In September 2014, students joined us for a unique chance to network across healthcare disciplines in two days of lectures, lateral thinking, workshops and new ideas.

The focus of 2014’s event was self care and resilience. NHS England recently recommended we all become self care practitioners to reduce pressure on stretched health and social care budgets. With 80% of ‘care’ in the UK taking place in informal settings strategies to maximise the potential of ‘people’ as a resource are crucial. But in reality there is still a gap to bridge between political rhetoric and practice. The Summer School aimed to explore the question how can we do this?

D Rosier and Professor Ian Norman’s presentation.  Watch a masterclass in collaboration as D Rosier and her former CBT therapist Professor Ian Norman talk about how they jointly created a route back to good mental health, following D’s lifelong struggle with anxiety and a personality disorder.

Additional material

Student report (1)
Student report (2)

Quotes from participants

‘The summer school tied together some really significant threads for me – having come from n arts background and having had my own health challenges, I had been desperate to find a way to let these experiences nourish my practice. Attending the summer school enabled me to re-imagine myself as a HCP, to see I can integrate my previous experiences. Thank you again!’ – Summer School Student 2014

As a social work student, social and psychological well-being are key themes in effective practice, and what struck me was how collectively students believed an approach that covered mind, body and spirit was the way forward in promoting self-care and resilience, at what is a trying time in terms of funding etc. Likewise, agreed agenda, goals and partnership between service users and professionals can only have a positive long-term effect. – Summer School Student 2014

Read a longer write up from participants here (Glynn Riches) and here.

Workshops from 2014 included:

• The patient relationship to empower self care – Professor Ian Norman, Deputy Head, FNSN&M, KCL  
  
• All about patients, self-management and patient leadership – Anya De Iongh, Patient Leader
• Well London project – community engagement for self care – Professor Adrian Renton, University East London
• Self care starts in Schools – capturing them early – Barbara Vann, Headmistress, Penair Schools Project
• Improving care of diabetes and long-term conditions – personal care planning between patients and health professionals – Dr Simon Eaton, Consultant Physician and Diabetologist, Clinical Lead of Long-term conditions, North East of England
• Resilience and self care – the well being of the Health & Social Care workforce – Tony Coggins, Head of Mental Health Promotion, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
• Long-terms conditions, musculoskeletal health, self care and managing work –  Dr Zofia Bajorek, Researcher & Kate Summers, Research Assistant, the Fit for Work programme, The Work Foundation

Read the whole 2014 programme here.