Have you heard about Unheard?

The stage was set at the wonderfully unusual Bart’s Pathology Museum, a three tiered room filled with 200-year-old body parts.  Rich Taunt, from Kaleidoscope, kicked off the evening by highlighting why storytelling encompassed valuable tools for improving health and care. The ability to create empathy and to show the importance of person-centred care were to name a few.

The first section covered overarching themes of the role of family and friends (or lack of) in health and care.

Who knew that finding friends on the ward would be the biggest worry for a recently qualified radiographer, and that the worst thing about joining a support group is that you lose so many new friends?

One of the biggest eye openers was from Ed Davies, Policy Director at the Centre for Social Justice, who highlighted the links between an individual’s health and wellbeing and their close relationships with others. In particular, his theme of how the marriage status of parents can affect the mental health of their child really emphasised the aim of the evening, which was to give a voice to the unheard themes in healthcare.

Who knew that finding friends on the ward would be the biggest worry for a recently qualified radiographer, and that the worst thing about joining a support group is that you lose so many new friends?

A reflection from the second set of stories that resonated was that we often forget there are two sides to every story. The juxtaposing insights from the hospital receptionist and the asthma patient showed just how insular we have become and by having these stories one after the other, it was clear that empathy is needed throughout the healthcare system so that situations are not misunderstood and resentment is avoided.

Charlotte Augst, CEO of National Voices, approached this issue from a unique persepective in her talk, showing how lack of empathy is reflected in the lack of effective administration in health and care. She pointed out that those who designed the system did not think about the impact a faulty IT system can have on distressed patients or overworked staff.

Anyone who listens to this talk will appreciate the real need to talk about admin in order to improve health and care as a whole.

In the final talk, Matthew Trainer, CEO of Oxleas NHS Trust, highlighted just how much healthcare connects to all other aspects of life through the story of a patient named Michael.  He is a 50-year-old man who suffers from psychotic episodes and resides in a high security hospital. How he ended up in this situation involved a sequence of bad decisions shaped by a lack of structure or support in his development, and an altogether hollow prospect for the future.

Matthew pointed out this stark contrast between his own mental health problems and outcomes in comparison to Michael, which truly highlighted how a good education, a loving family and a support system can make all the difference to someone’s health and wellbeing. He left us in little doubt that there is room to grow the integration of social environment and mental health.

Thank you to those who attended the event, we hope you enjoyed it!