Posted on: 11 May 2022
This Mental Health Awareness Week (9-15 May), CNWL's Chief Executive, Claire Murdoch reflects on the theme of loneliness - particularly for staff with lived-experience of mental illness.
"It’s Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) and this year’s theme is loneliness and I want to reflect on that – particularly for staff with lived-experience of mental illness and whether they feel lonely or alone, especially at work.
Bravo and thanks to Dr Nick Prior and Mel Ball (who is our Head of Lived Experience Workforce and the Recovery & Wellbeing College) the joint-chairs of our staff network, LEMIST (Lived Experience of Mental Health Issues Stigma Transformation!) and to all who participate in this network.
They took over our Executive Team meeting on Monday morning at the start of MHAW and led a really challenging, thought provoking and useful session on creating more compassionate teams, where all of our staff feel supported to speak about their lived experience if they want to, but also to use their skills and insights in their day to day work.
You can read more about Dr Prior in this story where he bravely talks about living with Bipolar.
Mel made the point at the meeting about that courage; the staff network has 200 members but most remain ‘confidential’ and worry what other people may think of them, or what consequences they might face.
It is a sort of loneliness, yet both Mel and Nick show that your contribution can be immense, despite a lived experience; in fact they argue very persuasively that we’re overlooking the huge additional value staff with lived-experience can bring.
We want to work on that and think about what we all can do to remove the obstacles to us doing so.
Our first pledge was that all Exec Directors will begin every meeting they are in this week by talking about MHAW and the benefits lived-experience brings.
It’s blatantly obvious that the Trust will provide better services if we find ways to unleash and support the great insights and strengths that colleagues with lived-experience of mental illness will bring.
But we only get this great benefit in our work if we can challenge stigma and create compassionate, safe spaces.
Dr Con Kelly, our Chief Medical Officer, is the Executive Sponsor of LEMHIST and he and I, and the entire Board, are deeply committed to their work and that of our other staff networks.
Mental health will play a part in all staff networks of course and we are keen that we understand intersectionalities.
I’d like all teams to have conversations about what more they can do to both support colleagues with lived-experience of mental illness, but also capitalise on their great insights and approaches to how we could work better together.
We have lots of emotional and practical support services available too – for any staff who are facing loneliness, for whatever reason, or with other stresses in their lives.
There is our fabulous Occupational Health Dept, who are highly skilled and have built up a service you can trust.
I noticed that our Keeping Well services for NHS, Social Care and Voluntary Sector staff ( see the North West London website and BLMK website) offer confidential help.
I saw this:
If you feel a loss of connection and affection in a relationship, you may be left going through a range of different emotions. You may begin to feel a sense of isolation and separation, which may lead to feelings of loneliness.
We’re working with Tavistock Relationships to offer free relationship support for all NHS staff and social care workers.
Staff will be offered between four to six confidential and flexible sessions (mornings, evenings or weekends) with therapists via online therapy or as an individual or as a couple.
For everyone at CNWL we offer our support and we have plenty of independent, confidential services that can help.
But we also encourage everyone to talk to their managers in your supervision and appraisals about all of this, so that you are supported to be you, and that ‘you’ is the one you bring to work and, truly, we will all benefit!
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Best wishes
Claire"