THE ESSENTIALS TO LIFE AFTER BEING IN A PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL

Instead of saying “I’m damaged, I’m broken, I have trust issues;” say: “I’m healing, I’m rediscovering myself, I’m starting over!”

Horacio Jones

Some of you may know, but some of you may not… On February 18^th I was detained under section 2 of the 1983 Mental Health Act and admitted to a psychiatric hospital for ten days. Whilst I have been sectioned before (the longest admission lasting for over two and a half years), it has been a long time since I was last hospitalised, and I have the distinct belief that the admission last month was so completely different to any other. Not just because it came about in a different way, but also because I was admitted to a ward I had never been on and it was literally terrible. I think the easiest, most general way to sum that up (without giving examples) is by saying that I was never listened to. I honestly felt like I had become half a person because what I said seemed to neither matter nor be believed. I felt completely dismissed and hopeless.

DEAR SERVICES, DO YOU KNOW THE POWER OF YOUR WORDS? | "DO YOU KNOW WHAT FEIGNED MEANS?"

Can’t you forgive me?

At least just temporarily

I know that this is my fault

I should have been more careful

Ariana Grande – One Last Time

These last two weeks have been so chaotic that I’m completely lost as to what has happened when because I’ve self-harmed so many times but on each of my hospitalizations (I think I’m on about four now) something has happened to inspire this post. 


On one of my hospital stays everything had been going well – I was telling staff when I was struggling, co-operating with the treatment for the overdose I’d taken, and keeping myself safe whilst I was in the Hospital. Then a Nurse – who I’ve met and had a similar dealing with before – made a comment about me ‘wasting a bed’ because she said that it was my own fault I was there. This comment – her words and attitude – saw me refusing the final blood tests and discharging myself. On my way out, I considered not telling the Sister and Doctor what she had said because I was a bit ashamed to admit that I’d let her comment get to me and a part of me always thinks ‘if you’re going to be open and honest about your mental health then you have to expect at least one response like that.’ Of course, it shouldn’t be that way; but the reality of mental health is that there are still people who hold that stigma and prejudice against those who are battling against it. I think that there’ll have to be a time when we recognize that no matter how many people - and how many followers they have – join the fight, we most likely can’t change the world.

AN IN-DEPTH LOOK INTO AN OVERDOSE | WHAT I THOUGHT, HOW I FELT, & WHAT HAPPENED

I almost couldn’t believe what I was saying when the lady in the shop asked why I’d passed out and I said that I’d gradually been overdosing on Co-Codomol since the previous day. You’d think that if anything, I’d be used to saying it and maybe even become quite ‘glib’ about it; but actually, it doesn’t get any easier – it still hurts to admit that you were so desperate to escape the hallucinations and memories of abuse that you tried to kill yourself. And it isn’t just with family and friends; I’m also ashamed and pained to tell Doctors, Nurses, and other professionals that I’ve ‘done it again’ because, I know it’s a very common thought process around mental health, but I actually wouldn’t blame someone for thinking me ‘weak’ for coping in such a way. Some people look at suicide as the ‘easy way out’ and I don’t blame them for misunderstanding something so scary and intimidating as going against all human instinct for survival and taking your own life. 

Telling the lady in the shop turned out to be a mistake because she called an Ambulance and when I refused to go to hospital with them, the Paramedics called the Police and I was told it was either put my seatbelt on in the Ambulance or put on handcuffs in the Police car; and so, of course, I fastened my seatbelt! Part of my refusal was because I wanted the overdose to work and for it to kill me, but a bigger part of it was about not wanting to upset the auditory hallucinations who were telling me not to go to the Hospital. I’d already bartered with them to hurt myself over hurting the people and things the voice was telling me to hurt; so, there could be no more compromising with it. I was no longer in control; my health, my thoughts, my feelings, my relationships… the voice owned them all. Agreeing to go to hospital, however, was much easier when it was the result of a threat from the Police and not my own volition.

“I DON’T KNOW IF ‘PROUD’ IS THE RIGHT WORD” | FOUR WAYS TO COPE WITH A HOSPITAL ADMISSION

Last weekend I began hallucinating again and – at their command – I took an overdose. I was in Hospital for over twenty-four hours and the only drama was caused by my veins; and a conversation with the Psychiatric Liaison Team about it, left me inspired to write this post!


