Celebration of recovery and hope for mental health trust
The work and people of Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust’s Recovery College were in the spotlight at a 10th anniversary celebration this week.
Students, tutors, staff and invited guests were at The Space in Roundtree Way, Norwich, to hear from speakers, take part in workshops and chat to stallholders representing partner organisations of NSFT.
The Recovery College provides free educational workshops and courses to anyone needing support on their mental health recovery journey. They aim to give people the tools they need to take control of their lives.
The event was opened by NSFT chief nurse Tumi Banda, who told the 121-strong audience: “The Recovery College has always been about sharing and reflecting and I hope we go forward in that spirit.
“The last 10 years have given us really strong foundations and we will go from strength to strength.”
The idea of the celebration was to showcase what The Recovery College had achieved and to share its aspirations for the future.
NSFT’s college started in 2013 with three courses in Lowestoft and Norwich. By the end of 2020, it was running 50 courses, all co-produced, across Norfolk and Suffolk. Last year, 2,300 students accessed the sessions.
Recovery College lead Laura Leggett told the audience: “Our aim now is to be more sustainable. We have now employed seven more peer tutors, a tutor development lead, a partnership lead and a full-time admin lead to improve our data analysis.
Covid changed the way the courses were delivered, with session moving online. Currently there is a hybrid delivery, with two thirds of students saying they prefer online classes and a third wanting classroom sessions.
NSFT’s work with recovery has seen staff offer their expertise in other countries, including research into courses co-produced with people living with dementia and their family supporters, with co-production again at its heart in the way the study is designed and run.
Guest speakers included Sir Norman Lamb, who praised staff working in mental health, a system he described as in need of change nationally, and mental health campaigner Jonny Benjamin, MBE, founder of the charity, Beyond.
Jonny was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, a combination of schizophrenia and bipolar, aged 20 and later began making films on YouTube about the condition that have been watched by over a million people.
He told the story of successfully finding Neil Laybourn, a stranger who talked him out of jumping off a bridge when he was suicidal after his search went viral. Neil joined him on stage. Jonny now works hard to encourage young people to “live their best life”.
Peer tutor Carol F, who attended several courses as a student, summed it up when she spoke, saying: “The courses engender recovery and hope. My anxiety and depression is still there but it no longer envelops me. There’s so much more to my life now I have the strategies and tools to help me manage my emotions.”