Lived Experience Practitioner Training Short Course

This Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project, funded by Innovate UK, aims to develop the workforce of Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust by introducing and embedding those with experience of using mental health services as lived experience practitioners.

This would better facilitate mental health recovery of service users and meet the cost effectiveness demands of the new model for clinical commissioning going forward.

To meet this need there was a requirement to design and tailor a new model for workforce development in mental health that recognised the importance of the ‘lived experience' approach.

The role of the University team from Canterbury Christ Church University (Prof. Douglas MacInnes, Dr Fergal Jones & Victoria Stirrup, the KTP associate) was to help develop a 5 stage work programme:

1. Consultation Stage – An analysis of the Trust’s roles and responsibilities with regards to standards of service delivery and workforce practice.
2. Investigation Stage – Understanding challenges faced and work undertaken by other Trusts and expectations of policy makers, commissioners and funders in respect of service user involvement in service delivery.
3. Implementation Stage – Developing and piloting a model for workforce development (including developing training programmes, adopting supervision procedures, as well as recruitment and employment practices). Devising statistical and economic evaluation techniques to measure the cost and efficiency savings associated with the new innovation.
4. Evaluation Stage – Evaluating the implementation stage, measuring initial impact of the introduction of the new role, embedding the model of evaluation within the Trust.
5. Dissemination Stage – Spreading the impact amongst stakeholders, considering the rolling out peer support worker involvement to other areas of the Trust. National dissemination to other NHS Trusts, CCG’s and local community providers.