A campaign which aims to cheer up families on ‘deprived’ estates has been described as inappropriate and patronising.

Health bosses are asking people to “turn that frown upside down”, and posters featuring a cartoon frown and a smile have been put up in bus stops in Rose Hill and Barton in Oxford and in Neithrop and Grimsbury in Banbury. Postcards have also been sent to homes.

The scheme is the brainchild of NHS Oxfordshire, the county’s primary care trust, which is spending £40,000 on the two-year campaign designed to get people to “improve and maintain” their mental health.

Becky Hitch, a health improvement practitioner at NHS Oxfordshire, said focus groups helped the trust decide where to direct the campaign.

She added: “These are the areas where people typically experience difficult lives.

“There are high levels of unemployment, relationship difficulties, young families, poor diet, and these are things which make people more at risk of mental health problems.

“We’re focusing our efforts on people who will benefit the most.”

But Sue Holden, secretary of Barton Community Association, said the PCT’s intentions were noble but misguided.

She said: “I’m not sure it’s the right approach. I don’t think the campaign is intended to be patronising but it might well be perceived that way. I think people will think it’s all right for them to be happy, they haven’t got our problems.”

Vim Rodrigo, 76, from Rose Hill, said many people on the estate felt let down by the PCT for not providing residents with a clinic or doctors’ surgery despite repeated requests.

He said: “A lot of people will want to see the results before they start to smile. Give us something concrete to smile about first, because nobody’s going to come and start smiling until then. It’s patronising and inappropriate.”

The posters and postcards display messages about money, family, or relationship problems, along with a website address showing where people can find advice on how to impr-ove mental well-being.

An NHS Oxfordshire spokesman said: “Evidence shows campaigns such as these can help increase awareness in local people of these day-to-day actions to improve their mental well-being.

“‘Turn a frown upside down’ was developed in close partnership with local people, in focus groups within the local communities in which it is now being used. Local people were key to designing the campaign, shaping the messages, and selecting and refining the advertising.”

Anyone who wants to learn more or comment on NHS Oxfordshire services can visit oxfordshirepct.nhs.uk or email talking.health@oxfordshirepct.nhs.uk