WELL stands for Well-being, Education, Lifestyle and Living. Nancy Graham describes how the WELL Project in Northern Ireland provides social, educational and activity groups for people with long-term mental illness living in rural communities, using local venues, with the aim to support them into using mainstream leisure and education services, and into employment.

General practitioner exercise referral schemes have become a familiar concept since the first ones were set up in the 1980s. The Mental Health Foundation estimates there are as many as 1300 such schemes operating across the UK, with the service being offered increasingly to patients with mild to moderate depression as well as those with physical health problems (MHF, 2005).

Now, imagine if mental health professionals were able to refer their patients with long-term mental illness to a community-based service that would offer a wide range of activities and support for people to get involved. These activities could include women's social groups, arts courses, a walking group, accredited computer courses, horticulture, football, and more, and would take place in community venues, far removed from clinical settings. In their own time, users of this service would be encouraged and supported to take up vocational training or return to employment. Does this sound like an attractive option?

People with mental illness have been able to access this kind of service in Down District, Northern Ireland, since 2004. The WELL Project was set up with a grant from the Department for Social Development (DSD) outreach programme, with additional funding from Down District Council. [The outreach programme promotes social inclusion and community regeneration, targeting communities with poor infrastructure.] The WELL Project contributes to this by focusing specifically on the needs of people with severe and enduring mental illness. Its aim is to reduce the social isolation of people with long-term mental illness living in rural communities, thus increasing their ability to access education, employment and social and leisure activities, and improving their overall quality of life.

Origins

The broad scope and ambition of the project is reflected in its name, WELL, which stands for Well-being, Education, Lifestyle and Living. The originators of the project drew on research demonstrating that mental illness has an impact on all areas of life, affecting relationships with family and friends and access to education, employment and social activities. However, if an individual is supported to participate in one area, this will improve their overall functioning. For example, active participation in education will improve social skills, in addition to skills acquired in the subject. Improved social functioning will reduce a persons symptoms and promote independence.

The need for a community-based project was identified by occupational therapy staff in 1999. The Down Lisburn Trust community mental health team had highlighted a significant number of clients with long-term mental illness who were not engaged in any form of service promoting social integration, vocational training or employment. Most of these clients were living in isolated rural areas, with limited local services and poor access to transport, exacerbating their social isolation.

Led by occupational therapy, a steering group was set up to explore ways of addressing this problem. The steering group was made up of voluntary and statutory providers as well as user and carer representatives, with lead roles taken by Down Lisbum Trust and Action Mental Health (AMH), a vocational training organisation. In particular, the group sought representation from organisations with expertise in education, employment support, volunteering and community involvement.

It was decided to run a two-year pilot project, working with clients of Downpatrick AMH to increase their access to education and training. This had successful outcomes, and won a Lilly Reintegration Award. These are awarded for achievements in helping people with schizophrenia to reintegrate into society and move their lives forward. However, additional resources were needed to extend the programme to people who were not already engaged with services. Department for Social Development (DSD) funding was successfully applied for to establish a community-based service employing two staff: a project coordinator and an outreach worker. This would be a threeyear regional demonstration project, beginning in January 2004 and providing a service to 250 people in that period.

Eligibility and referral

The main criteria for people joining the project is that they are currently using mental health services and have a key worker, usually a member of the community mental health team, who will link in with the WELL Project to ensure proper support is in place. Clients have a range of mental illnesses and join the project at different stages of their recovery. The majority of participants live independently, on their own or with family, but some are still in hospital, usually preparing to be discharged. A number live in the rehabilitation unit or supported accommodation connected to the Downshire psychiatric hospital.

Smart-mouthed workers may have the wits you need to give your organization a creative edge, yet have personalities that are utterly destructive to the work environment. How can employers handle this "special" kind of employee--the kind who meets or exceeds performance and attendance standards but whose personality is positively toxic? You know the profile--someone smart and able, but who regularly engages in whining, belly-aching, gossip-mongering, back-stabbing, or other aggressive or passive-aggressive pain-in-the-neck behavior.

What does an employer do when an employee behaves in ways that lower morale, productivity and loyalty, yet carefully avoids going too far, such as engaging in overt threats or acts of violence; sexual, racial or other unlawful harassment; or open and direct insubordination? Litigation risks often exist in confronting these troublemakers.

Such risks typically arise when:

* The jerk is in a legally protected class (such as race, sex, national origin, age) and claims discrimination.

* The jerk attributes improper behavior to a medical condition and asserts disability legal protection.

* He or she is covered by a collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

* The jerk wraps himself in the mantle of whistle-blower and alleges unlawful retaliation.

First of all, breathe. Then, roll up your sleeves and prepare for something that may be brand new to a troublemaker used to steamrolling over others--a perfectly civil fight. How you react should send the message loud and clear to the work jerk that behaviors, not just work output, count.

Quick fixes are seldom easy, and mistakes can be costly. Jerry Huffman, a New Orleans-based employment lawyer and a fellow member of the Management & Labor Employment Roundtable (MLER), once defended an employer in an age discrimination lawsuit in the Pacific Northwest. For years, the plaintiff had performed well statistically while she maintained a pattern of resisting authority, using foul language--even in front of customers--and directing insults at co-workers, especially younger ones.