As the overdose had been in response to the voices and not a suicide attempt, I took myself to A&E and agreed to have the lengthy antidote treatment known as Parvolex. Ironically, when I actually want the treatment and co-operate, my veins collapse and become generally useless so that it can’t be administered! The Doctors had many attempts and even called an Anesthetist with the ultrasound machine to try to insert the cannula, but they had no success, so my blood test was repeated. It was at this point that my co-operation was tested, and the Doctor made a comment “the tests will be ok unless you’ve actually taken as many as you say you have.” In the past, I’d have taken great offence by interpreting this as him basically calling me a liar! I’d have refused blood tests and treatment and left the Hospital – probably against medical advice and possible chased by security! Instead, I took the attitude that I’d let them do the blood tests and once he saw the results, they would prove I wasn’t lying. And that, would be much more gratifying!


After proving I hadn’t lied, I had to see the Psychiatric Liaison Team before I could go home and I told them that I wasn’t sure if ‘pride’ was the right word for it but that I was glad there hadn’t been any of the usual drama of me running away or refusing treatment. They told me that I could say I was proud of myself for it and that it shows that even though I was there for overdosing, I had come a long way over the years and could still be counted as being in recovery. But I don’t think the peaceful admission was due to my mental state; I think some of it came because of the things I’ve learnt that help me during a hospital admission.

THANK YOUS IN THE MIDST OF A BLIP

Something has changed within me, something is not the same, I’m through with playing by the rules of someone else’s game

-          Gravity from Wicked

I’m happy to finally be able to say that the most recent ‘blip’ in my mental health recovery seems to be coming to an end! Just like the beginning of this, I can pinpoint the trigger of it. I’ve talked a lot about how my abuser’s new job role sparked off a lot of old thoughts and feelings that led to a lot of old coping strategies but now I can finally talk about the causes of my stabilizing.

I think that the first thing was when I was asked whether there should be a phone call to the RSPCA to get my pets rehomed because if I was so intent on committing suicide then it wouldn’t be fair on them. Another trigger was the impact my suicidal intent had on those closest to me. It was a bit of a wake-up call – a common feeling for those who are suicidal is the belief that their friends and family will be better off without them. I too had this thought, but their reactions became evidence to the contrary. I realized – the hard way – that I was loved and when my Twitter was flooded with positive messages and hopes that I ‘feel better soon’ I really learnt that my work – this blog – was helping others and was told that without it, people might just give up hope. Sometimes, when you don’t want to be alive, the only way to move through it is to stay alive for the sake of others. That, at least, buys you some time to work on your thoughts and feelings until it you actually, finally, begin to feel better about yourself. The final trigger for this stabilization was the negative interaction I had with a particular Police Officer from the Northumbria Police force.

"I HAD BEEN HOSPITALIZED BY PEOPLE THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO LOVE ME" | A GUEST POST BY PETER MCDONNELL

I saw Aimee’s recent post about her experiences with suicide which I found insightful and I’m sure it will help lots of people. It got me thinking that if I could write a similar article about my own experiences then maybe it could help people too. 

It is not really a grey area for me at the moment. I drive my car underneath the bridge I chose to jump from in 2002 many times a week and it doesn’t affect my mood. If people around me are discussing suicide stuff I feel like I have something to add to the conversation but I’m lucky in that it doesn’t trigger anything negative, although driving underneath the bridge is a bit weird to think “Wow. I jumped off that once.” 

I jumped from a 25-foot-high road bridge in 2002 with the intention of killing myself. I broke my back – three lumbar vertebrae, and both wrists, and spent ten weeks in hospital. I had to lay still for eight weeks and after 12 weeks I was completely recovered, though I have an increased chance of arthritis in later life. One of my colleagues I worked with at a mental health training and consultancy company 2007 – 2011 did the same thing and has been unable to move from the neck down ever since. So, I do feel quite lucky. 

TW: RAMBLINGS OF AN INPATIENT | AN UNFOCUSED POST

I’ve just gotten to the ward from A&E and separating myself from the voices is hard.

That’s probably an understatement – it is near impossible.

But I can do it. When they aren’t horrendously loud and I’m not massively tired; I can do it.

Being in Cygnet Hospital (Bierley) for two and a half years taught me a lot; and one lesson I did learn was to always try my hardest to fight these auditory hallucinations. Cygnet gave me new, safe, and healthy coping skills and I use all of them. Sometimes they’re enough. Sometimes they are not. But I try. The point is, I try. I don’t – though it might seem this way – go straight to the paracetamol and self-harm.

