How can the community get involved in your project?

Where similar Peer Mentor roles have been introduced in other areas– share information re: responsibilities / remit, outcomes, and any relevant learning.

Share your own experience of what would have helped you ‘wait as well as possible’ whilst on an NHS waiting list (any clinical speciality).

·As we develop ‘waiting as well as possible’ materials, we would appreciate feedback from people with lived experience of waiting on any type of waiting list.

We intend to validate the PREM tool developed as part of the project in different health settings. We would welcome anyone from the Q Community with experience to get in touch and to join us on this next step.

What have you learned so far?

Learned that there is not currently an appropriate validated PREM (developed own).

Initial findings indicate that people respond well to the questions asked in the PREM developed by the project team.

Realised that we could utilise existing channels to engage with people who are waiting – rather than needing to organise a separate specific engagement event – a more effective use of resources.

Learned that the communication and information that someone receives whilst waiting for psychological intervention can be improved and this should reduce feelings of hopelessness / improve wellbeing (e.g. greater transparency around waiting times).

Learned that Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Trust has a similar role as part of their service which is fairly new and was initiated by the GP Network.

What could others learn from your experience of working with a range of stakeholders and collaborating across boundaries

As we have been in a discovery phase, currently we have been working with other professionals and seeking to collaborate and share learning ahead of beginning our test of change. Based on where we are with our project, we can say that we have recognised:

It’s important to hear and listen to those who have the most amount of contact with people who are on the waiting list e.g. through an existing initiative, third sector colleagues and staff who later work with people who had been waiting.

It is worthwhile to look at research / work outside of the local, regional, and even national context – for instance our project has identified an opportunity to learn from the work services in England are doing.

We can also learn from work taking place in other clinical specialties to support patients on waiting lists for intervention/s.

The value of recruiting people with lived experience – patients report receiving a greater level of reassurance than from other professionals. (We have identified this from our research and collaboration to date and will test this within the delivery phase on our own project).

Weekly huddle meetings as a project team have been invaluable. It’s likely we wouldn’t have progressed how we have without them. Even if not everyone can attend every week, there’s still work which can be progressed. These meetings also help to ensure shared ownership, rather than the project sitting with 1 or 2 people.

Involving analytics from an early stage to think about measurement has been really useful – a key step.

“If I was to do this again, one of the things I would be saying from the offset is you need a Project Manager because it gets bigger, it grows. Your idea is not just what you think it’s going to be, and so to factor that in.” – Andrea Davies

“I think [it’s important to have] a Q Exchange that has partnership working embedded in it. Whether that’s between agencies or whether that’s even within one agency, but across areas, I think you get a richer experience and then you get really productive and planned outputs.” – Andrea Davies.

What are the next steps for your project over the coming months?

Peer Support Worker and Assistant Psychologist will begin in post in the next couple of weeks (mid- Feb). Will be embedded into the team via an agreed training and support plan.

PREM tool to be validated.

Data dashboard will be developed.

Start delivery of agreed Peer Support Worker interventions/support – for up to 6 months.

Peer Support Worker will provide individual support to a specific number of people on the waiting list.

Peer Support Worker will join the existing psychoeducation group to offer an additional lived experience perspective.

Anticipated that the Peer Support Worker once in post will help to develop the role and support offered.

Assistant Psychologist once in post to help to facilitate the test of change and identify an appropriate demographic group for the pilot (e.g. participants and control group).

Part of the Peer Support Worker training will be to complete the intentional peer mentor core training with the national recovery college.

The Peer Support Worker will also hopefully be attending the first Lived Experience Community of Practice for Peer and Lived Experience Practitioners working in mental health services across Wales.

The Peer Support Worker has also been invited to sit in on the Lived Experience Implementation Advisory Group (next one 27/03).

Further in the future:

· Evaluate success of test of change.

·  Publish a report of findings from the pilot.

·   Explore possibilities for further testing and/or scale and spread with the National Psychological Therapies Management Committee.

·  Share learning through third sector and partner agency networks that provide counselling in the region and across Wales to maximise learning opportunities.

· Within the region, share learning via the Community Leaders Network to explore wider opportunities for application to health board waiting lists.

Interviews complete for the peer mentor post. So much learning for us a team as to how we work alongside peer mentors and ensure that we prepare the teams to lean into the uniqueness of the role.

Other teams in our service are now keen to develop similar roles, so thinking carefully about how we do this safely and strategically.

Anyone know of a readiness tool for teams developing peer mentors roles?

WE We

Great brainstorming with the project team today. Thinking hard about how we co-produce every step with people who are waiting. Looking forward to meeting with the rest of Cohort 4 and 5 at the celebration event next week.