A woman who received mental health care as a child is working with Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) to support young patients as the Trust continues to improve its Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) recently upgraded its rating for EPUT’s mental health wards for young people from Requires Improvement to Good, recognising a number of improvements across services at the St Aubyn Centre in Colchester and the Poplar Unit in Rochford.
The Trust has invested in its CAMHS wards to create safer, more therapeutic environments, increase staffing levels and introduce new roles focused on ensuring young people are listened to and actively involved in their care.
One of the roles introduced is that of peer workers who use their own lived experience of mental health challenges and recovery to build relationships with patients, helping young people feel heard, understood and hopeful about the future.
Peer workers work alongside clinical teams at Larkwood Ward at the St Aubyn Centre, the only NHS Adolescent Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) in the East of England, supporting young people with serious and complex mental health needs.
For one peer worker, her role represents a full-circle moment. As a teenager, she received support from CAMHS in the community for anxiety, depression, self-harm and an eating disorder.
She said: “My mental health difficulties started when I was around 11 or 12. CAMHS were a huge part of my life growing up. I had lots of different types of therapy and came very close to being sectioned.
“I know what it feels like to be a young person in CAMHS, and I wanted to come back and help people who are in the position I was once in.”
Peer workers work alongside the ward’s multidisciplinary team, including nurses, healthcare assistants, doctors, psychologists, therapists and education staff, building trust with patients through day-to-day interaction and ensuring patient voices are reflected in the care provided.
“Young people often speak to me differently because they know I’ve been where they are,” the peer worker said. “I can empathise in a way that feels real to them, and I can show them that recovery is possible.
“Sometimes it’s playing cards, drawing, watching TV or just sitting and chatting. Those small moments help young people feel understood and less alone.”
As part of her role, the peer worker shares insights with the wider clinical team, helping colleagues understand young people’s experiences and identify subtle changes in mood or behaviour.
“I’m often more sensitive to things that I remember feeling myself as a young person in CAMHS,” she said. “Young people will sometimes tell me things they don’t feel able to say to others, and I can feed that back to the team. That helps everyone to better understand their needs and support recovery.
“When I was unwell, I didn’t always believe that things could get better. Now I can show young people that someone who was supported by CAMHS can go on to recover and come back to help others.
“When someone smiles for the first time, or starts to trust you, that’s everything. Being able to come back into CAMHS and support young people who are in the position I once was feels incredibly meaningful.”
Ann Sheridan, Executive Nurse at EPUT, said: “We were delighted that the CQC has recognised the improvements made within our CAMHS services. Peer workers have been an important part of that improvement journey – by bringing lived experience into our wards, they help ensure young people’s voices are heard, strengthen engagement with care and provide hope to those who may be struggling with their mental health.”
EPUT runs three CAMHS wards – Larkwood and Longview at the St Aubyn Centre in Colchester and the Poplar Unit at Rochford Hospital – providing assessment and treatment for young people aged 13 to 18 with mental health needs.
The St Aubyn Centre is also home to a Therapeutic Education Department, rated Outstanding by Ofsted, enabling young people to continue their education while receiving treatment.
About EPUT:
- EPUT has a vision to be the leading health and wellbeing service in the provision of mental health and community care: Who we are – Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
- EPUT provides services to more than 100,000 patients at any one time and our staff are focused on providing high quality care in often complex situations.
- The organisation has invested in inpatient facilities and community services to make them safer and more therapeutic. We have extensively invested in technology to keep patients safer, enhanced training, and are continuously working with our staff, patients, their families and carers to use learning and best practice to enhance our quality of care.
- While there is more to do, the Trust has made significant progress through innovation:
- Our 111 mental health crisis phone line ensures people in need can access support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
- People with lived experience have been employed in designated roles across the Trust, ensuring patient voice is heart of the organisation and all that we do.
- A number of new initiatives have been launched, helping people access the support they need when they need it most. These include a mental health urgent care department, By Your Side maternal mental health service, Rough Sleeper team, mental health crisis ambulance cars, virtual wards and neuromodulation service.
- EPUT was formed on 1 April 2017 and provides community health, mental health and learning disability services across Essex, Luton and Bedfordshire and Suffolk. We employ more than 7,200 staff working across more than 200 sites.
- To read more about our priorities and commitments to deliver the highest quality and safest care possible, visit https://eput.nhs.uk/about-us/2023-2028-strategic-plan/