In a – perhaps twisted – way, this is a bad thing because it makes me feel enormously hopeless when all my new coping skills don’t work. And I feel like maybe it’s time to rely on other people to keep me safe and to help me to quieten the voices. I can only do so much myself and if others can’t give me that support, then I worry – and genuinely believe – I will die.

HOW TO SURVIVE HOSPITAL | FIVE TIPS TO MAKE IT THROUGH ANY HOSPITAL STAY

A little while ago one of my medications was increased and with the increase, came a change in the tablet’s appearance. Of course the dormant voices jumped on this and convinced me that it was poison and they reasoned that Doctors were trying to make me more poorly so that I would need them more. Naturally, their thunderous voices were no match for my own and so I stopped taking my medication (which included two anti-depressants, one mood stabiliser, and an antipsychotic).

#NHSsavedmylife | AD

I just happened to see ‘The NHS Saved My Life’ on ITV; a celebration of seventy years with the NHS and I was inspired to write this post about my own experience of the NHS and how their services have saved my life.

Other than being diagnosed with Asthma and having the occasional cyst on my ovaries, I had no experience of the NHS until my mental health deteriorated.

You know how usually, in mental health, a person begins exhibiting signs of mental illness for a while before things might come to a head? It wasn’t like that for me.

STRUGGLING IN RECOVERY IS NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF | MY THOUGHTS ON MY RECENT SECTIONING

So I’ve talked recently about my mental health deterioration.

It kind of started on March 19^th with an overdose (that I’ve talked about here) and ever since I’ve been under the care of the Crisis Team.

From early April I started to feel much better and began having less thoughts to overdose, with the voices quietening down and the visual hallucinations lessening. I decided that it’d be positive, and rewarding to complete my planned work for Cygnet Healthcare at their National Service User Awards 2018 (#NSUA2018 on Twitter) and made the decision to travel to Coventry for the event on April 11^th.

I still wouldn’t say that was a mistake. That I got sectioned being there… it could’ve happened anywhere. At any time. If anything; I think it was probably overdue!

It’s difficult to fully talk about the situation that led to me being in A&E from the Awards, but it was basically due to a health reason and because of the result of that, my mental health deteriorated once more.

HOW TO SURVIVE A HOSPITAL ADMISSION

It will come as no surprise to many of you for me to say that I’m very well experienced in hospital admissions; both medical and psychiatric. So this advice and top tips are based on both types of hospitals and hopefully I’ll cover a variety of situations surrounding your admission.

Before my mental health illness, I had problems with ovarian cysts and was hospitalised for those several times. But mostly, my medical admissions stemmed from psychiatric reasons such as suicide attempts – namely paracetamol overdoses. The antidote treatment usually lasts almost twenty-four hours so the hospital admission is fairly lengthy and, inevitably, challenging. Often, I’d struggle with the auditory hallucinations telling me to refuse treatment, run away from the Hospital, or further hurt myself. Unsurprisingly, physical hospital admissions provided me with experiences of mental health stigma. Many A&E Doctors and Nurses have little training in mental health and aren’t best equipped in supporting a person through a crisis.

"THAT'D JUST BE MADNESS" | MY THOUGHTS ON MY RECENT OVERDOSE

On the Monday morning I had an appointment regarding my benefits and after arriving there early, I decided it was a sign to overdose. Finally.

It’d been a thought for quite a while now and I’d tried to use all of the coping skills in my arsenal to manage the urges; even using self-harm (http://www.imnotdisordered.co.uk/2018/03/lets-be-honest-about-self-harm-my.html) to try and abate the voices’ (http://www.imnotdisordered.co.uk/2018/03/how-it-feels-to-hear-voices.html) commands to overdose!

In my assessment the Doctor asked me when my last overdose had been; “well… right now” was my reply. She ended up calling an Ambulance and as much as I didn’t want to go to Hospital, I finally agreed because, to be honest, I didn’t want to put that drama on the Doctor. The voices were still loud, and I knew that I needed to take a larger overdose before they would quieten down, but my promise to get help once I was finished (the overdose) and they were quiet, wouldn’t stop their insisting that I go to Hospital and see an A&E Doctor.

FIVE THINGS I'M GLAD I IGNORED

1.       The voices

The first thing that was said when I began experiencing auditory hallucinations (in the form of a voice that I named ‘Albert’) was that I should commit suicide. Every day for almost two weeks Albert would tell me I was worthless, useless, and pointless; and that my death, would be a welcome relief for everyone in my life. I say ‘two weeks’ because that was how long it took for me to do what I was being told; hoping for peace and silence in my head if it worked. I overdosed in early 2009 and was immediately sectioned under the Mental Health Act when my attempt was not successful.

