Welcome fellow unpaid carers and carer activists. Did you know at the time of this blog post that it is Young Carers Action Day 2024?
Young Carers Action Day or YCAD 2024 takes place on the 13th of March each year. The carers awareness day is lead by Carers Trust and supported by many organisations across the country
The purpose of the day is to raise public awareness of the challenges faced by young people because of their caring role, and to campaign for greater support for young carers and their needs.
The theme for Young Carers Action Day 2024 is ‘Make Time for Young Carers‘. The theme looks at fair futures for young carers which will be focussing on why caring should not be a barrier to learning.
It is not good news if you are a young carer. Stats say that 1 in 3 young carers struggle to balance caring with our education, this can have a big impact on whether they can get on at school, go to university, or get a job or an apprenticeship.
The impact on young carers can be tremendous. If someone is providing unpaid care, they will struggle to do schoolwork and even when at school the young carer will be tired. All this will impact on the carers school performance, which will have a knock on affect for further education.
It is not just about education, young carers can be isolated and stigmatised, especially if caring for someone with mental illness. Young carers are often bullied and excluded, by only doing what is expected of a caring community.
So what can you do to help make a difference for Young Carers Action Day?
Tips
You can raise awareness by using social media, just like my blog post.
As a carer activist you can appeal to the UK Government for more help to be given to young carers.
Network partners of Carers Trust can get a resource pack promoting YCAD
Schools should listen to carer centres on best practice in identifying and supporting young carers, offering free tools and resources
Young carers, make yourselves known to us, as well as your school/college, employer and your GP.
Every young carer should have the chance to develop their own futures. Young Carers Action Day aims to create a future where young carers do not have to struggle so much.
Welcome to another quick blog by carer activist Matthew McKenzie. I run many carer groups aimed at those caring for someone with mental ill health, most of the groups are voluntary, but there are a few that are co-run with NHS trusts for partnership working and carer empowerment.
I do a lot of carer engagement at West London NHS trust and was delighted to participate in the Forensic Carers Conference held at Conway Hall. The conference was a showcase of what is happening for those who care for someone using Forensice services, it was also to allow carers to promote their lived experience and raise their profile. We also heard from various researchers both national and international.
The event was funded by North London Forensic Consortium. The North London Forensic Consortium consists of the following NHS trusts:
Barnet, Enfield & Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust Central and North West London Foundation Trust East London Foundation Trust North East London Foundation Trust West London Trust
The North London Forensic Consortium’s core aim was to reduce the number of people who were cared for out of area and create the services their population.
Forensic Carers Conference throughout the day
The conference was very well attended and was opened by David Cochrane who is Head of Forensic Social Work at West London NHS trust high secure unit being Broadmoor.
We then had opening remarks from Leanne McGee who is the Chief Operating Officer for High Secure & Forensic services. Next I read one of my carer poems from my book “The mental health carer poetry book”.
I spent a good 10 minutes getting feedback from the audience on what the poem could mean to them and why families and carers would be anxious of the mental health of their loved ones.
We then had a presentation from Dr Sara Rowart from the University of Ghent (Belgium). Dr Sara presentated on “Family perspectives in forensic care trajectories in Belgium”. This then led onto a discussion of learning and comparison of forensic services in the England.
After the coffee break, we heard from Dr Ruth Naughton-Doe (University of York). She and her team presented on “What Support is Provided to families of detained patients, what do families want and what are the challenges?”. We also got to watch a video on the work the team has done so far.
You can also view the research paper of the work in the link below.
The Forensic Carers conference was useful for getting feedback from carers, professionals and researchers. So there were several feedback and discussion sessions.
We then heard from sibling link CiC who run peer support groups for adults; one for those who are caring for, affected by or worried about their sibling who is experiencing mental ill health. We heard from co-founders Tash Warburton and Bex King who both presented on “Sibling Link: Support through Connection”.
Next we had Raf speaking about expert by experience from Cygnet, unfortunately Laura Sheridan who oversees the Cygnet Carers Network was not able to be in attendance.
I help closed the event with a Joint poem from another Carer who attends my carer forensic group over at West London. My thoughts of the Forensic Carers event are that it was excellent and I am impressed they managed to make the event hybrid so others can join online to even contribute.
I will wait to see how the other NHS trusts promote their carer forensic events
It has been an incredible time since I have become involved as one of the carer network ambassodor to cygnet. Since the triangle of care was launched many years ago, several organisations have taken up the chance to reach and engage with families and carers. I have watched closely the work NHS organisations have done to make a difference and improve people’s lives.
One thing I have noted is that most organisations work very hard to implement a practice of identifying carers, but from what I have seen and been involved with at Cygnet, they have done so much to make the triangle of care a success. Ever since I have been involved at Cygnet, they have reworked many policies to be in line with the Triangle of care vision.
