Monthly Archives: September 2023

North West London Cygnet Carers, Families and Friends Network Event

Welcome to another blog post from carer activist Matthew McKenzie. As a carer I find it vital that carers of those going through mental ill health get a chance for engagement from services. Friends and families tend to hidden away supporting their loved ones. They want the best support, but often struggle to be heard.

As one of the carer ambassadors for Cygnet health care, I was delighted to attend and support their latest carer network event. There have been a series of carer network events taking place around Cygnet sites and the latest one was held over at Cygnet Hospital over in Harrow. The event was planned in coproduction by Laura Sheridan Group Service Improvement Manager for Cygnet. Laura helps lead on the carer network programme and triangle of care focus at Cygnet.

For our latest carer event we had a fantastic line up of speakers. Cygnet health care want carers to be part of their network and want carers to be involved by leading from the front. Our first speaker was Lesley Mellor who is Parent Carer. She is also one of the carer ambassadors for Cygnet health care. Lesley shared her knowledge about the importance of including carers and the promise that Cygnet health care will be there to support unpaid carers.

The next speaker was Sharon Spurling who is the Triangle of Care Programme Lead at Carers Trust. Cygnet Health care wants to strenghen its policies to have that carer focus. The triangle of care programme offers that chance to raise carer identification and engagement to the highest standard. Several of Cygnet hospitals are working on triangle of care standards at their sites. With carers at our latest network event, it was a chance to promote what triangle of care is all about.

We also had Julie Garbett present about Julie is a Regional Nurse Director (London and South), Cygnet Julie is a registered mental health nurse of 20 years, with a vast range of experience gained working for NHS Mental Health Trusts and CMHTS in the South East. Julie spoke about how important carers are to Cygnet. Julie helped identify how carers are not just one group, unpaid carers can be anyone.

At the event carers were looked after with a lovely meal and a chance to network with speakers and with other carers.

We then heard from Matthew Gill who is Director of Psychology Services Midlands at Cygnet. He is a Consultant Forensic Psychologist with over 20 years of experience. Matthew is a committee member for the British Psychological Society and an AIMS assessor for the Royal College of Psychiatry. Matthew spoke about the importance of talking therapies. You can see from one of the slides on what Matthew covered below.

It was important we get to hear from the lived experience voice of the carer. Julian de Takats – Parent carer told his story and his thoughts about the carer experience. Julian as another carer ambassodor for cygnet health is passionate about carers being able to network and working together in a peer environment. Julian worked in the music industry before accidentally becoming a carer. Julian has been an active member of the Cygnet Carers Network since 2022 and is now proudly an Expert by Experience Carer Ambassador.

Next up to present at the carer network event was Dr Richard Church who is the Medical Director, Cygnet Hospital Woking. Dr Church studied medicine at the University of Cambridge and undertook general psychiatric training at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. After working in the NHS for over 15 years, in November 2017, Dr Church joined Cygnet Woking as Medical Director and Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist. Dr Richard spoke about the barriers carers face when speaking to services. Richard gave an honest presentation that cygnet also faces challenges when working with carers, but he also gave thoughts on how cygnet with working with those challenges.

My thoughts summing up the event

The location, theme, presentations and speakers were excellent. Time and time again I state it is important the mental health, social care and health providers hold engagement events on what they offer to carers. It is not enough to promote an offer to carers as unpaid carers need to be involved and also need empowered to network, develop peer skills and work with providers.

Cygnet health care are setting an example that carers play an important part of recovery. Carers should not be hidden away struggling to support and provide care. I do admit that health and social care is struggling with the challenges they face, but we all need to work together. I hope we continue to reach out to carers, promote carer focused policies and be held to account on our promise to carers. This is a new journey for cygnet, but we want to share the journey with our carers.

Triangle of care – What is your mental health NHS trust doing for carers?

Welcome fellow unpaid carers. This blog focuses on those caring for someone suffering through mental illness. I chair the Triangle of Care community meeting. You might have already heard about Triangle of Care from national carers charity Carers Trust.

