PAINTINGS by people with mental health difficulties are to be used by NHS managers in a review of services.

The 60 paintings on display at Kirkleatham Hall Museum, near Redcar are by people living across the east Cleveland area.

Mental health workers asked the amateur artists to create the paintings after receiving a poor response to questionnaires about services.

Abby Holder, service user development worker at the Grange Day Centre in Eston, near Middlesbrough, said the paintings would be used as part of feedback for an annual review.

She said: "This has proved to be a good way for people monitoring how people feel about the service we provide, as well as simply being a way of expressing themselves. We usually just have questionnaires but people don't fill them in.

"It's quite revolutionary. It really shows what people are feeling. One thing that was interesting was that the artists' use of black was not always negative."

Each of the works is anonymous, except where the artist has painted his or her name into the work.

The project was funded by the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.

The exhibition runs until Monday, November 17. Admission is free.

Published: 01/11/2003