Health minister Rosie Winterton was in Bradford to launch guidelines to help black and ethnic minority mental health patients.

Mrs Winterton, whose responsibilities include adult mental health services, made the announcement at the Bradford Festival of Commissioning Mental Health Services for Black and Minority Ethnic Communities at the city's Hilton Hotel, yesterday.

The guidelines, Celebrating Our Cultures, aim to help Primary Care Trusts to offer better, personalised services for black and minority ethnic mental health patients. They could do this by improving consultation, commissioning and promotion of mental health services as well as tracking how effective they are.

The minister said: "I'm pleased we are in Bradford launching this new guidance as my department has been impressed with some of the commissioning work for mental health services of Bradford City Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Bradford Social Services Department.

"This new guidance will assist local PCTs in developing local solutions to developing, promoting, delivering and evaluating mental health strategies for black and ethnic minority communities.

"Our aim is to help strengthen individuals, strengthen communities and reduce structural barriers to improve mental health services for black and minority ethnic people."

Yesterday's conference, hosted by Bradford City Teaching Primary Care Trust, brought together health and social care staff and representatives from voluntary and community groups to share ideas about what they are doing to make mental health services more accessible to black and ethnic minority groups.

A Bradford mental health project, the New Dawn Project, which provides day care for Asian women with mental health problems, is highlighted in the new national guidance as an example of a scheme that is working well.

Bradford City PCT executive Lynnette Throp said: "Being mentally well is just as important as being well physically, so it's important we have a range of good services available, which people from all communities feel comfortable in accessing."