Category: Blogs

A guest blog and testimony from Soneika “Sunny” Atkinson, Mental Health Student Nurse at University of Essex and one of the #150Leaders. The blog aims to present Sunny’s experience and personal project to promote and develop good dental care for mental health patients in hospital settings. Soneika’s project has the support of the Student Education Facilitator for the Essex Partnership University. 

I am Soneika, second-year mental health nursing student at the University of Essex. My mum nicknamed me Sunny.

Mental health, alongside all it entails, is very personal to me. I am from a culture that doesn’t acknowledge mental health challenges. This is the main reason I decided to build my life’s career around public health.

Mental health is a complex topic to discuss, and sometimes it is even hard to diagnose mental issues because, most times, mental health symptoms are not physical. It is a general tendency to believe there is nothing wrong with a person because they do not look ill. I wanted to work in healthcare, particularly with people suffering from mental health issues.

I am incredibly interested in the mental health aspect of public health. I intend to help others understand and overcome this issue that only a handful of people understand or see as relevant. Studying for a BSc in public health and health promotion gave me the essential skills to explore and further understand mental health.

I have worked in the primary care sector for over 15 years and have acquired a good understanding and a deep passion for the healthcare industry. I started working in the dental nursing field in 2005. So am ‘from dental to mental’.

I started my university education as a mature student with two young children. I was aware that it would be arduous. But I was surprised that I could use my time management and organisation skills from my career as a dental nurse to survive university life and being a mum. I also became the student voice, raising issues and concerns affecting students. My participation as a student’s voice greatly developed my leadership skills who would help me make a difference in dental health among mental health patients.

My Student Leadership Project: Dental Mental Wellness

Recently, I have been accepted on to the Student Leadership Programme (#150Leaders) who have given me the opportunity to attend several conferences and being coached by a healthcare sector leader. #150Leaders has allowed me to be more confident, leave the relationship with imposter syndrome behind, and further develop my leadership skills. I feel included when I am among my fellow students because I am able to share my views without being misunderstood.

The Programme has given me a platform to raise my voice further and advocate for positive change, which will help vulnerable people. I also created a student leadership project based on my experiences, with the help of my coach. While I was in placement, my dental nursing background helped me identify gaps in dental care for mental health patients receiving treatments in hospitals.

With this project I want to introduce:

• dental charting to mental health patients who receive mental health assessment or treatment in a hospital setting.
• dental screening among mental health patients to help the multidisciplinary team provide prompt solutions to save the patients’ oral health. Dental screening can also contribute to a more patient-centred approach depending on the patient’s oral health needs.

The rationale for this project is that many patients in the ward have oral problems due to mental illness. Mentally ill patients are often unable to effectively maintain oral care due to their poor oral hygiene and consumption of unhealthy foods. They, therefore, greatly need oral care under close supervision. Sometimes, these patients cannot express that they are having toothaches or other pain. Therefore, this project is crucial because it can provide prompt solutions to saving the oral health of mentally ill patients. The project will also contribute to a more patient-centred approach depending on the patient’s oral health needs. Most patients need oral health awareness in community settings and healthcare centres. Therefore, this project aims to create oral health awareness among patients in the hospital and community settings. The project will focus on a patient’s dental chart, which views the dental anatomy to check the condition of the teeth.

The project will identify if the patient is wearing a denture, has a bridge crown, has a decayed tooth, or has dental decay. Gum health is also crucial in oral health and shall also be addressed. Through different professionals in the health sector, the project will get access to patients’ dental records. Have they been treated for dental conditions? Have they encountered difficulties in chewing because of oral problems? If the record is unavailable, the patient should get a dentist appointment for a dental examination.

Currently, the project is in its initial stages. I am researching how the project can be funded and looking at the other vulnerable groups with dental care in their setting. My expectation for the future is that the project will have a great impact on the dental health of mentally ill patients. No recent research on the topic creates a gap that can be further examined. However, the project has the support of the Student Education Facilitator for the Essex Partnership University Trust. I also have three presentations at my university: a leadership conference, an advocacy and activism lecture, and a presentation with first-year students. So far, my university has acknowledged my project, and I plan to continue to work on it.

