It is mental health awareness week 2024. The theme for this year is “Movement: moving for our mental health.”.
The charity Mental Health Foundation has been running Mental Health Awareness Week for 20 years and it continues to grow stronger in raising awareness.
Please watch my video on the importance of Mental Health Awareness week.
To help promote and celebrate mental health awareness week 2024
1. Sign-up for an active challenge event! 2. Wear a green ribbon to show everyone that you care about mental health. 3. Learn about mental health by attend events online or locally.
Mental Health is every ones business and we must recognise and support our own mental wellbeing
Welcome back to the third in the series of carer activist interviews by Matthew McKenzie. These videos help not only bring awareness to what unpaid carers can do when helping others, but can also allow carers to learn about carer empowerment.
For this interview I spoke to Jaycee La Bouch fellow supporter of Carers UK and founder of Zen Laughter yoga therapy. Jaycee is not only a carer, but also finds ways to support other carers through the power of mental wellbeing. Every time I meet Jaycee, she always has a smile on her face.
Unpaid carers can go through many challenges that it can be so easy for them to neglect their own mental health and wellbeing. Watch the video of the challenges Jaycee went through and how she found the power to help others.
Did you know that national hoarding awareness week is fast approaching? The awareness week starts on Monday 13th of May, which is the same day mental health awareness week starts.
The awareness week started in 2014 and has grown each year. So the theme for this year is called “Then and Now”, which is centred around looking back at how much has changed throughout the last decade
Hoarding is a recognised mental health diagnosis. It is the excessive collection and retention of any material to the point that living space is sufficiently cluttered to preclude activities for what they are designed for.
Those who care for someone hoarding often go through forms of mental health stigma, which can often set difficult challenges in their relationship with the person hoarding.
Hoarding disorders are challenging to treat because many people who hoard frequently do not see it as a problem, or have little awareness of how it’s affecting their life or the lives of others. This can lead to families and friends struggling to maintain a relationship with the person who has the disorder.
There is much needed awareness for hoarding, so it is just by chance that a Leicester Animation Studio has launched Campaign for Animated Short Film Shedding Light on Hoarding Disorder.
Supported by the British Film Institute (BFI) NETWORK, the film will visually explore real human emotions within the context of Hoarding Disorder focusing on the relationship between a mother and her daughter.
Though the BFI NETWORK supported by the National Lottery is behind the project, Kino Bino are seeking pledges to complete the production. Their crowdfunding campaign is backed by national hoarding organisations such as Hoarding Disorder UK, Clouds End, and Hoarding Support, with Leicestershire Fire Service, academic experts, and organisations like the British Psychological Society, Age UK, and the APDO rallying behind this worthwhile film.
Welcome to an update of the Cygnet Annual Nursing Conference and awards ceremony that took place over at the National Conference Centre.
Just to let you know the perspective of the Nursing conference is from a carer’s perspective. I will not always repeat what took place, but might review its importance or my understanding of the event.
The Cygnet Nursing Conference took place on the 9th of May 2024 from 10:00 am till 4:30 pm, so the event was packed with updates, keynote speakers, Breakout Sessions and Awards along with certificate graduations.
You can also watch the video promotion of the event below.
I would just like to mention that in my carer engagement role, I have never been to a nursing conference before, so I was not sure what to expect. I was worried a lot of things would go over my head or there would be too much Jargon. This is important if involved patient and carers from expert by experience are attending professional events.
The evening before carer ambassadors and expert by experience were treated to a lovely meal at the Premier Inn hotel over in Birmingham.
I had not seen a few Cygnet carer ambassadors for a while, so it was great to connect and hear updates. With support from Cygnet Carer lead Laura Sheridan I was made to feel welcome. In fact we all were welcomed by David Wilmott who is Cygnet’s Director of Nursing. David has a strong nursing background and has a focus and passion for making nursing a special career for Cygnet staff.
I have to admit I did not pay too much attention to the Conference agenda beforehand, but to my surprise, it turned out some of the Keynote speakers were at premier inn meal. I had a chat with Stephen Jones who is the Head of nursing practice for mental health at the Royal College of Nursing. Did you know I am involved in a few RCN projects?
I also had a chat to Jane Murkin who is the Deputy Director of Safety and Improvement at NHS England.
It was great to see two professionals passionate about the nursing profession and I was interested to hear what they were going to say.
On the day of the conference the weather was pleasant and so was the atmosphere of the conference. Everyone was friendly and welcoming as they looked forward to the agenda. It was not long before we had welcome and introductions from David Wilmott who thanked those in attendance and mentioned how important it is to congratulate each other. David mentioned that it takes a lot to not only help others who are vulnerable, but also to help each other and ourselves.
We then had a welcome from Dr Tony Romero who is the CEO of Cygnet. Tony showed his support for those in attendance as he prepared staff for a special day.
Next to present from a video message was Prof Deborah Sturdy who is the Chief Nurse for Adult Social care at the Department of Health and Social Care. She also thanked those in attendance, but made note that we must join networks with people and their communities.