Basically the Triangle of Care describes a therapeutic relationship between the patient, staff member and carer that promotes safety, supports communication and sustains wellbeing. Many NHS Mental health trusts across the country have taken up the challenge and signed up to the scheme.

However if you are a carer, knowing about the triangle of care is not enough. You should try work out what your NHS trust is doing with triangle of care policy.

Some questions you could ask

  1. Have you as an NHS organisation signed up to the triangle of care?
  2. What are your plans to get feedback from carers to help shape triangle of care at your organisation?
  3. How do you promote triangle of care to unpaid carers?
  4. How is triangle of care helping to change the experiences of carers at your NHS organisation?

There are many more questions to ask senior NHS staff at your local mental health trust, but it is so important carers do not just blindly accept carer policies without some scrutiny.

We have our next Triangle of Care community meeting for 21st of september. See below.

Remember, unpaid carers also use services and it is their right influence or feedback experiences of health care.

Research study-treatment for sleep problems in breast cancer patients

Hello fellow unpaid carers. A new blog post from carer activist Matthew McKenzie. I am promoting new research into treatments for sleep problems with breast cancer patients.

Sommer Agnew from Strathclyde University is researching on sleep problems in breast cancer patients, a very common issue in this population. They are currently conducting a study to investigate whether supporting breast cancer patients to improve their sleep could help them to take their hormone therapy medication (e.g. Tamoxifen, Letrozole), as many struggle to take hormone therapy medication due to side effects like this. 

The research is offering a remote, evidence-based intervention called cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, which is the recommended treatment for sleep problems. She is looking to recruit people who struggle with their sleep, are prescribed hormone therapy as breast cancer treatment, and who sometimes find it difficult to take their medication as prescribed (e.g., feeling the need to take a break from their medication, or forgetting to take medication sometimes).    

 Anyone who may be interested can contact Sommer directly through email (sommer.agnew.2019@uni.strath.ac.uk), the study Twitter (@SleepinBCStudy) or leave an email address through the following link if they would prefer for me to contact them:  

https://hass.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3kEKYWdi7BIAX2u

London Cancer Caregiver Forum August Update

Welcome to my first ever update of my London cancer carer forum. This carer forum is different from my other carer forums. The major difference is this forum focuses on families, friends and carers who care for those with cancer. My other 5 groups focus on those caring for someone with mental ill health.

This forum runs on the last wednesday of the month and covers the whole of London. The forums main focus tends to be hospital engagement. Cancer Alliance and cancer leads at hospitals should have a keen interest to support carers who try navigate the cancer pathway.

For August we had our peer session to hear what challenges cancer caregivers face. If those seeking to improve cancer services do not engage at grassroots level then we risk guessing what challenges people face. It is so important to network and educate each other. It is very important for carers to be empowered to network especially for a peer supportive environment. It is impossible for me to be everywhere, so with a network we can have members looking to attend cancer service engagement events. Carers should be encourage to feedback their experiences.

For our very first London cancer caregiver group we were joined by Professor Tracey Devonport from the university of wolverhampton.

Professor Tracey is from the Faculty of Education Health & Wellbeing and although she presents at my ethnic mental health carer group. She has a large focus on cancer care research. This also includes research on cancer caregivers.

For our August London Cancer caregiver group. Professor Tracy presented on “Coping Conversation’s for Cancer Carers Forum”.

Prof Tracy ran a presentation and session on coping skills for carers who often can find themselves overwhelmed when providing unpaid care.

Each member of our group fedback what challenges we face when providing unpaid care. We also gave ideas on what we use to help us cope. Tracy presented her ideas on Dyadic Coping

All in all our forum worked out ok. There is still a lot of work to do as the group looks to develop the following.

  • Increase a chance to feedback experience
  • Learn about your role from other carers
  • Engagement from hospital services
  • Develop a cancer caregiver network.
  • Learn about the peer environment
  • Engagement on university research
  • Increase the focus on those who care for someone with cancer
  • focus on mental health caring for cancer
  • influence cancer services
  • Hold to account