World Mental Health Day: Real Voices, Real Change
A blog post by Amanda Cummins, Deputy Head of Patient Involvement, reflecting on this year’s World Mental Health Day theme: “Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change.”
This year's theme is a timely reminder that meaningful change happens when people with lived experience are not only listened to, but actively involved in shaping the decisions, services and support that affect their lives.
Across mental health services, people with lived experience, including current and former service users, carers, volunteers, peer support workers and community partners, bring invaluable insight. Their experiences help organisations like ours understand what is working well, where barriers remain and what matters most to the people and communities they serve.
Listening is important. Acting on what we hear is even more important.
Turning lived experience into better services
Co-production is one of the most effective ways to turn real voices into real change. By designing, delivering and evaluating services together, we can create care that is more responsive, inclusive and person-centred.
We know that when people are involved as equal partners, services are better able to meet the needs of those who use them. Co-production strengthens recovery, improves experiences of care and helps ensure that support is designed with people rather than for them.
In our Trust, those with lived experience contribute to a wide range of activities, including:
- Recruiting and training staff
- Service reviews and inspections
- Project groups and service development work
- Producing information and resources for patients and carers
- Governance and decision-making processes
- Reviewing policies, procedures and ways of working
- And recognising and celebrating excellence in care
The impact of this involvement can be profound, both for services and for the individuals who contribute their expertise.
As one person with lived experience shared:
"It made me feel better about services, that what I said made a difference for other people who might need to go into hospital."
Another said:
"Being involved in recruitment panels has really made a difference. The people on the panel really listened and for the first time since I became unwell, I felt validated."
These experiences demonstrate how involvement can empower individuals while helping organisations improve the quality and relevance of the care they provide.
The importance of partnership
We recognise that creating meaningful change means working alongside people with lived experience from the very beginning of projects and service improvements. It also means recognising the vital role of carers, families and communities. Their perspectives provide a deeper understanding of people's experiences and can help identify opportunities to improve support and outcomes.
We know that when we create spaces where diverse voices are heard and valued, we are better equipped to meet the needs of the populations we serve.
The growing impact of peer support
The importance of lived experience is also reflected in the growth of peer support roles across our services.
Our 60 peer support workers use their own experiences of mental health challenges and recovery to offer hope, understanding and practical support to others across our services. Working alongside clinical teams and community partners, they us build trust, strengthen connections and support people on their recovery journey.
Their contribution is invaluable and demonstrates something increasingly recognised across health and care services: lived experience is expertise.
Reflecting on whose voices are heard
This World Mental Health Day, we all have an opportunity to reflect on a few important questions:
- Whose voices are helping to shape the decisions we make?
- Who might be missing from the conversation?
- How can we create opportunities for people with lived experience to influence change, rather than simply provide feedback?
- What might we do differently as a result of what we hear?
Every conversation matters. Every experience holds valuable insight.
By working in partnership with people who use services, carers, families and communities, we can create services that are more equitable, compassionate and effective.
This World Mental Health Day, let's all commit to listening, learning and acting on lived experience so that mental health services better meet the needs of the people they support.
Find out more about our Lived Experience network and how you can get involved.