Stephen Jones presents
It was not long before we had our first Keynote speaker. This was Stephen Jones who I met the day before and had an interesting discussion about carer involvement.
Stephen spoke about Psychosocial Interventions in Mental Health Nursing. Interventions along with coproduction and codesign are the things I am involved in at the RCN. Stephen spoke about these very things and how these programmes are developed at the Royal College of Nursing.
Stephen spoke about those who promote these programmes at the RCN and the work they do.
He also mentioned why Mental Health Nursing is so important regarding psychosocial interventions. Stephen stressed that Psychosocial interventions are not a replacement for structured psychological therapy, medication or other evidence-based treatments, but work with and inform these treatments to provide a conprehensive approach to mental health care.
Stephen made his presentation easy to understand as he broke down the roles of mental health nursing. Stephen also spoke about the The Nursing and Midwifery Council, which is the regulator for nursing and midwifery professions in the UK. The NMC maintains a register of all nurses, midwives and specialist community public health nurses and nursing associates eligible to practise within the UK.
Jane Murkin NHS – Keynote Speaker
We then heard from Jane Murkin who is the deputy director of Safety and Improvement in Nursing at NHS England
Jane spoke about her reflection on nursing and delivering the best outcomes for people. She also promoted that we should consider our roles and responsibility when it comes to improving services. Jane touched on some of NHS England’s improvement approach and impact. Plus she finished up by providing an overview of the national strategic nursing priorities.
It was refreshing to hear Jane mention the importance of families, carers and patients being involved to help change systems of service delivery.
Rebecca Burgess-Dawson Presents
The third keynote speaker was Rebecca who is the National clinical lead at South West Yorkshire Parnership NHS Foundation trust.
Her presentatation was a passionate talk about mental health nursing and its overview. She challenged the audience to think closely on what mental health nursing is percived to be and why she feels cygnet has carefully thought about its identity and service when it comes to mental health nursing.
We then had a coffee break with a chance to network which then led onto how Quality Improvement helped services at one of Cygnet sites. This was presented by Rosie Hodgson-Whittle who is the Interim Hospital Manager at Cygnet Appletree.
Rosie talked about the implementation of the 7Cs Tool which aid and improve services regarding patient observations, collaboration and identifying not only the problems, but also the solutions.
Cygnet Nursing strategy
It was then back to David Wilmott who introduced Laura Sheridan and Raf Hamza on the co-production of Cygnets Nursing strategy. We heard from Raf Hamza on why lived experience should be included in developments on such strategies.
Next was more networking and lunch, where I took the time to speak to some staff and catch up with keynote speakers. I glanced through the Cygnet annual nursing conference booklet and felt the design, feel and presentation was inviting. It was easy to understand and had a professional feel to it.
Ellie Gordon presents
After lunch we heard from more keynote speakers. The first being Ellie Gordon who is the Senior Nurse for Learning disability at NHS England. Ellie talked about the importance of education and the inclusion of Nursing Associates.
Oxleas presents on Embedding Relational Security – See Think Act.
I have close links with Oxleas due to my carer forums and groups. So it was a delight to see Oxleas support the Cygnet Nursing Conference.
We got to hear from Naidoo Armoordon who is the Head of Nursing at Oxleas.
Naidoo was joined by Emma Hopkins who is the practice development nurse in the Accute & Crisis Directorate. Oxleas wanted to Showcase the transformative power of ( See Think Act ) relational secutiy knowledge and how this can be applied through a trauma informed lens.
This would be done through strong leadership within the acute inpatient setting and help enchance staff and patient well-being with a culture of excellence at Oxleas Wards.
Naidoo spoke about why such tools are needed especially when nurses face difficult challenges on the wards. As you can see from the chart below.
Emma provided a case study of a patient and how those tools produce better outcomes.
Nursing in the United states
This section was presentated by Karen Johnson who is the Chief Clinical Officer and Senior Vice Presendent in Behavioural Health at UHS. Karen was joined by Valerie Devereaux who is the Vice President of Nursing and Behavioural Health at UHS.
Cygnet is a subsidiary of Universal Health Services, which is based in the states. UHS owns and operates 400 facilities across 39 US states including Washington D.C, Puerto Rico and of course the UK. These sites include
Acute Care Hospitals Ambulatory Surgery Centers Behavioral Health Facilities Freestanding Emergency Departments
Karen spoke about the state of US health care, which included the length of stay within inpatient facilities and residential facilities. She focused on the importance of the US 2024 National Suicide Strategy and the focus on
Community-Based Suicide Prevention Treatment and Crisis Services Surveilance, Quality Improvement and Research Health Equity in Suicide Prevention
It was interesting to hear what the Nursing Trends and challenges are in the US as there seems to be similar challenges over in the states as well as in the UK.
Breakout sessions
Next we had a choice of 4 Breakout sessions where I attened 2 of those sessions
Caring for a person with Diabetes Intervention and escalation of an unwell person Role of engagement when performing observations Support and engagement in social care
I was interested in the session regarding diabetes, since my mother suffered greatly with the illness.
I remember the difficult challanges of trying to care not only for her mental health, but how her physical health was in a serious situation.
