical care (assessment and treatment), consultation and supervision to health and para-health teams, as well as teaching or training, ideally with or alongside local teams and professionals.  Individual and systemic risk assessment, risk management and crisis resolution are included in clinical services. Risk and protective factors are considered taking a bio-psycho-social approach.  We believe that extensive knowledge and experience relating to general and common local bio-psycho-social strengths and problems, such as HIV and TB, as well as local cultures, laws and policies, are essential.   

Significant emphasis is placed on education, removing stigma relating to mental health and sustainable and collaborative service development.  Clinical work frequently generates informative quantitative and qualitative data indicating service needs or strengths in communities.  We collect data during every project, which contributes to research and inspires further service development.   

We aim to work closely and collaboratively with the local Department of Health, universities and local children's services to encourage sustainable service development.  Our two founding directors work as clinical leads for UK volunteers and require full and unrestricted registration as Specialists in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in all host countries; this facilitates a hands on approach with shared clinical and managerial responsibility and contributes significantly to quality control, sustainability and our general service aims (see Picture the Bus), ensuring a good outcome for everyone involved and invested in our projects.  

Reaching out to international areas of need - private sponsorship.
 
Our services are often primarily funded by our directors and CINAPS Ltd.  Service expansion, according to need, continues to be reliant on private individual and corporate funding as well as assistance and/or funding (in full or in part) from local governmental and charity organisations.  

This outreach service is provided pro bono to children, families and professionals in deprived communities in order to not increase strain on limited resources within existing local community services.    

Specific services can be requested,
although part of our input includes a needs and risk assessment of the area; during this time we consider existing service models, processes and infra-structure. We do not require existing Child Psychiatry infra-structure, but we believe that it is essential to work collaboratively with existing Health and Children's organisations and services.  

Independent and sustainable functioning.  
It is our goal that all services launched function independently from our direct clinical input after the first year.  We do however remain available to assist where required for all projects launched. 

Please Contact Us if you would like to request or discuss our services, or learn more about our previous, current or future planned projects.  

About Us

Mental Health Bus International Projects (MHB IP) was founded in 2012 by directors Dr JN Rundle and Dr CR Venter, Consultants in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. They were inspired to develop this outreach service during a period of pro bono work in Cape Town, South Africa in 2007-8.  

Mental Health Bus International Projects constitutes the international outreach division of CINAPS Ltd (Cambridge Independent Neuroscience and Psychiatry Services) and has as primary goal service development and the provision of sustainable, high quality, effective and user friendly specialist mental health services to hard to reach children in high risk and clinically challenging settings.  

CINAPS Ltd is an independent Cambridge-based medical organisation founded in February 2009 by Dr JN Rundle and Dr CR Venter, Consultants in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.  CINAPS offers private and pro bono consultations in the UK as well as services to the NHS and other national and international charity, private and governmental organisations.  CINAPS Ltd funds pro bono work through private and NHS consultations.  All doctors affiliated with CINAPS are invited to partake in annual pro bono work.  

Please see www.cinaps.co.uk for further details.  

Company Registration Number 6937186.  

About the Directors 

Dr JN Rundle MBChB MRCPsych and Dr CR Venter MBChB MRCPsych are both medical doctors and consultants in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.  They have been based in Cambridge since 2005.  They completed their medical training (6 years training) in Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa (University of Stellenbosch). They have both worked in several medical fields/departments in emergency, hospital care and outreach settings.  They specialised in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and were awarded their CCT's in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Cambridge, United Kingdom, where they continue to be based.  Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists in the UK are trained and qualified to work in all domains of Psychiatry, however, only Child Psychiatrists (doctors with CCT's in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) can work in Child Psychiatry in the UK. 

Dr Venter and Dr Rundle have worked within the NHS (National Health Service) in the UK for more than 10 years and continue to work and teach within or alongside the NHS in CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) and/or related services.  

Both doctors are committed to develop services for hard to reach children with complex needs in a bio-psycho-social challenging and high risk setting in developing and developed countries.  Their CVs are available upon request.  

Please see www.cinaps.co.uk for further details.  

Why join us?

Most professionals want to offer input into Mental Health Bus International Projects, because they want to give back to the community and be a part of something positive.  In reality however, after spending time working in areas of high need, deprived areas or townships, many professionals realise that they are the ones who are receiving, in fact, much more than they will ever be able to give back.  They receive abundantly in terms of learning and the rewarding experience of working closely with energetic, creative local services with unique and advanced expertise that can only be developed in challenging work environments.  They also experience the absolute joy of working with grateful, positive, pro-active children, families and communities, who not only offer meaningful and memorable experiences, but life changing lessons. 

We invite you to join us.



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