MENTAL HEALTH The Personal Touch
Rafik Hamaizia, Expert by Experience Lead at Cygnet Health Care, shares his story of how he was once a user of mental health services and explains how he now uses his own experiences to help others.
Mental healthcare has been a central part of my life – first when I was a service-user detained under the Mental Health Act, and now as someone motivated to change the system for the better.
I work at Cygnet Health Care as an Expert by Experience. I draw upon the personal experiences I’ve had receiving treatment at a variety of mental health facilities to help improve services and shape the treatment of current and future patients.
“I strongly believe that peer- to-peer support makes a
huge difference to mental health patients.”
It’s a straightforward idea grounded in common sense. Even with the best support, undergoing mental health treatment can be a frightening and lonely process. For complex, yet completely understandable reasons, patients are oſten reluctant to open up about their experiences to clinical staff, creating a barrier to improving treatment and services.
Shared experiences can help break these barriers and create an atmosphere of empathy on a personal level. In my own case, I have lived the experience of receiving mental healthcare and retain vivid memories of treatment and the - sometimes harsh - realities of everyday life as an in-patient. Other Experts by Experience are carers who have devoted lots of time to supporting people like me.
As part of my job, I travel to Cygnet’s hospitals across the country to have informal chats with service-users and their families. I listen to their stories and share my own experiences. I then make sure that their views and feedback – oſten in the form of direct quotes – reach management, both at a local and strategic level.
I’m involved at every level of our organisational structure – from board meetings to quality improvement projects and candidate interviews for senior posts. As Cygnet’s Expert by Experience Lead, I report directly to Dr Tony Romero, our CEO. We have a relationship built on trust and mutual accountability, and Dr Romero will frequently ask me to visit specific services to capture direct feedback for him. I’m oſten consulted on policy decisions.
- 16 -
www.tomorrowscare.co.uk
I also take part in regular inspections with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the independent regulator of all health and social care services in England, and help to develop guidance with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
I strongly believe that peer-to-peer support makes a huge difference to mental health patients. One of the most important things our team has done is to help develop People’s Councils, an initiative we began last year which is now being rolled out across all of Cygnet’s hospitals. These are monthly forums in which the people using our services, family carers, staff (from junior staff to senior management)
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46
