Social Inclusion and participation

As a mental health nurse and healthcare leader, I believe in the power of participation. Participation of the client in their care planning and interventions, participation of the community to raise awareness of mental health, participation of a consortium to support service delivery and participation of service users in the design of services (Bjørkquist et al, 2015).

An example that I am most proud of as a healthcare leader for a youth service is our Youth Reference Group (YRG). The YRG is a voluntary and devoted group of young people that function as an advisory board and subject matter experts. I believe that for a service to be considered relevant, it must seek and incorporate the feedback of the users of the service. Their opinions are sought for all activities within the service from décor, to social groups, to service delivery. Transitioning from a previous service that did not value or seek participation from its service users, the YRG was a new concept for me. I am learning that sometimes the people that you least expect to surprise you do, and that I should be open to all possibilities, no matter where they come from. I have learnt that it is not always senior members of staff or clinical supervisors that have the wisdom to share. I value these young people and the experiences that they bring to the service. Their willingness to be vulnerable but their want to be helpful to others, even after experiencing huge amounts of trauma themselves, is humbling. In these circumstances, how could anyone resist reflecting on their own personal attributes and questioning whether they too are capable of great things? It is these young people that inspire me to continuously improve not only the service, but myself as a healthcare leader and as an individual. Having now worked within an environment that values stakeholder participation at a more intimate level, rather than just survey completions, I now fully understand the impact that participation can have on the quality of the service. I know that in my future roles I will always seek to incorporate the participation of service users.

Bjørkquist, C., Ramsdal, H., & Ramsdal, K. (2015). User participation and stakeholder involvement in

health care innovation–does it matter?. European Journal of Innovation Management, 18(1), 2-18.

#reducestigma #participation #community #Standard6 #Standard5 #Standard9