Thanks for dropping by. I am in the midst of compiling my new podcast on the experiences of carers, but in the meantime I thought to do a quick blog on looking back at what I have been up to in 2019.

As usual I have been continuing to run four carer forums each month for the past year. We have had a lot of support from the community and I can only hope it continues in 2020, because the groups will increase to another 4 and an extra borough.

However from each of the 4 carer engagement forums here is the list of those who engaged with carers

Lewisham MH carers forum (2019 speakers)

• SLaM Hoarding Service
• Roslyn Byfield is a trained Counseller and therapist,
• Kathryn Hill (Director of England for Carers Trust)
• SLaM Engagement lead for Lewisham and Croydon
• SLaM Patient Advice Liason Service
• Lewisham Healthwatch
• Lewisham CCG
• Ruth Morgan – Clinical Psychologist
• Aaron Brewer – SLaM Quality Improvement
• Cllr James Rathborne – Lewisham Mental Health Champion
• SLaM Head of Nursing

Lambeth MH Carers forum (2019 speakers)

• Lambeth Healthwatch
• Eva Klamerus on CoPE online resource for carers
• Lead for Lambeth Hospital
• Helen Hayes MP for Dulwich & West Norwood
• Rebecca Martland researcher from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience
• Robert Stebbings the Policy and Communications Officer from Adfam
• Older Adults and Dementia Operations Directorate

Southwark MH carers forum (2019 speakers)

• Eva Klamerus on CoPE online resource for carers
• Southwark Healthwatch
• Kings College Hospital Carers Lead
• NHS Serious Incident investigator
• Nicola Gunn Solicitors
• Southwark CCG on their carers strategy
• Southwark Council
• Rebecca Martland researcher from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience

Lewisham BAME MH carers forum (2019 speakers)

• Lewisham Police MH engagement lead
• Eva Klamerus on CoPE online resource for carers
• Lewisham CCG – queries on Lewisham carers strategy
• Lewisham Council
• SLaM PALs on SLaM Carers strategy
• Table Talk on Older Adult community support
• SLaM pharmacist
• South Lewisham GP Practice PPG chair
• SLaM Equality Lead
• Errol Chambers SLaM Inpatient social worker
• Clinical Team Leader for Lewisham Community Services

I would like to thank those who took their time out from work to engage with carers and carer representatives in those boroughs.  Special thanks to fellow carers also managing to attend.

Just a quick note that there have been quite a few more attendees particular for Lambeth borough, but I had not managed to always blog those meetings in time.

Other things I have been busy doing in 2019.

Below are a list of events and activities I have been up to in 2019.  The list is not in-depth because there are a lot of things I have missed out, but there is a link below each title which you can click on to read more about different events.

Lewisham Stakeholder event

Near the end of the year, I was happy to set up a workshop about carers at the Lewisham CCG stakeholder event. It took a bit of work, but many carers from Carers Lewisham supported each other and we all felt the workshop empowered us all. The Lewisham Mental Health Stakeholder event went very well and was attended by many stakeholders, partners and organisations also running their workshops.

Lewisham MH Stakeholder event Link

ADASS Carer celebration festival 2019

The first London Carers festival took place over in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The event was planned by the Directors of Adult Social Services and other partners. The carers festival was very well planned with many community activites throughout the day. As we all know carers do much for almost next to nothing, so I was proud to attend and observe the festival. I hope the 2020 carers festival will go well and I am wondering what London borough will run it.

ADASS Carer celebration festival 2019 link

HSJ Award Ceremony 2019

The Health Service Journal awards was a long time in the making, but I am not surprised because the awards cover the whole of the NHS. I was delighted to be one of the judges on picking which part of the UKs System Led Support for Carers and how those systems would incorporate, identify and empower carers. All applicants had excellent case studies, but can be only one winner which was West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership, although Manchester Healthcare partnership was highly reccomended.

HSJ Award Ceremony 2019 Link

Carers UK annual conference 2019

Carers UK (I often mention them) also had their annual conference on developments around the country for carers. I was delighted to be given a chance to speak at the conference in regards to carers empowerment, which I feel is a much needed thing for carers. Carers UK gave me that extra voice for that day and will continue to give carers that needed voice.