The plaintiff eventually got a new, younger supervisor, who decided she was not going to put up with this behavior and quickly whipped together a progressive disciplinary paper trail that led to the older worker's termination within two months. The new supervisor jumped on incidents that, considering the employee's behavior over the years, were fairly tame, such as use of the word "damn." Ignoring Jack Benny's observation that "timing is everything," management picked the employee's birthday as her discharge date--without ever consulting the HR department. After the case was over, one juror remarked that although he and other jurors disliked the plaintiff, the jury could not stomach what it regarded as the employer's overly hasty, slipshod and insensitive manner of terminating the plaintiff. The jury awarded her more than $100,000.

Work Jerks and Labor Law

While the case illustrates the dangers of disciplining a workplace jerk who can attack management's actions based on protected class differences, a different set of problems arises when disciplining employees covered by CBAs.

Ric Alli, my colleague at Bullard Smith Jernstedt Wilson in Portland, Ore., and a traditional labor attorney, has defended a number of jerk terminations in labor arbitrations. Most often, the disciplinary hook is a provision in the CBA that allows employers to terminate employees for insubordination. However, Alli cautions that employers should not think this gives them a lot of latitude. Management must make sure it has all of its ducks in a row before potentially subjecting a termination decision to an arbitrator's scrutiny.

In one case that Alli handled, a hospital hired a licensed registered nurse (RN) for a position as unit secretary, which involved various coordinating activities but did not include actual nursing or direct patient care. The RN evidently felt her talents were underutilized and became a meddling, disruptive sore point that affected her department's morale and effectiveness.

She expressed her displeasure and contempt for others in various ways, such as operating noisy equipment at times when it disrupted other nurses' work. During group reports, she had a habit of dumping paper clips and pens onto a table and rearranging them. She frequently interrupted others to interpose viewpoints that strayed far afield from her own job responsibilities. Although she never openly refused to comply with a direct order, she used instructions or directives as starting points to complain and assert that she knew better.

After several months of this behavior and after informal counseling failed to help, management gave her a written notice specifically identifying the inappropriate behaviors in which she had engaged and directing her to cease and desist from them in the future. Two months later, after she reverted to problematic behavior, she received a formal written warning, placing her on 90 days' probation.

Durban North is South Africa's Kwazulu Natal province offers the visitor a true experience to know South African culture. Just near the local beaches, the seas are wild and warm. Staying in a local Durban North guest house or Durban North B&B will position you ideally for this experience.

You will have a chance to get to know the local Zulu kingdom. The province is densely populated - people wise, but it is quite easily and affordably traveled from here. Make your way to the new major shopping centres in Umhlanga or tour the hub of Durban's city centre. Visit Durban's attractions and you will leave with a sense of well being.

The local climate will refresh you, brown your skin and nourish you. It is hot just about all year around. Visits to the Zulu Kingdom will give you a sense of history and honour at the local people. They will teach you about the South African and zulu culture as well as let you experience local tours as well.

It is also ideally situated for business travel to Kwazulu Natal. Enjoy your local sceneries and drives as you experience and view the intense luscious nature of the area. Bright green plants are in abundance and growing prolifically every where. Gardens just take off because of this climate. It is definitely worth your time and energy. Your Durban North guest house or Durban North B&B accommodation establishment will also advise of the best way to maximize your stay as well as finding great restaurants.

Port Macquarie accommodation is of such variety and comfort that you will find it an enchanting holiday that will never fade away from memory.

What do you expect on your holiday in Port Macquarie? At the end of your visits to the beaches, golf links, sports venues or sailing trips, your heart aches for the inviting bed or the soothing spa in your apartment. You would like to put up your feet and savour a drink, relax alone or enjoy the bonhomie of your family or friends.

The perfect haven

It is the homecoming at the end of the day, which you yearn for and would like to earn it through vigorous and robust exertions of the day.

Port Macquarie has a variety of places of stay, hotels, motels, beach resorts, apartments and what have you. You can choose, cut a good deal and reserve on line.

You want to relax and revitalize? Flynns Beach Resort is just a stone’s throw away from the pristine sands of Port Macquarie's famous Flynns Beach. It is the perfect haven for the perfect holiday you have always been planning.

Port Macquarie hotel accommodation can be had just to suit your budget, your taste, your sense of privacy and your yen to make the most of your holiday. You will receive tons of what you wanted to get out of your holiday rest, relaxation and restoration of your ability to recapture the magic of life.

What is in store for you

· Modern, spacious two-bedroom, self-contained apartments with a variety of facilities.

· Hot deals for the weekenders or the grand Christmas holiday for ten days with attractive add-ons.

· Families, couples, singles or just you and your friends are welcome.

· Spa in luxury apartments where you can rejuvenate your tired limbs.

· If you want to take it easy, you will luxuriate in the tropical gardens, the swimming pool or the golden sands of the beaches.

· If you are the outdoor type, you'll enjoy BBQ areas, tennis court, fully equipped gym, playgrounds, nature walks and all the fun of shopping in craft and antique shops.

The right to rest and renewal

During the day you hike, ride a canoe or shop around, trudge on the white sands and let the sun shine and the wind beat on you all day long. But at the end of the day, your weary feet ache and your back pleads for repose. You hasten to your apartment for the rest that you have rightly earned. If you want a break at midday, go ahead and indulge yourself with a siesta, the ultimate luxury of the work weary housewife or the husbandman.

Far from the madding crowd of bustling metropolises, your Port Macquarie accommodation turns out to be your fantasy hideout. You can go into hibernation mode and recharge your batteries for the next foray into that stressful world, refreshed, renewed and confident.