Interview
What is your past and current experience of work?
My work has ranged from teaching to conducting research into the application of AI within the military. The form of this work was of relevance to many organisations because it looked at how knowledge representation can identify lessons to be learned from military operations in order to improve the efficacy of operations and minimise casualties.
Missing a lesson can lead to unnecessary causalities and fatalities, both military and civilian, and the methodology I was developing could be applied elsewhere. I have also worked as an accountant in the past – I know how to balance the books!
What do you think of WHISPAs?
I think these are crucial. I once became chronically ill in the context of work. If there had been some sort of initiative at work or at least the awareness of the need to prioritise it, this would have been a protective factor for me. WHISPAs resonate with my experience of what needs to be out there for employees. It is in the best interests of employees and, therefore, the employer, too, who depends on said employees. It’s a win-win for WHISPAs to be there and for people to be encourage to engage with them. Thankfully in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic there is a growing emphasis on public mental health; a sea change which will hopefully promote these initiatives.
What is your experience of public involvement, if any?
I have been a public contributor for 12 years across a range of health and social care projects. I do a lot of patient safety review work and this is tied to workplace wellbeing. A report which I co-authored as an active member of the NHSE commissioned independent review of Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust was published in January 2024. This focused on the mistreatment of patients within the Edenfield Centre (Prestwich, Manchester), a medium to low secure mental health service, highlighted in the Panorama documentary broadcast in September 2022. In brief, we found that patient wellbeing is inextricable tied to staff wellbeing. Sadly, there were a cadre of small managers who had treated staff really poorly, including staff trying to do their best to optimise patient care. Staff consequently were suffering substantial moral injury in addition to adverse working conditions. This affected patient wellbeing both directly and indirectly. Now there is much more attention on the wellbeing of staff especially in Edenfield .