Over the last few months I’ve been very pleased and proud to have taken part in a pilot project with 3 NHS Health Trusts to improve patient outcomes and reduce health inequalities of ethnic minority service users in the mental health service.
It was last year when Dr Vivienne Lyfar-Cisse, Chair of the NHS National BME Network approached me to run three sets of training sessions for service users and three sets of training sessions for service users / their advocates to help then bring both groups together to develop a joint Reverse Commissioning Plan based on the service users needs and voice. The programme has been based around empowering and enabling the community and enlightening and educating professionals to enhance service delivery.
When I was first asked to run the training part of the project I was not sure I was the best person to deliver this project. This is despite my experience as a coach, trainer, speaker as former Co-Director of Samaritans (Central London) and work I had previously done nationally and in Bright and Sussex to help develop BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) staff . I felt that perhaps i required someone with a real specialism in the field of health, mental health and the sector. Yet Dr Vivienne persisted and felt I was right do help on this first stage of the project. I’m very glad that she did.
What I discovered – once again – is that people are quite remarkable. The project with mental health NHS Trusts in Northampton, Norfolk & Suffolk and Derbyshire led me to work with remarkably wonderful service users, community advocates and professionals in all these parts of the country.
The above film made by Derbyshire Healthcare Foundation Trust will give you a flavour of the project overall. I just want to thank everyone involved in the project across all the Trusts and the equality and diversity managers including Harinder in Derbyshire, Rav in Norfolk & Suffolk and Richard, Judith and Diana in Northampton who did so much work to enable, support and manage the project. Also huge thanks to Dr Vivienne for the vision and drive of the project overall.
Finally a message to the incredible service users, advocates and professionals. I’ve been so thrilled and impressed by how you’ve engaged and now connected together to form one Reverse Commissioning Group in each Trust. It’s this meeting of minds and hearts – mindful, respectful, honouring and celebrating of our differences – that will really enhance our services, wellbeing and communities. I look forward to seeing many of you at the National NHS BME Annual Conference in London this Friday
Do check out the film above.
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