There have been several carer network events at many of Cygnet’s hospitals including Sites in Harrow, Bury Hospital, Maidstone Hospital, Cygnet Hospital over in Bierley, Churchhill on Lambeth site, Tauton and many more sites. From each carer network event I learn more from those who attend and I can see how Cygnet works so hard to improve people’s lives.
With the guidence and support of Laura Sheridan who is Cygnet’s lead for Triangle of care. She has brought together carers to promote the importance of networking in a peer environment. We all contributed to the development of Cygnet’s carers strategy. With the highest level of co-production there was also a development and successful launch of Cygnet’s Carers charter, amendments to Cygnets Social care Admission policy and involvement on the Carer, Family & Friend survey.
With the guidence and support of Laura Sheridan who is Cygnet’s lead for Triangle of care. She has brought together carers to promote the importance of networking in a peer environment. We all contributed to the development of Cygnet’s carers strategy. With the highest level of co-production there was also a development and successful launch of Cygnet’s Carers charter, amendments to Cygnets Social care Admission policy and involvement on the Carer, Family & Friend survey.
There have been numerous promotions and platforms to promote the networks voice as members helped in developing online courses via the Cygnet Masterclass carer course. I have also been given the chance to share my lived carer experience through filming.
The carer network has worked so hard to develop links to families and carers who use Cygnet services. We strive to make a difference in people’s lives and with the support of the network, carers can feel counted.
I wish Cygnet a happy 35th Anniversary and I look forward to joining Cygnet on it’s Journey into improving lives.
As of this blog post from Matthew McKenzie, it is Black History Month 2023. Previously I had written my thoughts about what Black History month means to me. Black history is what defines me and what makes me work so hard to promote wellbeing and promote community. I want people to connect and I value community. I have seen what happens when distrust, discrimination, stigma and blame hits community groups.
Still, sitting around writing about things is not enough. You have to get out there and support the community. You have help promote the values of what brings us together and share ideals. So for this blog, I was delighted to help support Black History Month over in West Sussex. Crawley Musuem held an Exhibition of Black history month with community group “DIVERSE Crawley”.
As a reminder, Black History month has been celebrated in the UK since 1987. The celebration presents an opportunity for everyone to reflect on the past and think about how to improve things for the future. The month-long spotlight allows discussions to go past those of racism and slavery and look more to black leaders, many of who’s legacies touch daily lives.
I was there supporting Carers Support West Sussex who do so much for unpaid carers. With approximately 30,000 registered carers supported by Carers West Sussex. Their charity runs Support Groups and a Carer Response Line. They also assist carers in accessing necessary equipment and funding for their well-being. Additionally, Carers Support West Sussex offers counselling, call back services, and well-being support, with teams stationed in major hospitals. As soon as I arrived Adeelah Khan who is the Carer Engagement Co-ordinator greeted me. I also met their mental health carer engagement to Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation.
The Black History month event opened with African drumming session while the host Marilyn Le Feuvre who is the DIVERSE Crawley Co-Founder and Chair, made sure attendees where welcomed and looked after.
African Druming Session to Start Black History Month Exhibition
It was not long before crowds formed and the Lord Lieutenant of West Sussex Lady Emma Barnard arrived. She was also joined by High Sheriff of West Sussex – Andy Bliss and Crawley Mayor – Cllr Jilly Hart. We were then taken up to the exhibition on the first floor where we heard speeches from each of the attendees.
Their speeches struck an accord with me, I am not sure what Crawly does, but their community seems very close and connected. They all spoke about what Black History means to them and the importance of such an exhibition and event.
After the speeches it was not long before Lady Emma Barnard cut the ribbon to Launch the exibition
We were then given a tour of each exhibit including the impact black people have made to the NHS. The importance of Windrush and the struggles black people faced on arrival. We also heard about the positive things about Black History on what bring people together and sharing culture.
I was honoured to see my poem as part of the exhibition at the musuem and I even actually read the poem for the audience.
This was again thanks to Carers Support West Sussex who spoke about what they do for the community and how they feel unpaid carers are part of the community.
We learnt of African fashion and got to hear various African songs from the young and old. I took the time to place the audio below.
Ugandan National Anthem
Next we heard another poem about the impact of Windrush, which was wonderfully read out by Irma Stuart-Tei who is co-founder and Deputy Chair of DIVERSE Crawley.
Then we were given more details about black history including the case of Kris Karba, Stephan Lawrence and the importance of Black Lives Matter. The talk was supported by Crawley campaign against racism who spoke how together we can all contribute to tackling racism and discrimination.
There were talks about why Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related. The importance of diverse barbie dolls. There was so much presented, that I could not possibly cover them all. There were futher presentations downstairs followed by African and Carribean food.