Cygnet Nursing awards
This section of the conference was one of the events I was looking forward to. I wanted to see what the nursing staff were celebrated for and how they were celebrated. You get to hear the works Cygnet Nursing staff carry out during such awards.
I was not disappointed as I watched David present awards. I heard how Julie won her award for the work she does with carers at the Cygnet Hexham site
I also observed not only the nursing awards. but also graduation certificates which was presented by Mandy ianchard who is Cygnet’s Head of Learning & Development.
Overall I enjoyed the day and felt I was not only watching the conference, but was also a part of it.
Welcome back to my latest project to raise awareness of the great work of carer activists. This time I was lucky to get an interview with the great Nadia Taylor. Nadia is a long time unpaid carer who is the chair of the excellent Carers Network charity that covers the city of Westminster, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
Nadia spoke about her lived experience as a carer and why she tries had to make a difference for other unpaid carers. She engages heavily with service providers and wants to make a change on national policy when it comes to supporting carers rights
Welcome to another update of an event for carers. This blog is of the special event produced by carers for unpaid carers. The event was developed by unpaid carers Faith Smith and Annette Davis.
The point of the event was a chance for carers who care for someone unpaid to come together and showcase a talent to link carers together. This was a special event because it was produce by unpaid carers for unpaid carers. Both Annette and Faith felt carers have something to offer that can bring the community together. After viewing an exhibition, both carers felt inspired to develop an event which took some months of planning and organising.
I have known Annette and Faith a very long time and we often collaborate when there is a chance. So with the support of Carer network lead Laura Sheridan at Cygnet, we felt this would be a chance for Carers of London to learn from each other and develop confidence to share their talents.
For the first ever Positive Talents show took place at Cygnet ChurchHill hospital over in Lambeth. The location was very easy to get to, with good transport links.
There was also a good turn out as we got support from unpaid carers wanting to attend to reduce isolation and also carers who wanted to showcase their talents.
Annette and Faith opened the positive talent show with an explanation of to why carers should be given the chance to show off any skills or talents. It is just a matter of being given the chance.
We were then shown a video of a carer performing poetry. The poem was performed by Brenda Onatade who could not be present. However you can see Brenda perform her poetry below.
Next we had a video from Jo Lambert who also could not attend, however Faith gave a great talk about the video which you can see below
You can see Jo Lambert’s video called “Fairy lights of Hope” below
We then had a talk by Annette on Looking after yourself. Her talk was titled LAM “looking after ME”
As being a poet, I wanted to showcase the importance of carers recognising their talents and performed a poem called “What helps me”
I also did a learn and share session for carers to relate to the poem, which you can view below.
There was then a focus on positive wellbeing messages that were shared by the audience of carers. We all shared what was positive for our own health.
.After my poetry performance we then moved onto a comedy routine by another carer called Jo.
The routine helped destigmatize mental ill health as sometimes the only option for difficult challenges is laughter. You can see the comedy section below.
Next was a game of charades, where carers can feel welcome and join in the activities
Then next was refreshments and food along with networking. The food was prepared by Cygnet chief Titilayo
For the 2nd half of the Talent show. We had a presentation from Southwark Wellbeing hub on their focus for Black carers. There is a launch of the Black Carers Project, which I have included the poster below.
Then we have a dance section from carer Jackie Christie, where you can see the performance below
After the lovely dance show, we had another comedy routine, this time performed by Faith Smith, again the video is placed below.
Next was my 2nd poetry performance on the importance of setting a legacy.
The last two performance were led by Annette who did a few song sessions
I felt the event turned out very well since this was the first ever carer talent show. We all shared from each other and felt that we were part of something very big. Thanks for the support from the following carer centres who also helped to promote and connect carers to each other. These being Lambeth carers hub, Sutton Carers and Imago community and a special thanks to Cygnet for hosting the event for carers, plus providing food.
All who took part were awarded certificate, so well done to them.
Given the chance, carers can do some amazing things for the community. Carers can be supported to showcase their skills and talents.
Great news for those caring for someone with Psychosis and Schizophrenia. Kings College London is starting up their free online course for carers, which should be available from 20th of May 2024
When starting out as a carer for a family member or friend, many are not aware of the pitfalls and challenges. We all want to be there for our loved ones, but we do not want to make any mistakes.
The journey as a carer can be fraught with many problems, so it is worth getting as much information and education as possible.
Designed by Dr Juliana Onwumere, the course was designed with carers in mind. The course runs for 4 weeks and is available on the platform FutureLearn.
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
Welcome fellow carers. I have started a new collaboration video series. As a carer activist myself I know many carers who go that extra mile to promote carer awareness. I have started to help raise the profile of such carers by doing interviews off my YouTube channel.
Veronica Kamerling
The first carer to be interviewed is Veronica Kamerling who specialises in eating disorder awareness. She has been actively working to promote Triangle of Care which is a set of standards by national carer charity Carers Trust.
Veronica describes her caring role, what drives her to engage with carers, patients and professionals. She also gives advice to carers watching the interview.
A Caring Mind 