After a round of introductions the event got underway with a talk from DuVonne Solomon. DuVonne was formerly a service user at Cygnet Hospital Blackheath, and is now helping Cygnet, through our experts by experience programme, to promote genuine coproduction in our service improvement and quality initiatives.
DuVonne talked about his experience of mental health services and how the system had not recognised his need for treatment soon enough. Listening to DuVonne really laid out why all these people had come together, to collaborate and share ideas about how we can continue to improve services for those in our care, while at the same time doing something practical to improve people’s experience of Christmas during a very challenging period of their life.
DuVonne’s talk was followed by a brief introduction from Professor Sir Simon Wessely, Chair of the recently published independent review of the Mental Health Act, who talked about the need to focus on people’s individuality, dignity and human rights, when looking at how to reform the Mental Health Act.
The team then watched a film that Cygnet have been working on which opens the conversation around the use of restraint in a healthcare setting. The film featured people currently being cared for in our services, nursing and support staff from our services, and experts by experience with personal experience of restraint. The film is being used to empower our community to have open conversations about restraint, how it is used, and when it should be used.
At times the film made for difficult watching, but its power lies in its ability to look at this emotive issue from the perspective of all of the people involved in a restraint, and to address how traumatic and triggering the experience can be for all concerned. Cygnet hopes that by introducing this film to our services we can not only reduce the frequency of restraint, but also to use effective debriefing to reduce the likelihood of repeated occurrences.
“It was great to see such a variety of different experiences in the room from so many different organisations and levels of seniority. We were a very effective team on the day, and were able to finish all of the cards within the set time which is amazing.”Raf Hamaizia, Expert by Experience Lead, Cygnet Health Care
Finally, the team got to work ensuring every single person being cared for in a Cygnet service this Christmas will receive at least one card. It was quite an endeavour, with thousands of cards being put into envelopes to wind their way to our services. Christmas can be a time of real joy, but it can also be a very challenging time for some people, especially when they are away from home. We would like to thank everyone involved for helping us to give that little bit of hope to people spending Christmas in our services this year.
“Thank you to Raf & the Team, guests and speakers for a great day. Both Monica & I had a fabulous time and enjoyed the whole day!”Paul ‘Ace’ Whittick, The Royal Hospital Chelsea
With huge thanks to all of our collaborators, from organisations including:
Bright.
Care Quality Commission
Centre for Mental Health
Certitude
Choice Support
Cygnet Health Care
Equal Vision
Equality and Human Rights Commission
Experts by Experience
Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch
Kings College
Mary Seacole House
Mental Health Collective
NHS England
Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust
Social Care Institute for Excellence
Synergi Collaborative Centre
The Royal Hospital Chelsea’s Chelsea Pensioners
University of Hertfordshire
University of Nottingham