All in all, I felt this day was the highlight of several weeks as I have been occupied by so many things. I was impressed on how much work and effort placed into the event. Again, I am not sure how Crawley community does it. They work together tirelessly to promote what community is all about. Please check out my video compliation of the event.
Looking forward to more things from Carers Support West Sussex and some other carer centres around the country. I also left my book with the carers centre regarding “Race, Caring and Mental Health”. The book promotes ideals of NHS England – Patient Carer Race Equality Framework.
Welcome back to another blog by carer activist Matthew McKenzie. I run many groups aimed at those caring for someone unpaid. They could be caring for someone suffering mental illness or caring for someone affected by cancer. One of the groups I run is the Joint Southwark & Lambeth mental health carers forum.
So I was delighted to attend a fun filled community event over in Lambeth.
The weather was perfect for the health event. The event focused on the Lambeth community and beyond. It was a way to bring the community together.
We all have something in common, just as we all have importance in health and wellbeing. So it was a fun afternoon where everyone could come together and learn what the borough of Lambeth if providing for the community.
The event was called “Thriving Vassall and Coldharbour Health Day”. It took place over at Wyck Gardens on the 21 July 2023 from 3pm to 7pm.
When I attended the wellbeing festival, the first thing I noticed was how everyone was enjoying themselves. There was no fussing or fighting, people were relaxing, enjoying the music, learning about health and eating the food provided.
I met up and chatted with Karen Hooper who is a carer and does so much to promote community links in Lambeth.
I then spoke to stall holders at Age UK Lambeth, Disability UK Lambeth, Kooth stall, SHARP Gallery and more.
The Wellbeing Festival provided fun for all the family. Workshops and activities to help attendees stay fit and healthy. It was great to see a focus on young people’s mental health from the Kooth stall.
We also had stalls from South London & Maudsley regarding mental wellbeing services.
Involvement and providing feedback on health services is so important. So it was great to see Lambeth Healthwatch giving advice and information at their stall.
I noticed there was Jewellery Making and Face painting for children attending as it is great for young people to get creative. There was also a bouncy castle.
There were other Stall holders including Lambeth Childhood, Active Lambeth, Primary Care Network engagement (especially from the social perscribers). We also had stall information from Moasaic Club House, Certitude, Loughborough Farm, Buzwakk Recording Studio, Big Kid Foundation, Repowering London and Lambeth Libraries.
We also had some great singing performances on the day.
With so much bringing the community together, I enjoyed my visit to the Health and Wellbeing day, everyone was friendly and many wanted to chat about their services to help the community.
A big thank you to the main organisers Anthea, at Thriving Vassall & Coldhabour (Fiveways), Surjit from Ecosystem Coldharbour and Kamika from Chips and to everyone who came to the event.
Hello everyone, welcome to another blog post by carer activist and author Matthew McKenzie. To watch the video version of this blog, click the video below.
I raise awareness of those caring for someone with a mental illness. I also raise awareness regarding cancer carers. Those caring for someone with cancer can also suffer mental health due to stress, guilt, anxiety and depression. In fact everyone actually has levels of mental health. It is not just reserved for those suffering mental illness. We need to be aware and awareness events are just the thing to help with that awareness.
So from May 15 to may 21 it is Mental Health Awareness week 2023. Now this is an annual event to raise awareness of the importance of mental health.
The official theme for this year, as set by the Mental Health Foundation, is ‘anxiety’.
Mental Health Awareness Week will increase people’s awareness and understanding of anxiety by providing information on the things that can help prevent it from becoming a problem.
Anxiety disorders affect over 8 million people in the UK – that’s a little over 1 in 10 of us and there are lots of different types.
For carers as I have mentioned before, there are many things that can cause anxiety. The first is worrying about the health of the person you care for. We also need to remember that The cost of living crisis is affecting the mental health of millions.
You can Get involved this Mental Health Awareness Week by checking out Rethink mental illness, Mind, Sane, Mental Health Foundation social media and share on your Facebook, Twitter or Instagram profiles.
Welcome fellow carers. My name is Matthew Mckenzie and I campaign regarding unpaid carers. Most of my time I focus on those caring for someone with mental illness. However this blog is a little different, well ok a lot more different. Before I continue, feel free to watch the video version of my awareness blog
I am still focusing on unpaid carers, but more on those who care for someone with cancer. Why is that you ask? Well I run a carer’s stall at some hospitals. Those visiting someone using those hospitals drop by that stall and I often get those who care for someone with cancer. Yes, a lot do visit requesting information or just wanting to be heard.
Did you know that April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month?
Unfortunately Someone dies of bowel cancer every 30 minutes in the UK. So raising awareness of Bowel cancer is incredibly important.