TIME TO TALK DAY WITH I'M NOT DISORDERED | PART THREE

TALKING ALL THINGS MENTAL HEALTH WITH (my ex) OUT OF AREA TREATMENT CASE MANAGER, JANICE O'HARE

HOW I STOPPED THINKING IN BLACK OR WHITE

I’m sure this it quite common for writers/bloggers; but I can draw inspiration for blog posts from the random of things. This post comes from a ‘challenge’ doing its rounds on Facebook. Every day for seven days, you’re meant to post a black and white photo. It can’t be of a person and you can’t explain it in the photo description/wall post. You also have to nominate someone on day one (you’ll have been nominated yourself from someone else, obviously!) to keep the challenge rolling.

Obviously, you’ve seen the title to this post I’m sure there’s no need to point it out, but the ‘black and white’ aspect of the challenge inspired me to write about black and white thinking.

'What I Wish We Could've Said Besides Goodbye' by Twitter-Verified Rebecca Lombardo, Author, Blogger & Podcast Co-Host | GUEST POST | Ad

Rebecca Lombardo (the author of this guest post) is best known for her book: It's Not Your Journey, her writing for The Huffington Post and The Mighty and the podcast she Co-Hosts: Voices for Change.

This post is one of three that Rebecca has kindly submitted in celebration of I'm NOT Disordered exceeding a quarter of a million readers! THANK YOU EVERYONE!
ENJOY...

Rebecca Lombardo: http://www.rebeccalombardo.com/

Rebecca's Twitter: https://twitter.com/BekaLombardo

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bekalombardo/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEoyO6kjuytYquAmZLWt7MQ

In 2013, I attempted to take my life. I was admitted immediately to the hospital and placed on suicide watch. Because I have a lot of friends on social media, my husband thought it would be a good way to keep people updated about my condition. I don’t blame him, in fact, I gave him permission. It seemed logical and was not at all meant to hurt anyone. I considered most of the people on my page to be close friends, and I know a lot of people were asking about me.

What we didn’t ever stop to consider was the people that didn’t want the updates. Some of those friends were people I had known 20 years or more.  When I was finally released from the mental institution that I was transferred to, I hoped for support from my friends. I had just been through a major trauma and the hospital I was sent to was just a horrible, horrible place.

Much to my dismay, the first time I signed on to Facebook I discovered that I had lost quite a few friends. Some were hardly noticeable, but some were people I considered family and I was stunned, and I was furious. I was so angry that I should never have been trying to communicate with any of these people. I should have taken a step back and approached it at a later date.  I knew I was only going to be met with more negativity, but sometimes I have trouble controlling my anger.

As I started to approach certain people, I was shocked to hear that they deleted or even blocked me because of my husband’s updates. They were apparently too depressing for some people. My feelings at the time were shackled to resentment. I kept thinking, “It was hard on YOU that I almost died? Are you kidding me right now?”. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.

One friend, I had known for more than 20 years. We even lived together at one point. I felt like I had always been there for her when she needed me, so I couldn’t understand why she couldn’t be there for me when I so desperately needed her. My husband explained that he had privately messaged her to tell her the situation. Apparently, up until that point, I had done a great job of hiding my disease from her. Either that or she wasn’t paying any attention. I’m inclined to believe it was the latter of the two.

He was met with stereotypical stigmatizing statements like, “What could she possibly have to be so depressed about?” and “Suicide is just taking the coward’s way out of life.” So, he dropped it and didn’t tell me about it right away for obvious reasons. When I went to message her that I was home and found out that she not only deleted me but blocked me as well, I had to email and ask her why.

I don’t recall our exact conversation; I think I’ve blocked a lot of it out. I do remember my anger reaching boiling point as I wrote my email. I let her have it. Now that I can look back at the situation, I do regret getting that angry. However, when I started to get the comments back about me being a coward and having her only refer to it as “my so-called illness,” well let’s just say I lost it. It only took three emails to decimate a 20+ year friendship. That was in July of 2013, and we still don’t talk.

Some days I miss her. Most of the time, the feelings of loss are immediately replaced by resentment. Then there are the days where I begin to wonder. What if I had approached it differently? Why if I had gotten out of my own way long enough to realize maybe she was afraid of losing her friend and that fear turned into anger?

