Opening doors – addressing the mental health of nurses and their patients

Watch the webinar recording of C3 and experts discussing the role of mental health in wellbeing and the importance of prioritising nurses’ own mental health and that of their patients.

Why mental health?

We know that cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, and respiratory diseases commonly co-occur with common mental disorders such as depression and anxiety disorders. In addition, risk factors for non-communicable diseases such as tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and harmful alcohol use commonly cluster in people with mental disorders. C3’s work has shown that when clinical staff learn more about their own health, then it will have a direct positive effect on the care they give to patients.

Why nurses?

Nurses play a key role in delivering person-centred care in all parts of the NHS and are the largest clinical workforce; developing accessible education and training programmes specifically for them has an important impact on patient care.

Why C3?

C3 Collaborating for Health is a health charity aimed at preventing chronic disease nationally and globally. Through its NURSING YOU programme, C3 has spoken with over 450 nurses who have made it clear: it’s hard to look after ourselves when we’re so focused on caring for our patients.

The webinar was one of a short series on prevention and management of non-communicable diseases produced by C3 Collaborating for Health (C3) in collaboration with Pfizer.

The speakers

Tom Sandford: C3 associate in mental health and former executive director of RCN England

Tom is a C3 associate in nursing, mental health and community development. Tom’s leadership, management and service development experience includes managing the NHS mental health service across the London boroughs of Camden and Islington, and as the executive director for the England directorate at the Royal College of Nursing. His clinical experience as a nurse lies in the areas of family interventions and child and adolescent mental health services, and liaison psychiatry in acute hospitals.

Dr Steve Boorman: Director Employee Health Empactis / Chair Council for Work and Health

Steve has over 30 years experience as an occupational physician working across a wide range of industry sectors. In a 21 year career within Royal Mail his roles included Chief Medical Adviser, Director of Health and Safety, and CSR Director. In 2009 he led the independent review of NHS staff HWB, commissioned by the Health Secretary, highlighting the association between good staff health and improved patient outcomes, enhanced organisational efficiency and better performance against key Regulatory targets. He received a CBE for services to occupational medicine in 2013 and is proud to also have received an honorary fellowship of the Royal College of Nursing.

He has published and presented world-wide and was a Chief Examiner to the Faculty of Occupational Medicine for 19.5 years. He chairs the FOM’s Ethics Committee and the Council for Work and Health. He currently works with a technology innovation developer, providing software to help managers and employers improve support to staff needs.

Yvonne Coghill: RCN deputy president

Yvonne began her nursing career as a staff nurse in cardiothoracics before obtaining her mental health nursing qualification.

Following a period working as a staff nurse, Yvonne trained to become a health visitor and in 1986 she secured her first NHS management job. In 2004, she worked at the Department of Health as Private Secretary to the Chief Executive of the NHS, Sir Nigel Crisp. In her three years at the Department, she held several strategic posts, including Programme Director for the MRSA and Cleaner Hospitals Programme and External Relations Nursing Officer to the Chief Nursing Officer of England. Yvonne was then appointed as Lead for the Breaking Through Programme which aimed to support Black and Minority Ethnic staff in the NHS. In 2013 Yvonne was voted by colleagues in the NHS as one of the top 50 most inspirational women, one of the top 50 most inspirational nurse leaders and one of the top 50 BME pioneers. In 2018 Coghill was awarded Fellowship of the Royal College of Nursing, FRCN.   From January 2019 Coghill took up office as Vice President, Royal College of Nursing for a two-year term

Catherine Gamble: RCN Professional Lead for Mental Health and Head of Nursing Practice, Education and Research, South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust

Catherine’s role involves providing evidence for policy makers, commissioners and providers, whilst ensuring the RCN influences and supports the mental health nursing workforce to face new challenges in many specialist and diverse areas of nursing practice, research, education and management. Working across the UK, the role has a wide sphere of influence, covering a range of activities – namely supporting members, promoting professional networks and sharing good practice. Her NHS Trust role supports this activity as she is responsible for driving clinical innovation and evaluating nursing workforce development initiatives. Catherine is an Eileen Skellern laureate and Royal College of Nursing Mental Health Nurse of the Year award holder and Royal College of Psychiatrists Team winner. Catherine has broad experience in coproduction and professional development work. Her clinical expertise lies in working with families and those with psychosis; she has held various NHS roles in acute and community psychiatric services, has published extensively and is an elected member of the NHS Confederation Mental Health Network board. Catherine works for the RCN three days/week.

Michaela Nuttall: C3 associate in nursing

Michaela, is a cardiovascular nurse specialist with a unique and varied experience across the NHS and beyond. She developed her passion from prevention over 20 years ago and has worked within it ever since. In 2016 she left public health after working in the field for 16 years and now focuses on 3 main areas, as a Director for Smart Health Solutions, Associate in Nursing for C3 Collaborating for Health and Deputy National Lead for CVD Prevention at Public Health England.

She is the Chair of the Health Care Committee of Heart UK and an invited member of both the Nurses and The Guidelines and Information working party of the British Hypertension Society, elected member of the Association of Cardiovascular Nurses and Allied Health Professional Education working party, on a variety of editorial boards and the Global Cardiovascular Nursing Leadership Forum.  Being a Trustee at PoTS UK keeps her firmly rooted in the challenges patients face in living with life altering conditions.

Jocelyn Cornwell: Chief Executive of the Point of Care Foundation

Jocelyn is the founder and chief executive of The Point of Care Foundation, an independent charity that aims to humanise health and care services and improve the experiences of both patients and staff.

Jocelyn’s original training was as a medical sociologist and anthropologist. Her PhD thesis, an ethnographic study of beliefs about health and illness in East London, was published as Hard-Earned Lives by Tavistock Press in 1984. In the course of her career she has worked in universities and the NHS and for the Audit Commission, the Department of Health and the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI).

She is a trustee of the Nuffield Trust.

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