Soneika “Sunny” Atkinson, Mental Health Student Nurse at University of Essex and one of the #150Leaders

A guest blog from Tim Walsh, Children’s Nursing student at London South Bank University and one of the #150Leaders. The blog aims to present Tim’s personal project to develop and improve clinical education and practice on children’s end of life care for undergraduate nurses. For this initiative, Tim has been nominated for a Student Nursing Times Award.

As a mature student, I knew that from the start of my child nursing career I would be someone that would thrive and be further motivated by being busy and developing on my current knowledge.

My previous career experiences within education and my NHS job during the pandemic highlighted my feelings of wanting a career with children, reigniting my passion for wanting to be able to make a real difference to the lives of children and families and overall leading me to apply for the BSc Child Nursing course at London South Bank University (LSBU).

The start of my final year as a student child nurse was then where I sought further student leadership opportunities alongside my degree, with the idea that I still wanted to make a real difference to child and family lives, but I wanted to start while I was still a student. I was successful with becoming the Cohort Rep for my year group, I joined the Health Education England’s (HEE) Nursing & Midwifery Student Council and was then invited by HEE to become the UK’s nursing student representation for the Quality Committee.

I then further discovered the success of my application of becoming part of the Council of Deans Student Leadership Programme. This programme allowed me to develop my leadership skills and ultimately provided a platform to which I would use to implement a positive change out in practice for nursing students that would improve patient and family care. My Student Leadership Project is still ongoing, however it is largely based on my recommendation for developing and improving clinical education and practice on child end of life care for undergraduate nurses, which Great Ormond Street Hospital has accepted as a educational project idea and has been fully supportive of since.

The project aims are:

• To support Undergraduate Child Nurses (2nd and 3rd years) in developing a clinical education, both theoretically and practically, in regards to End of Life Care.
• To improve patient and family care within Great Ormond Street Hospital, including those specifically involved with a child at End of Life.
• To highlight Palliative and End of Life Care as a career option to Undergraduate Student Child Nurses.

The project idea was developed because I recognised that as Student Child Nurses, we receive very little clinical education and training in end-of-life Care, both at university and within trusts. This project, within Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), will be the start of developing an undergraduate clinical education on end-of-life care, both theoretically and practically. The project will be in line with the Pan London E-Pad competencies, set out by the Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC), directly aimed at undergraduate nurses in 2nd and 3rd year of clinical practice.

It is hoped that through this project, using a collaborative Multidisciplinary approach, that a permanent teaching session will be created, explaining the legal and practical requirements related to the care of a child’s body after an expected and unexpected death. The teaching session should also include parent/ guardian and family care, and how student and staff wellbeing is cared for and managed. Alongside this teaching will also include an End-of-Life workbook to review and evaluate student knowledge. All areas of this project will be delivered as mandatory through the support of the Student Practice Facilitators.

By doing this project it is hoped that End of Life Care is improved for those patients and families receiving it, and that undergraduate student child nurses are more empowered and confident in supporting the delivery of End-of-Life Care. This project will also aid 2nd and 3rd year Undergraduates with completing and signing off competencies surrounding palliative and End of Life Care. Lastly, through this project it will also promote and highlight Palliative and End of Life Care as a future career option that undergraduate student nurses may wish to pursue, supporting England’s shortage of child nurses being skilled in palliative and End of Life Care.

The project is currently within its initial stages, collecting evidence-based practice research and resources to facilitate a presentation and the development of the workbook. It is hoped that this project will be functional during 2023. My expectations for the future are that my project idea creates a lasting impact on future undergraduate nurses within my trust, creating confident newly qualified nurses on palliative/ child end of life care.

My project has not gone unnoticed, being recognised by both my trust and by my university as a positive contribution to Child Nursing. As a result, I have been nominated by them both for a Student Nursing Times Award and I am hopeful to be shortlisted.

A guest blog from Fatimah Khathun, dietetics student at Leeds Beckett University and one of the #150Leaders. The blog follows her recent attendance at the BDA Yorkshire Celebrating Diversity in Dietetics event.

I recently attended the BDA Yorkshire Celebrating Diversity in Dietetics event. It was an eye-opening event which gave me the opportunity to hear from inspirational speakers from a variety of diverse backgrounds and also network with students and healthcare professionals. Attending the event enabled me to gain better insight into what diversity actually means within healthcare and the challenges individuals from diverse backgrounds potentially face in practice.

