Patient interview panels introduced as part of drive to improve mental health care in North Wales

Patients and carers are playing an active part in the recruitment of new mental health and substance misuse staff in North Wales.

As part of a new initiative, service users and their carers are sitting on interview panels for jobs at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

The move forms part of ongoing efforts to give people with a lived experience of mental health and substance misuse issues a stronger voice while ensuring that candidates’ values align with those of the health board.

Service users and carers are now given the opportunity to sit on interview panels and ask candidates a range of questions to assess their values, behaviours and motives.

A separate panel of healthcare professionals also assess candidates’ professional knowledge.

While many health organisations employ a value based approach to interviewing, BCUHB are thought to be amongst the first in the UK to give service users an equal say in the appointment process.

Hilary Vaughan from Wrexham is one of a number of service users and carers who have been involved in the interview process.

She said: “I’ve been a mental health service user since the age of 17 but I’ve never really engaged in services because it always felt like they just wanted to tick a box.

“Being part of the interview panels has been a real eye opener and I feel like I’m being really listened to. Before I couldn’t be in a room with more than five people and I still suffer from anxiety, but I feel like I’ve come a long way.”

Tony Carr, also from Wrexham, has received support from the BCUHB’s Substance Misuse Services and recently took part in an interview panel for the first time.

“I’ve been looking for values of empathy and for candidates who wants to tackle stigma,” explained Tony.

“It’s the first time I’ve been on one of the panels and I’ve loved it and can’t wait to do another one.”

Value based interviewing is one of a number of measures introduced by BCUHB’s Mental Health & Learning Disabilities Division to give service users and their carers a stronger voice.

In 2016 the health board commissioned Caniad, a service-user led organisation for people who want to influence decisions about how mental health and substance misuse services should be developed.

Through Caniad, people with lived experience have helped to co-produce Together for Mental Health in North Wales, BCUHB’s four year plan to improve and develop its mental health services.

Representatives from Caniad are now working alongside staff from the health board, local authorities and third sector providers to turn the ambitions set out in the plan into reality.

Lesley Singleton, Director of Partnerships for BCUHB’s Mental Health & Learning Disabilities Division, said:“We’re absolutely committed to involving people with a lived experience of mental health and substance misuse problems as we work to improve our services.

“It’s entirely fitting that they should be given an equal say in interviewing and appointing the staff who will be responsible for delivering their care.”

She added: “In the past, the people who used our services had no meaningful way of influencing decisions and the way they were engaged with was often tokenistic”

“Because of our partnership with Caniad we now have a rich source of information and ideas which we are using to ensure that our services are tailored to meet the specific needs of the people who use them.”

To find out more about the work of Caniad please visit www.caniad.org.uk or call 0800 085 3382