Welcome to another update of the series of exciting Carer network events from Cygnet. Cygnet healthcare are a private provide of mental health services. I am one of the carer network ambassadors for cygnet where I engage, network and involve those whose loved ones use the services of cygnet.

This time I was over at Cygnet Colchester to help promote Cygnets focus for unpaid carers.

This Carers network event took place on the 26th of April 2024. The carers event had a great line up of speakers and presenters who wanted to educate and raise carer awareness with those who attended. We had a number of carers and professionals who attended and engaged with the presentations.

You can also watch a video promotion of the event off my YouTube channel

As usual I was interested in the hospital layout on what was on offer for carers and noticed the carers board. It is so important hospitals have a board display for carers and also a board of staff contacts. This is so carers know what is on offer.

We were greated by carers lead Paul Metcalfe. Paul who told us about the work he does to support carers. He also mentioned how it is his responsibility that staff at the site are carer aware. Paul was excited that the carer event will promote for carer awareness to the Cygnet staff on site.

It was not long before the event started, which is where David Wilmott who is Cygnet’s Director of Nursing opened the event. David presented how carers are so important to Cygnet and that Cygnet strives to do their best to make sure carers are aware of the support on offer. David requested that carers do feedback on what is useful. Cygnet does not want to second guess what carers want, even if carers complain then any information is good feedback.

Laura Sheredan who leads on Carers for Cygnet also updated what is on offer for carers. These include online feedback sessions, carers passport, carer packs and so much more. Laura did not want to spoil what else is available for carers as some updates would be presented throughout the day.

After a quick update from Laura and David, I helped open the event and presented my philosophy on why carer networking is so important. I left the Carers right section for the other Cygnet Care Ambassador Julian De Takats who was due to present later on at the event.

As someone who seeks a connection with carers, I know how difficult it is to be isolated, undervalued and lost in the system. Carers actually learn from each other, but they need the platform, confidence and voice to network. It takes time to do all of this, I should know since I have been promoting carer empowerment for many years.

I spoke about why I promote carer awareness and how I do this via my poetry books, online media, carer groups and even on national TV. Carers need to connect and learn from each other so they can avoid isolation. There are many carers around the country all wondering what it is like to be counted at a carers event. Cygnet does a lot of carer event hosting, so I will be looking forward to meeting more carers and how professionals present what is on offer for carers.

I also spoke about the importance of carer activism. It is not enough to provide a carers assessment, support group and a cup of tea. Carers should be counted and be given the confidence to lead. Far too often carers are told what is or what is not available for them. If you have lived experience then it is still experience that can other can learn from. I was delighted to see carers at the event who ran their own carers group and sought to engage with providers and services. I do understand being a carer activist is not everyones cup of tea, but because there are very few activists there is lots of potential if more carers want to be heard.

One last note on carer activism, it does not mean being an angry carer and looking for the nearest shopping window to smash, it is a way of direct engagement. Known who is responsible and running a campaign that never tires. Carers UK and Carers trust have many events that promotes activism, especially carers rights day. Make sure to become a member at those charities and get involved.

Next to speak at the Colchester carers event was Jasmine Damant. It is so important that there is an opportunity to learn more about the roles that support patients and their families. Jasmine spoke about the importance of Occupational therapy. The presentation was educational and interactive as the audience were encouraged to respond to questions and give their views.

Taken from the Royal College of Occupational therapy.

“Occupational therapists see beyond diagnoses and limitations to hopes and aspirations. They look at relationships between the activities you do every day – your occupations – alongside the challenges you face and your environment.”

Jasmine easily broke down the tasks of what Occupational therapists do and how their work can benefit not only the patient but also the carer.

Continuing the focus on learning about health professional roles we had Dr Rajesh Rama Lyer present. Dr Rajesh is the medical director for cygnet Colchester. He spoke about how medicine is important and why it is used.

Dr Rajest stressed there are always ways to include the families and carers in decisions even if there were challenges.

We then had another quick update from Laura who spoke about what was on offer for carers including being part of the cygnet carers network.

After a quick Lunch and more networking. I spoke to some carers about how they found the event so far. I also heard from their own stories of caring and why they decided to provide care. Each story I learnt so much from their lived experiences.

As mentioned earlier on in my blog. I touched on Carers rights day. It is so important that carers know about their carers rights. So we were very fortunate to hear about Carer advocacy and carer rights from Jane Perks. Jane is one of the team providing carer advocacy for Cygnet.

Jane from Black Belt Advocacy spoke about how advocacy can help carers navigate the complex maze of mental health services, especially if their are challenges that carers need help deciding what to do. If options are not presented to carers then there is a risk of people being neglected and this in turn affect the quality of services.

It would be unrealistic to say that only adults provide mental health care, when many children or young adults are also doing this role. We were foruntate to have Andy McGowan who is Policy and Practice Manager at Carers Trust present about young carers.

Again Andy’s presentation was interactive where the audience was asked a few questions about young carers and the roles they play. It was sad to hear that many young carers do not know about their role as a carer and this leads to them not understanding their carers rights. Young carers are also prone to missing out on their futures due to lack of support in education. Young carers can also miss out on social activities and sacrificing so much that their own mental and physical wellbeing are at risk.

This is one of the reasons why Cygnet are signing up to the Young Carers Covenant. The Young Carers Covenant is a UK-wide commitment to young carers and young adult carers. It sets out ten key outcomes that young carers from across the UK have said are key to improving their lives.

Below is are the ten outcomes Cygnet will seek to improve when encountering young carers.

• Are identified at the earliest opportunity
• Are able to thrive in education
• Can access and succeedin employment/training opportunities
• Have time for themselves
• Are safe and secure
• Can access support for themselves and their family
• Feel they have choices in their lives
• Have good physical and mental health
• Can access and benefit from the rights they have
• Live free from poverty

Last but not least was carer Julian de Takat who spoke about why he had became a Carers Ambassador for cygnet. Julian admitted how he used to be an angry carer, but chose to channel his energies to reaching out to others.
It was both a credit to Laura supporting Julian in the role and Julian promoting that carers should try to work with health professionals.

Julian promoted what carer ambassadors have done for cygnet and what is on offer for carers whose loved ones are using those services. There are many more things on offer for carers and more exciting events to come. I would like to say thanks to Cygnet Colchester for being so welcoming and hosting such an excellent carers event