Making Strides in Personal Recovery and Care
On September 1, East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) held its annual People Participation Conference, a landmark event in co-production and collaborative care. Held at the Wash Houses in Aldgate, East London, the conference attracted service users, carers, healthcare professionals, and partner organisations from across regions including City & Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Luton, Central Bedfordshire, and Bedford.
Organised by Rose Muchoki, People Participation (PP) Lead for Newham, the conference aimed to underscore the importance of PP in personal recovery and service improvement. "This event allows service users, carers, and staff to celebrate their co-production efforts and network with others. What makes ELFT stand out is our strong emphasis on PP," said Muchoki.
A Mosaic of Voices
Alan Strachan, PP Lead for CAMHS in East London and Senior PP Lead for NCEL Provider Collaborative, summed up the day: "It's been a great success. Participation makes a big difference in the work we do, and it was wonderful to see our diverse teams in one room share the magic of PP."
Jessica Sabnjoku, a former CAMHS service user and winner of the 2023 Young Person of the Year Award, found the event inspiring. "It’s interactive and very enlightening to meet different sectors within CAMHS. The volunteers are excellent at engaging with young people."
Pauline Roby, a service user from Bedfordshire and part of the PP team, said, "It's about sharing the projects we've been working on and also inspiring each other. There's a sense of celebration that you rarely find elsewhere."
Paul Binfield, ELFT's PP Director, emphasised the collective impact of the day, "We have brought people together in one place, to celebrate People Participation."
Millie Smith, Head of PP at ELFT added, "We're learning more about what our teams are doing, and we've also invited organisations within and external to ELFT. It’s about disseminating information across the Trust."
A Hybrid Success
The conference was a hybrid event with over 100 attendees onsite and more joining via Microsoft Teams. Millie revealed, "It's been livestreamed, and over 60 people registered online. The keyword for today is ‘connection’ on multiple levels—teams are connecting with each other, and service users are connecting with staff and each other."
As we look ahead, the sentiments expressed during the People Participation Conference 2023 affirm that co-production and collaboration are not just theoretical concepts but lived experiences that are actively shaping and improving lives across ELFT.
For more information about ELFT's People Participation initiatives, please email elft.peopleparticipation@nhs.net.