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Feedback from SIAD training day, St. Helens, 5th March 2008

I was at the self injury awareness day today and saw your talk, I found it so moving and motivating as a health professional and its really made me think about maybe how I come across to people on the first impression or when I’ve had a bad day – do I change towards others?

Anyway, just wanted to thank you, I think sometimes we get so wrapped up in red tape, workloads and 8 million clients that we forget the reason why we became mental health nurses – to care for vulnerable people! It’s been a long time since I remembered that!

May you continue to help change people’s attitudes and inspire the world!

Drew Perkins, Mental Health nurse.

Rating
Excellent 22
Good 4

How would you describe today’s presentation to someone who didn’t attend?
Brilliant – really made a difference. It helps listening to someone that has been through it, not just a professional that thinks they know everything.
I would say that they had missed out on an excellent, informative presentation that would have given them insight into depression, mental health problems and the positive and negative issues surrounding this.
An excellent, honest and uplifting presentation which addresses the causes, effects and routes through mental health issues.
Motivating, inspiring, thoughtful, looks at own practices
Powerful and informative
Fantastic, inspiring, thought provoking and encouraging
An excellent, honest and uplifting presentation which addresses the causes, effects and routes through mental health issues.
Excellent presentation, well worth attending
Very informative – a lot of useful information – would recommend
Worth while attending and insight into self-harm
Strong in its realism. The message came through loud and clear
Informative and interesting. I would recommend it to someone with postnatal illness and their families.
Brill and should come to next one
A missed opportunity
Very positive. Inspires hope that people can recover from MH problems – a message that is not heard nearly enough
Inspirational! Motivating!
Very informative and interesting
An inspirational, heart warming story from someone who has had real experiences
Inspiring
Very thought provoking and inspiring
Very moving and extremely informative
Attention holding, informative, considered, paced well and good, appropriate visual support.
A true representation of postnatal illness that offers hope to those who may suffer.
Extremely inspiring, definitely recommend attending presentation
A real eye opener

How could I make this presentation better?
Spot on!
Impossible Elaine!
Could not be improved
I was engrossed in your talk, not sure how it could be better. I felt inspired and motivated to
More time at the end to discuss with group*
I don’t think you could!
Couldn’t be done
Audience participation

*Session ended earlier due to expected fire drill!

Can you recommend a specific person who would benefit from hearing me?
Friend who had baby 4 months ago and now has PND
Commissioners – we are finding it difficult to do our work under the financial pressures
Yes – lots of people
Teachers/ education
Staff B tutors at St. Helens College
Barbara Lungalong, PCMHT, St. Helens
Kings Church Warrington

Comments/Feedback received after the 21st FED event 11th July 2007 ‘Menu of the day – postnatal depression my way’

“A very insightful account of a personal experience of puerperal psychosis with practical strategies to aid recovery. Very interesting and informative.”

“Excellent. Good to hear form service users perspective. Very often we do not get to see is the journey following recovery”.

“Lovely session. Informative, motivated and inspiring”

“Excellent presentation from the heart with lots of common sense, tenderness and care. Mother and baby units don’t seem to be ‘fashionable’ services and its good to hear someone championing their course. Thanks”.

“Very well presented, informative and educational”.

“I enjoyed listening to Elaine’s story and feel inspired to do more to help these mum’s and babies”.

“Good, useful insight into PND. Awareness for all health professionals. Informative”.

“A powerful and comprehensive talk on the subject. Great courage to do so”.

“Very informative, nice to hear from someone who’s experienced it. Made me think”.

“Really interesting presentation. Thoroughly enjoyed photo presentation and music. Really got the point across. Thank you”.

“Excellent presentation”.

“A well presented and informative session”.

“Very interesting and mind bubbling topic. Good presentation”.

“Great, personal and informative”.

“An excellent very personal presentation so well delivered. It helped me re-connect with a phase of my life which l have left behind. I will draw on this presentation in future”.

“Brilliant. Elaine did remind us as Alison said of what we should be about”

“Helped to give an insight to a subject that scares me and l find difficult to work with”.

“Excellent presentation, very heart warming. Great to hear personal experiences”.

“Inspiration talk with practical achievable advice. A true insight into PND that brought tears to my eyes especially as l can relate to certain aspects of Elaine’s story. Emphasize importance of listening to the views of service users. I feel privileged to have attended today’s session. Thank you.”

“Very powerful, courageous and informative”.

“Excellent talk – thanks for giving the time to share your story”.

“One of the best FED events! Real stories and realistic support we can offer. Thank you”.

“Very interesting – glad you shared the experiences. Just a thought, would it be useful to add a list of resources in the areas that you do these talks – to support people like us who are aware of these services.”

