Posted on: 7 July 2023
Hundreds of CNWL staff packed out the Ridgeway Centre in Milton Keynes on 5 July for the Trust’s annual Therapies Conference.
With a theme of Equity in Care, the event explored ways in which we can work with our communities to overcome health inequalities.
Opening the day was Ryan Kemp, Director of Therapies, who thanked everyone in attendance for their crucial work on NHS’s 75th birthday.
“The NHS is a story and you all play your role,” he said. “You tell this story every day.
“The NHS is 75. Sure, it’s a 75-year-old that’s a little bit frail and that needs support, but it still wants to learn and grow and this is what you do in the care you give to your patients.”
Ryan then welcomed our first keynote speakers to the stage.
Dr Daniela Fernandez Catherall from Cambridge Climate Therapists and Dr Rebecca Nestor from Climate Psychology Alliance spoke about how therapists are having to become more aware of the climate crisis in their work.
“The climate change crisis can often bring up a lot of different emotions,” Rebecca said. “Responses like shock, disbelief, powerlessness – even boredom, guilt, loss of assumed future.
“And we know as therapists, that these feelings can mask something deeper and more complicated.
“The trouble with climate change is that there’s a lot of silence around it because it can be so overwhelming and polarising.”
Daniela explained how, like many other forms of anxiety, climate distress is found on a spectrum.
She advised that people should be allowed to grieve for the planet, encouraging them to keep talking, but at the same time “letting go” of climate news sometimes.
They recommended climate cafes, a space with no commitment and no focus on climate action, where people can gather and just think, discuss and share feelings on the climate crisis.
Click here to find out more about their pair’s group-learning programme ‘Living with the Climate Crisis’, which offers free support and workshops on starting and facilitating such groups.
After some teas, coffees and networking, attendees split into different rooms to enjoy the following sessions:
- The role of optimism in challenging times – Steve Tolan, Deputy Chief Allied Health Professional, NHS England
- Collaborating with Brent communities to reduce health inequalities in mental health – Jenny Lanyero, Sepideh Mhojat and Alia Bruce, Brent Health Inequalities Team
- “I thought we were just planting but everything we are doing is connected”: A gardening group supporting community members affected by the Grenfell Tower fire – Dr Hannah Waters, Grenfell Health and Wellbeing Service
- Do all patients have equal access? – Dominik Havsteen-Franklin and Rosslyn Bender, Rehabilitation and Arts Therapy
- Developing a paper light service – Emma Gray, Lead Physiotherapist, and Lindsay Ashman, ESRT Coordinator and Team Lead
- Outcomes of offering increased access to physical activity and exercise for patients with neurological conditions in the community: a service improvement evaluation – Dr Caroline Appel, Camden Neurology and Stroke Service, Physiotherapy
After a lunch of sandwiches, fruit and doughnuts, we split again into sessions that included:
- Service user involvement at Grenfell Health and Wellbeing Service – Sasha Nagra, Belle Vickers-Graver and Tanya
- Body and Soul, Sex and Wellbeing: Partnership working for people living with HIV – Tom Vilestra from Mortimer Market Centre and Georgia Gideon from Body and Soul
- Vocational rehabilitation for physical conditions – Paul Flanagan and Shannette Bendall, Ealing Community Partners
- Swallow safety in care homes: a holistic approach, not just food and drink – Sarah Snow, Sue Potter and Manisha Bhatt, Care Homes Support Team in Hillingdon
- Working together to improve access and quality of life for people with learning disabilities – Kimberley Meeks and Norma Harrington
- Schools Pilot project: Barriers to occupation in schools post Covid – Heidi Peers and Julie Milo Pears
We then heard from our second keynote speaker, Pritesh Mistry from the King’s Fund.
He talked about supporting digital inclusion in healthcare, exploring the practical approaches clinicians can take to improve digital inclusion by utilising service users’ experiences – something that is increasingly important with the rise of online healthcare.
Pritesh busted some myths around digital exclusion.
“It’s not true that digital exclusion is a thing of the past once a person is online,” he said. “There are so many factors.”
He outlined some of the most important ways to support digital inclusion, for example, having the right devices and connectivity. But also, empowering people to have the skills and confidence to use the technology.
To close the event, Ryan returned to the stage with CNWL’s Associate Director of AHPs, Emma Nicklin, to discuss what we are doing well, how we can improve and to reinforce the importance of equity in care.
“A number of the talks today said we are in challenging times,” Emma said. “And we feel that.
“But they also mentioned resilience and the need to hold on to hope.”
You can view some of the pictures from the day below!
