When patients become leaders "“ recovery and discovery

Wed, Feb 24th 2016 at 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm

Dr Jane Melton, NHS - Clinical Director for Social Inclusion

Stonehouse Rotary Meeting at the King's Head, King's Stanley 24 February 2016

Speaker:- Dr Jane Melton, NHS - Clinical Director for Social Inclusion, 2gether

“When patients become leaders – recovery and discovery”

It was evident from the start that Jane Melton was a person of passion – passion for care of people who suffer from some of the most misunderstood and ignored problems in life; care for people who should quite simply not be treated as patients of some branch of medicine that is a neglected sideline for a few specialists, but care for patients who can themselves become leaders, who can play a major part in discovering for themselves their full potential and can help others do the same.

We heard how mental health is not something from which other people suffer.A high proportion of our whole society need mental health treatment of one kind or another at some point in our lives. The difference Jane was seeking concerns the promotion of mental health, the prevention of mental illness.And each of us was encouraged to play our part in seeking the well-being of others, rather than hoping that problems can be quietly swept away – to an asylum or confined to a home unnoticed.

Many of us, I guess, had assumed that Jane - working on mental health in the NHS – was a doctor of medicine. No!Her background is Occupational Therapy, backed up by the her academic research.Jane did not flaunt her status as honorary professor at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh.That information had to be dug out from http://www.2gether.nhs.uk/meet-our-board-members. the 2gether website from an organisation that is very obviously proud to have her working for and with them, working on helping “patients” make the great discoveries that can lead to better health and fuller well-being.

The publicity she shared was not full of the achievements 2gether had made, but of encouragement to whole communities to take responsibility for one another, especially in that realm of mental health.

Things are improving as a number of celebrities begin to speak openly about their difficulties and the opportunity to share examples of how people have been helped through internet films is evidently a big part of the work of 2gether and parallel organisations like www.time-to-change.org.uk .Jane showed us some brief examples on film and in recollection. But above all she was encouraging us all to get involved, to find out more, to join in (time to plug the 2gether membership form at http://www.2gether.nhs.uk/membership-form) and play our part as much in seeking the mental health and well-being of those around us, just as we work for physical health in efforts such as End Polio Now.

A stimulating talk, but one which leaves us unsatisfied, one about which we need to do something! Surely that's the best sort!

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