Bowel cancer awareness month is an opportunity to highlight the symptoms of bowel cancer and encourage people to get tested.
In fact this type of cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK. It is the UK’s second biggest killer from cancers and most likely to be diagnosed in people over 60.
Some of the common symptoms of bowel cancer include:
Bleeding from the bottom and blood in poo
Being easily fatigued with no obvious reason or cause
Pain or a lump in the tummy
Persistent and unexplained change in bowel habit
Sudden and unexplained weight loss
With these symptoms it is so important to get screened or tested for bowl cancer. This is especially important for those from ethnic groups. There is no shame being tested or talking about it.
If you are caring for someone with cancer, it can be understandable that talking about this can be difficult. Carers of those with cancer are suddenly thrown into a world of advocating, feeling guilt and stressed at what the future holds. It is important health professionals identify and listen to these types of carers.
How can we reduce the onset of Bowl cancer?
Eat less red meat and avoid processed meat
Eat more wholegrains, pulses, vegetables and fruit
Be a healthy body weight
Be more physically active
Drink less alcohol
Stop smoking.
I hope this blog has raised much needed awareness. I certainly will be covering more on those who care for someone with cancer to continue raising awareness.
Welcome back to another carer blog by Matthew McKenzie
It has been a while since I did an event review. To be honest I ought to be attending a lot more events, especially things to do with mental health awareness, carer awareness or even book conferences related to my content.
Well you are just in luck, I recently was a special guest poet at the ‘Come Rhyme with me’ series of creative writting workshops. These workshops are hosted by award winning poet Michael Groce. The event was brought together by Voluntary Action Kingston.
There often can be fast paced changes in the community, some positive and some bringing changes which causes people to be isolated. Ethnic communities can often feel isolated, so it helps that there are ways to help people use their voice in ways that are powerful.
I have always found poetry to be powerful. The creative writing workshops are held in the Cambridge Estate over in the London Borough of Kingston. I found at the event all were welcomed and the community in the borough of Kingston are talented and passionate about their experiences.
You can see my poem from the video below.
If you are from the borough of Kingston, you can book on the event below.
Welcome to a quick blog from carer matthew mckenzie. Just last night I went to the excellent (Health Service Journal) HSJ Awards 2021.
Taken from the HSJ website – The 41st HSJ Awards culminated in a ceremony shining a light on healthcare excellence at Evolution London. From senior leaders to front-line staff, all finalists have been a source of life-changing and much needed work sharing best practice, improving patient outcomes, and being innovators of better service.
As we all know due to the pandemic and a few other things, the NHS is under immense pressure and whatever pressure the NHS and social care suffers from, it does not take long before unpaid carers take on that added strain. Many patients and unpaid carer’s are often forgetten and although awards are necessary, it is so important to award the work done to identify, support and keep track of the many millions of unpaid carers across the country.
The entries for 2021 were very impressive and numerous as many healthcare systems took up the challenge. For those who managed to get their projects to be judged, I can say there are all winners, but unfortunately there can only be one HSJ winner.
As one of the judges for the entries I felt I learned a lot on the system led carer category. I found out how dedicated the healthcare professionals were in pairing up with stakeholders and those who support unpaid carers.
The judging process was led by Jennifer Kenward who is the senior NHS England lead for experience of care, which is a much needed role for increasing the identity of carers all around the country. You can read her blog in the link below.
I was a bit late arriving to the event due to fighting with my bow tie, but the venue was easy to get to from pimico underground station. I was worried about the covid situation of such a large ceremony, but the way the event was run, everything was strictly monitored.
As a judge we were placed on the front tables to get an excellent view of the awards hosted by the brilliant Sue Perkins who is a great British icon and is passionate about the NHS. The food was excellent and HSJ staff looked after us very well.
I managed to greet friends and partners from Carers UK, Carers Trust and NHS England as well as fellow judges. Obviously I gave them a signed copy of my book (I never miss a trick).
The winner for our category ” System-Led Support for Carers” was “Care for the Carers” on their Intensive Support to Carers in Hastings.
The highly commended award went to West Yorkshire and Harrogate Unpaid Carers Programme, Covid-19 Vaccination Programme for Unpaid Carers.
You can find out more about Care For the Carers off their website below.
All in all, I felt very previllaged to be included as a judge for the HSJ System-Led Support for Carers category for 2021. A very challenging year for the NHS and also challenging for unpaid carers, but entries for such awards set the standard for others to follow. I urge those across the country to take up that challenge and care for the carers.
Well done Care for the Carers, your HSJ award is historic.
The Black Thrive Lambeth Partnership is inviting Black individuals, organisations and allies that are striving for an equal society to join our CommUNITY Assembly on 18 September 2021 for honest discussions about how together we can achieve real change for Black communities in Lambeth.
A Caring Mind 