What’s it like taking part in a webinar as a speaker? Well last week I and two service user and carer colleagues got to find out.
Karin Webb says: When I was invited to talk about my lived experiences as a former carer at the Psychological Professionals webinar, I thought it sounded like a good idea at the time. When I subsequently found it may be being broadcast to hundreds of people I began to wonder what I had let myself in for!
I initially found it quite nerve-wracking, however, on the day it all went well. I wanted to convey the message that carers are often overlooked and need to be seen as people too, and to be more included in the care and treatment proposed for their loved ones, as well as being offered access to psychological services if required.
There are still a lot of people unable to gain access to psychological healthcare. Although things are progressing, I feel there is still a long way to go.
Amy Harris says: Presenting my experiences and personal knowledge about mental health care within the NHS was always going to be a rewarding experience for me. Explaining and signifying the integration of the healthcare services and how this has personally served me was a way for me to, in some way, give back to these services. I also wanted it to be a way to show the significant impact people who work in mental health have in ways they might not get to see in the day to day executions of their roles.
I am Laura Lea, National Lead for Expert by Experience Involvement for the National Psychological Professions Workforce Group. I presented some of the findings of the Health Watch report.
Health Watch involved over 40 000 people. What did they find? Some of the basics seem not to be in place: young people wanted respect and people with dementia wanted to be treated as whole people, people with learning disabilities wanted information to help them make decisions. In fact holistic care, joined up care and care that provides information so that people can look after themselves were some of the key messages. For psychological professionals the findings imply thinking more widely to including where they aren’t already family and carers, so they don't feel ignored.
Big reports can sometimes be forgotten what this report says is think about prevention, provide care together with other professionals, include carers and to paraphrase and perhaps extend what is implied never forget our unique humanity and therefore the unique help that each one of us needs to begin to find a path on which travel through our difficulties.
To read the "Health Watch and what people want from the next ten years of the NHS" report, click here.