“The most engaging and insightful speaker l have heard in a long time”.

“Excellent presentation and very interesting. Please to have attended”.

“Wonderful session – challenging and thought provoking. Carry on the good work. One of the best FEDs ever”.

“This was a very good presentation and to have a real life experience was good”.

Hi Elaine, I just want to say thank you for a great presentation which you gave to my class at chester on 1/11/06. It was great to hear a personal experience rather than just have the lecturer stand at the front and tell us what they thought without any personal experience. I feel that everything you talked about regarding the little things which made the difference i.e the nurse who rubbed your back with cream made me realise that it’s the little things which count and i hope this will help me develop my skills as a nurse further. I wish you all the luck in the future and again thank you very much.

Clare Kelly – Student Nurse

Elaine, what an amazing woman you are! I was one of the students at the lesson in Nottingham today (11/09/06) and it was by far the most inspirational lesson we have had for the whole course and has taught me more about what makes a good midwife than anything else in my traning so far. I can honestly say I have never felt so moved or inspired in a classroom!! I will take your words and advice with me throughout my whole career and hopefully make the difference you asked me to when you signed my book. Thank you again.

Dawn Leeming

Her account of the development of severe depression following the birth of her son and the treatment she received is something that everybody should hear, professionals and lay people alike. She is an articulate and entertaining speaker. Perhaps the best thing to come out of Elaine’s talk was the sense of hope, and the glowing proof that depression does not have to be a lifelong, disabling condition. Her own experience has given her a new direction in life, but any person suffering from depression, who had the chance to hear Elaine speak, would surely be encouraged by her story; any healthcare professional would reflect upon ways to improve his or her practice. In an area where there is still so much misunderstanding and misinformation, Elaine has a valuable role to play in educating public and professionals alike.

ECT Nurse

“I thought Elaine’s story was an inspiration and the training really helped to look at the care from a patient’s point of view and will definitely make a difference in the way I care for someone.”

“It was an excellent presentation. You have made me even more glad that I came into this profession because if I can help someone rebuild their life it’s all worthwhile.”

Members of staff from a clinic for women with mental health problems

“Absolutely fantastic, a sad but enlightening journey. Good to make practitioners aware of how we can help people and use our basic skills.”

Social worker

“What a triumph! Thank you so much for your inspirational talk last week, it was superb. Everyone was talking about it right up until we finished on Friday! It set the scene for the whole 2 days and your contribution was referred to in many of the group work sessions and by subsequent speakers in the main auditorium.”

Director of Nursing and Patient Services after a Clinical Benchmarking Conference

“Elaine gave a very heart-warming, and at the same time harrowing, account of her own and her families experience of the NHS. This story really helped focus our audience of 200 health care professionals and managers on the importance of listening to patients and the need to focus on the essential and everyday aspects of care.”

Regional Director of Nursing

“Your talk to our 262 pre registration nursing students certainly gave them food for thought and hopefully will go some way in informing their practice irrespective of branch specialism. You certainly know how to deliver and hold the audiences attention”

Senior Lecturer

I can definitely say you had it tough, but with the help and support of your family and friends and majority of health care workers, you got through it! You also showed how sometimes, tiny things that people do, even just a smile, can make somebody’s day seem a lot brighter!! (and somebody’s eye’s have more sparkle 😉

A student

My story is very similar to yours, but with an added twist and if we ever get the chance I’d like to share it with you as I know you’d understand completely. I felt a little tearful yesterday listening to your story as so much rang true for me and I know my mum related to much of what you said about Mum’s blaming themselves. You are such an inspiration to us all!

A Mum

Staff from a private clinic for women with mental health problems – Feedback from session on 28th July 2006

Absolutely fantastic. You are an inspiration. Very interesting subject. Your honesty, openness and sharing your experiences with others is amazing. You are a very lucky lady in as much as a positive has come off a negative.

Inspiringly reassuring!

An excellent training session. Thank you.

Very important. Beautiful and interesting. Think it was the most important part of the training. Very emotional and very educational for me. Thank you very much!

A highly valuable session giving practical insight from all sides of the situation. Highly rewarding, interesting and humbling. Thank you!

I found the whole morning extremely interesting. And I will find all the information very useful. I think you are a very wonderful person.

Thank you for the great journey and insight.

I have valued your honesty and found the talk very interesting.

I hope the new unit lives up to the many ideals you have (I will do my best to make sure it does).

Very interesting. Absolutely fantastic to see your recovery and get on with life. Nice supportive strong family. Good luck for the future.

Enlightening! Captivating!

Graphic and gripping. Brought back memories and made me realise “There for the grace of God go I”.

I found this morning excellent. A really good insight into what really matters. Thank you.