– Since 2010, Dorset HealthCare University NHS Trust has been running a Hidden Talents project seeking to better understand how mental health services can value the lived experience of their staff. The purpose of this paper is to inform discussions on how clinicians and other staff can share their lived experience of mental health problems to improve the experience of people who access services, their carers and supporters and promote the wellbeing of all staff.
– The discussion paper was developed through the use of qualitative data collected through three focus groups. One of the focus groups represented people who are part of the Hidden Talents Project, one focus group had representatives of the different professional bodies and the third represented people who access services.
– It was identified that there were two differing considerations between sharing personal experience one was sharing with people who access services, the other was sharing with colleagues and managers. It was identified that in order to safely share personal experience it needed to happen in an supportive organisational culture. A number of suggestions were made as to considered why, when, how and what to share with people who access services.
– This is not a formal piece of research, rather it is an exploration of a range of views and set out into a discussion document. Further action and research is required to explore this topic area in more detail.
– At present a number of mental health services are beginning to address the value of lived experience in the workforce. Very little has been published exploring how people can share their live experience. This paper provides a starting point for these discussions.