Carers UK annual conference 2019 Link

St Andrews Black History Month event

I was not able to blog the event, but I was happy to speak about the “Importance of BAME NHS Staff and the relation to BAME carers in the community”. The event took place of at St Andrews healthcare site. The site was massive and I felt like I walked 3 parks to get to their head quarters. The turnout was very good and the event was planned well. I am awaiting what the outcome is for 2020.

Service User Advocacy Exhibition

Bethlem’s Museum of the mind has recently put up an exhibition celebrating experiences and voices from the service user and carer community. Part of the exhibition showed my views on why carers should be involved in the NHS and helping to shape mental health services. After all, I have been involved at SLaM for close to 5 years or more, plus I am involved at other mental health trusts and probably counting. The Exhibition opening went smoothly and I have visited the exhibition several times.

Service User Advocacy Exhibition Link

Royal College of Nursing involvement group

The Royal College of Nursing has taken up the Triangle of Care a policy that aims to connect Health professional, Patient and Carer. The majority of input does come from MH carers as the culture of the health service centers around the patient, this can go double for the mental health system, so a policy from a carers perspective is a welcome result. Due to the RCN taking on the Triangle of Care, other avenues have opened up and one of them is the RCN’s involvement group, which I am a member of.

Royal College of Nursing involvement group Link

Reform of the Mental Health Act Debate

The reform of the Mental Health Act 1983 has been a long time coming and it was with pleasure to attend the debate of the reform of the MH act over at parliament.  The speaker who led the debate was Neil Coyle MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark (also a carer) . I hope MPs to engage with carers regarding the Mental Health Act as many carers worry the reform act still ignores their concerns.

Reform of the Mental Health Act Debate Link

National MH Nurses director forum at Warwick University

The National Mental Health Nurses director forum (sorry its quite a long title) is a major event in the stakes of Mental Health Trusts. I was happy to speak at the event and got a chance to meet England’s most senior Nurse Ruth May.

The facilities at Warwick University were excellent and I think I was very spoilt. I spoke about the importance of mental health carers and the influence families and carers can bring to the NHS. For 2020 it will be a very important year for NHS England especially with the promises government will bring to the table and the World Health Organisation’s Year of the Nurse and Midwife……watch this space.

National MH Nurses director forum at Warwick University Link

Trauma Matters event

I have very close links to the WeCoproduce CiC and have known them for a very long time. It is one of the many Patient and carer forums that has similar aspects to the forums I run.

I have known Jane McGrath for many years and she always amazes me with the sheer dedication and organisation of running national events. Due to the terrible events at Glenfield Tower, many people were traumatised from the incident and it was only a matter of time before West London community asked what an earth is Trauma. I attended part of the Trauma Matters event and you can see my blog about it below.

Trauma Matters event Link

SLaM Annual Trust Psychology and Psychotherapy event

Psychology and Psychotherapy mean a lot to me and as far as I know SLaM runs an annual Trust Psychology and Psychotherapy event. I was happy to speak about the importance of Psychology and Psychotherapy at the event along with a patient I have known for a very long time.

SLaM Annual Trust Psychology and Psychotherapy event Link

Triangle of Care regional meetings (Kent & Medway / SWLSG )

NHS Mental Health trusts involved in the Triangle of Care policy often meet and discuss regional developments. Since I am on the steering group of the Triangle of Care policy, I feel it is so important to attend such meetings to hear updates on how many of the mental health trusts are working towards the triangle of care and engaging with Carers.

One of the regional events impressed me so much that I blogged about it, this meeting was chaired by Kent & Medway Trust.

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust host the next meeting, so I am looking forward to how things turn out.

Triangle of Care regional meetings Link

Conclusion

As you can see this has been a busy year for me and I have only mentioned half of what I have been up to as a carer.  Year 2020 looks to be an event bigger year for carer involvement and empowerment and I hope carer engagement to the forums I run continue, because without carers becoming empowered to query how services are, then the family and carer voice goes missing……

Thank you all that believed in me and other unpaid carers.