What if I had tried to educate her on my condition? What if I had just come right out and told her why I did what I did? Despite my part in the whole sordid affair, I have to put part of the burden on her as well. She could have approached me kindly without tossing stigma and judgment out at me. She owed me that much after more than 20 years.

The moral of the story here is that there will be people in your life that no matter what, they will not understand your illness. They won’t even try. They’ll hear the term mental illness and cut and run. You have to keep reminding yourself that it’s not your fault. You didn’t ask for this disease, and you certainly didn’t ask for the ignorance you run across. You can explain it to them, but you can’t understand it for them.

On the other side, try to remember that a serious mental breakdown may scare your friends or family members. They may be afraid to discuss it with you for fear of making it worse, so their only instinct is to get as far away from you as possible. I’ve witnessed this first-hand.  Perhaps their first instinct is anger; that is not your fault either.

The person you need to be concerned with right now is the one looking back at you in the mirror. Other people will come around at their own pace, or they may not ever come around at all. It’s not up to you to figure it out for them, and while the loss may be painful, it’s good to know who will be by your side when the going gets tough. If you do lose someone, that is their issue, not yours. You have to get yourself better; you can’t focus on becoming what they want or need you to be. In the long run, you’ll realize that if they’re out the door at the first sign of trouble; they weren’t friends anyway.

For more on Rebecca's personal journey visit: http://www.rebeccalombardo.com/about
And to buy Rebecca's book visit: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692509739/ref=cm_sw_su_dp

'Beware of self-care' by Twitter-Verified Rebecca Lombardo, Author, Blogger & Podcast Co-Host | GUEST POST | Ad

Rebecca Lombardo (the author of this guest post) is best known for her book: It's Not Your Journey, her writing for The Huffington Post and The Mighty and the podcast she Co-Hosts: Voices for Change.

This post will be one of three that Rebecca has kindly submitted in celebration of I'm NOT Disordered exceeding a quarter of a million readers! THANK YOU EVERYONE!
ENJOY...

Rebecca Lombardo: http://www.rebeccalombardo.com/

Rebecca's Twitter: https://twitter.com/BekaLombardo

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bekalombardo/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEoyO6kjuytYquAmZLWt7MQ

I’ve been going over and over again in my head, trying to figure out why I feel so damn guilty every time I attempt to practice self-care. I advise others to do it, but when it comes to me, I’m almost entirely overwhelmed by the idea. So overwhelmed in fact, that the only thing I can do is lie down and take a rest.

The last few months have been incredibly rough for me, but the winter months usually are. After a leak in our house left us living in a hotel for a month, we then had to come home and put everything back together. Both the bathroom and the dining room had to be remodelled, the bathroom being much worse than the dining room.

We had no dining room for Thanksgiving. We ordered carry out turkey meals and ate them sitting on our bed. I know it sounds weird, but it wasn’t that bad. No family drama, just us hanging out, watching movies and relaxing. The only downside was that neither of us saw our families. We were concerned we would be spending Christmas in the hotel as well, but luckily we got out just in time. It was December 23rd when we returned, and we were barely able to throw some tissue paper into gift bags for Christmas gifts.

I left the hotel room once the entire time we were there. I was too afraid the staff would come in and let one of our cats out, never mind the agoraphobia and social anxiety. I went to the laundry room. My heart was racing the entire time, and I dissolved into tears when I got back to the room.

POST THREE: MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK 2017

24 hours with... Nadine Appleby

Twitter: https://twitter.com/xnadine1990x

Date: Friday May 12th, 2017

Why have you chosen to write about today? 

I've chosen to write about today as there is a lot going on in my day I am currently an inpatient in an acute psychiatric ward and have meetings today with various professionals to decide next steps with my care.

Good morning! 

What time did you wake up?  '

6:30am

Why did you wake up at that time?  

The staff on my arms length observations made too much noise when they were switching staff.

Did you have a dream?  '

No a nightmare

Do you think today will be 'good' or 'bad' day? (use your own definition of these words to answer the question)  

I'm not sure I think it will hopefully be overall good but will have bad well very stressful parts to the day as I have been having a lot of difficulties with my mental health. 

What are the first three things you do after waking up?  

1.Check my phone

2.Make a coffee, 

3.Talk with the staff on my observations.

