Our blog

Peer support workers support service users and their families by using their lived experience of mental health issues. They work in a recovery-focused way, emphasising connectedness, hope, identity, and empowerment. Peer workers share their lived experience to inspire hope that recovery is possible. Tiru, shares his lived experience of mental health and his journey to becoming a Peer Support Coordinator.  

South London Listens’ Be Well hubs initiative is about getting people connected to each other and to the right services. This means strengthening both the relationships in existing community institutions themselves – whether it is in a school, place of worship, or simply somewhere people gather – as well as the relationship between these places and their local statutory health services and local government.  

Jemma is a Service User Research Ambassador at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, which involves promoting the importance of research to the Trust’s service users. She took up the role after taking part in two research studies into psychosis at the Trust. Here she talks about what it was like to be part of research.

The South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust became a Kickstart employer in December 2021 supporting 12 young people to kickstart their careers. Open to young people aged 16-24 on Universal Credit the scheme aims to get people back into work or jump start careers for those without work experience.

The Trust offered a variety of roles as part of the scheme, from Digital Services Support Assistant to Educational Development Assistant and Assistant Nurse Education.  We are catching up with the Kickstarters and their mentors to find how they have found the experience so far. 

It is important that staff know where to turn to for support, especially within the Health and Social Care sector where staff are facing unprecedented levels of pressure. The Keeping Well South East London service is a real asset for care professionals; the service provides wellbeing and psychological support to all health and social care staff in South East London. We spoke with Hannah, Clinical Lead for the service about what Keeping Well can offer Health and Social Care staff.