‘ The co-production model brings peers and professionals together and opens the door to reciprocal learning . My traditional understanding of professional practice has evolved to appreciate different expertise and develop a shared vision for course provision .
‘ Combining my occupational therapy skills with Andrew ’ s lived experience enabled me to build a greater rapport with those I support and enabled me to see people and students , rather than patients or service-users .
‘ Bringing something of myself , my life , or my experience to these relationships to benefit the students challenges me to address imbalances of power and to seek reciprocity and mutuality in learning together , regardless of role .’
At a practical level , various resources were created , including ‘ sleep packs ’ to support natural sleep in a ward setting These contained eye masks , earplugs , herbal tea sleep infusions , lavender pillow sprays , lavender pulse point roll ons and a QR code , which opened a co-produced ‘ preparing for sleep ’ meditative exercise , which Alice recorded .
‘ As occupational therapists we seek to understand what people do in their daily lives , the meaning attached to this and the subsequent impact on health and wellbeing ,’ Alice says .
‘ This can be interpreted in many different settings , allowing for role-emerging occupational therapy roles . Occupational therapy ’ s role in coproduction and delivery of these courses included facilitating meaningful discussion with groups of students around activities of daily living unique to inpatient settings and future goals .’
The students who participated in the wardbased courses provided feedback at the end of each session .
‘ This continues co-production ,’ Alice goes on , ‘ as students influence evolving content . It ’ s vital to have a meaningful level of control in their recovery and over the resources available to support them .’
She explains : ‘ Students “ check in ” and “ check out ” with a number between one and 10 , with the reason for that score that one equals “ worst day ” and 10 equals “ best day ”. For most students , scores would increase following participation in a course . We recognise the course content plays a part in this and so facilitated verbal feedback to provide useful context and reasoning .’
A healthcare assistant commented : ‘ The course helped me realise I was stuck in a rut : work , supermarket , sleep , repeat ... I ’ m setting myself a goal today . I ’ m going to contact my daughter and go on some long walks like we used to .’
A student nurse fed back : ‘ Today has been really helpful , I can see the value of the person I am . It ’ s energising [ and ] empowering .’
While a community house resident said : ‘ I ’ ve been going through services for years and it ’ s only since coming here I learned that I ’ m not my diagnosis , I ’ m an artist and a daughter , a partner and friend – I ’ m so much more than the labels alcoholic or schizophrenic .’
Alice reports that staff feedback was also positive : ‘ Our consistent commitment to attending the wards meant that the students looked forward to the courses , which became an anticipated part of their week . Staff also reported that our consistent presence improved relationships between residents .’
On a more personal note , Alice reflects : ‘ To ensure that we continued meeting the needs of the students , Andrew and I would co-reflect each week on what went well , what we learned , and what we could adapt or change .
‘ I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to work at the College . I ’ ve become passionate about co-production and its place in our profession . Having the opportunity to immerse myself in coproduction and work with a peer has impacted my practice and I will take this experience forward . I know it will influence relationship development with everyone I work with in future .’
She concludes : ‘ We hope to improve quality of life and reduce readmission by expanding and developing the existing model . Professionals have recognised the value of these courses and are keen to find out what can be offered across various inpatient settings .
‘ We are in the initial stages of co-producing a ‘ Preparing for discharge ’ course , to highlight the support available and the practices students can introduce to maintain their mental health beyond discharge in their community life .’
This month marked National Co-production Week ( 4-9 July ) and the Social Care Institute for Excellence website has a brilliant guide on how to ‘ do ’ co-production . It was co-produced with people who draw on care and support , carers , support providers and SCIE staff from www . scie . org . uk / co-production / what-how .
Words ALICE ( CATHERINE ) DOWLING , Occupational Therapist , with ANDREWS SIMS , Senior Peer Trainer and Ward Based Course Lead , Cardiff and Vale Recovery and Wellbeing College , https :// cavuhb . nhs . wales / recovery-college /
36 OTnews July 2022