Cygnet Hospital Coventry Grand Opening - A Conversation | Ad

[Note: all photos are credited to Vicky McNally and Cygnet Healthcare and Raf Hamaizia with all of them edited by myself via Moldiv]

Watch the vlog from this event here
And read the second blog post from the Grand Opening here
Read Cygnet's piece on the event here

As my car took numerous lefts and rights through a housing estate, I thought that maybe the driver was lost; Cygnet Hospital Coventry was so new that there wasn't even any signs to the building, and the driver had to use Google Maps after discovering we'd been driving in the wrong direction for ten minutes!
After yet another bend, I spotted the top of a modern, and clearly well-designed building that stood out among the terraced houses. And although, saying that the Hospital stood out and was completely different to it's surroundings, I don't think of that as a negative thing. Personally, I found that having Cygnet Hospital Bierley (where I spent over two years of my life, and 1 of the 21 Cygnet Hospitals in the U.K.) in the middle of a housing estate - but at the same time, with easy access to the motorway, supermarket and a woodland area - very motivational. For me, seeing young people in groups pass by, laughing and on their phones, was a healthy reminder that not only did life exist beyond the Hospital walls, but also; that it was reachable, in the deepest sense of the word. When freedom; from thoughts, hallucinations, and urges to self-harm, felt so far away and impossible, I could see that it actually wasn't too far.

THE TWITTER FEED: Enhancing Patient Experience with Cygnet Healthcare | Ad

Enhancing Patient Experience - Professionals, Patients and Power: A Paradigm Shift in Healthcare Delivery 

with Cygnet HealthCare

https://www.cygnethealth.co.uk/events/professionals-patients-power/

I'll be using this post to give you all a little bit of insight into the Twitter buzz from #EnhancingPatientExp16
You can watch the vlog of the event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1F8A9-5BQ0

12:45

This is the first time I've travelled since my mobility-related diagnosis so I was massively worried, scared, stressed, and anxious...

18:08

Room service menu wasn't looking good... so I missioned off and found a Burger King

08/11/2016

10:42

"They gave me a diagnosis that I could understand. I didn't like it - I thought 'oh! Another one!'" - Iris Benson #EnhancingPatientExp16

11:09

Iris Benson talks of two important staff interview qs 'when did you last smile?' & 'when did you last apologise?' #EnhancingPatientExp16


RETWEET: Emily Kobelis

We need to support each other during change; Service Users and Co-Workers! Empowering statement by Iris Benson Cygnet Healthcare #EnhancingPatientExp16

RETWEET: Vicky McNally

We are not a tick box or a target we are individuals *thumbs up* #coproduction matters & enables recovery #EnhancingPatientExp16 Iris Benson

12:48

Carer, John Hendel, admits originally being reluctant to tell people his daughter was sectioned #EhancingPatientExp16

12:52

Initially he and his wife wondered why she couldn't just 'pull herself together' or just take a pill #EnhancingPatientExp16

13:00
Personally, I felt that it was enlightening to help understand what my Mum went through whilst I was poorly #EnhancingPatientExp

RETWEET: Vicky McNally

John Hendle providing Father's perspective talking about impact of #Stigma & lack of support & engagement with #Carers #EnhancingPatientExp16

RETWEET: Vicky McNally

John Hendle why jargon is unhelpful & how communication is key to enhancing patient and family experience *thumbs up* #EnhancingPatientExp16

RETWEET: Emily Kobelis

Humbling to hear such an amazing presentation from John Hendle about our work Cygnet Healthcare Beckton #proud #EnhancingPatientExp16

RETWEET: Vicky McNally

John Hendle talking about his daughter's involvement in reducing restrictions. Powerful testimony from expert by exp. #EnhancingPatientExp16

13:07
Been introduced to SOOOOO many lovely people in the refreshments break #EnhancingPatientExp16

[Note: At this point, my TalkTalk broadband broke and I went through a lot of drama, and hours of frustrating phone calls to find the source of the problem and have it repaired and so, there's a large gap from this tweet until the next]

RETWEET: Vicky McNally

Up next Sian Rees from Oxford AHSN recognising & managing sharing power & unconscious anxieties #EnhancingPatientExp16

RETWEET: Vicky McNally

Sian Rees at #EnhancingPatientExp16 Need to challenge what the system values. Why empathy matters

RETWEET: Emily Kobelis

Are we providing outcomes or outputs? Interesting talk Cygnet Healthcare #EnhancingPatientExp16

;

Coming up next for the blog posts on this event, will be more details on the presentations from, what I believe to be, two of the key speakers; Iris Benson and John Hendle...