SMMHEP supports ongoing risk management work at Zomba Mental Hospital

In April 2026, Lorna Gordon and Andrea Ronald completed a successful visit to Zomba Mental Hospital, Malawi. This was Lorna’s third trip and Andrea’s second. The visit focused on strengthening risk management practices and improving incident reporting processes within the hospital setting. A key element of the trip was the direct mentoring and support provided to nurses, nurse in-charges, and other members of the multidisciplinary team (MDT).

Exciting update on our future work in Malawi!

SMMHEP is delighted to have been awarded a further grant from the Scottish Government to be administered by Global Health Partnerships. The Supporting Vulnerable Groups in Malawi project begins in February 2026 and extends over an eighteen month period. There are three workstreams. One will continue our longstanding commitment to develop senior clinical leadership through the training of psychiatrists. The long term aim here is to get enough locally trained staff to become a self-sustaining system.

SMMHEP supports ongoing risk management work in Zomba

With the support of SMMHEP, Mental Health Nurses from NHS Grampian, Lorna Gordon and Andrea Ronald, arrived in Zomba on the 1st of September 2025 to a very warm welcome. This marked Lorna’s second visit, following her initial trip in April 2024, and Andrea’s first. Lorna was able to observe clear improvements and progress since her previous visit.During their two-week stay, they provided guidance on physical, procedural, and relational security.

SMMHEP supported work recognised and commended in the Scottish Parliament

The work of NHS Grampian nurses, Lorna Gordon and Lorna Milne, at Zomba Mental Hospital has been recognised and commended in the Scottish Parliament. The training they provided on risk identifation and management was supported by SMMHEP. You can read the motion at the following link: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/votes-and-motions/S6M...

SMMHEP at RCPsychIC 2024

Last week, SMMHEP presented their study examining the impact of the Malawi Mental Health Guide on frontline mental health workers in Malawi. This collaboration between key stakeholders in mental health in Malawi has resulted in the Mental Health Guide being distributed to 400 health centres around Malawi, with information on the assessment and management of mental health conditions in Malawi. It has also led to the development of a free mobile application that has been downloaded nearly 1000 times.

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