Truthfully, before attending the event, I had minimal knowledge on a few areas covered such as Invisible Disabilities, Autism, Ableism, Diverse Diets, and NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES). Although challenges were shared by speakers for each topic, it was equally incredible to hear their encouraging stories. It has made me appreciate how they are paving the way for the next generation of students with their inspiring work. It is important awareness of diversity is raised and universities can even make small changes to further support and celebrate diversity. More education around diversity can have a positive influence on future professionals, expose students to new perspectives, and challenge their belief systems.

It was fascinating to hear from individuals with lived experiences of disabilities sharing their honest stories. To enable students to learn more about challenges around disability, universities could incorporate these topics in lectures and provide extra reading resources. It would also be valuable to host workshops, possibly led by students or professionals with lived experiences, to share both the positives and challenges that they face. This can educate students and staff to be able to have open conversations with individuals living with a disability and find out more about their experiences in a safe environment.

Another talk by a South Asian dietitian on diverse diets made me more aware that future professionals need to be educated around different foods, traditional beliefs around different cultural diets, and how to overcome any barriers faced in practice. They could also share and discuss innovative cultural resources such as the South Asian and African and Caribbean Eatwell Guide, which can equip students to have better conversations about cultural diets with patients in future practice. Students could be encouraged to join university cultural societies which often host festive events and would allow students to learn more about different cultures.

A talk on race and change included data from the NHS WRES. The data highlighted how BME staff within the NHS are less likely to access development opportunities than white staff and that BME staff are underrepresented at senior level roles. It was surprising to witness this especially being a student from ethnic minority. Understandably, there are a variety of reasons linked to this. Universities could raise more awareness of this by having open conversations with students from ethnic minority backgrounds to ascertain exactly what may discourage them from taking advantage of leadership opportunities now and  in the future. Staff could provide information on the importance of representation within senior roles in healthcare or host guest speaker talks including ethnic minority staff in senior roles to motivate students to develop in their future careers. Personally, I am inspired and motivated when I can see people from ethnic backgrounds in senior leadership roles in healthcare. They act as role models for future professionals and, if they can do it, so can I.

There were lots of takeaways from the event for me but, reflecting on the whole event, hearing from knowledgeable healthcare professionals with lived experiences was truly inspirational. It has inspired and has prompted me to learn more about these topics to educate myself. There is no doubt that little changes could also be made by universities to support and celebrate diversity.

Fatimah Khathun, dietetics student at Leeds Beckett University and one of the #150Leaders

By Sianne Chinwuba, #150Leaders alumna

They said that universities are open and inclusive for everyone who wishes to further their education and start a new career or progress in their current one. But as we know, there are still difficult issues surrounding the topic of race at universities across the country. Of course, there have been many conversations surrounding race, equality, and diversity but what are the outcomes of these discussions? Where are the conversations leading to?

Universities across the UK need to work better with students who experience racism to create better understanding and real feelings of belonging for those student groups. University staff need to proactively acknowledge the disadvantages and difference minoritised groups face.

Change starts with recognising mistakes and taking accountability for actions. It also means drastic and practical measures need to be put in place to meet the needs of a diverse student population and work towards closing the attainment gap.

What can universities do to improve inclusivity and belonging for its minoritised students?

• Take accountability for their own actions.
• Allow minoritised groups to take the lead by allowing them to have more control over what they feel will benefit them at university.
• Work better and closer with minoritised students to meet their demands and desires. E.g. greater representation across the university, work and placement opportunities, open and honest communication without gaslighting.
• Pushing for representation of race and skin tone in healthcare textbooks
• Improve the diversity of leadership teams and university boards to make them more inclusive and representative of wider society.
• Put in appropriate consequences towards staff who continuously fail to listen and work towards appropriately dealing with the issues and complaints from students who experience racism.
• Create a system where minoritised students can submit complaints respectfully and freely. Complaints should be reviewed anonymously so that it prevents racial discrimination and neglect from higher authorities within the universities.
• Proactively recruit a diverse range of professionals to give a talk at lecturers, particularly in the courses with fewer minoritised students.
• Prioritise minoritised groups onto courses where they have traditionally been underrepresented.

Raising awareness and having the same conversations aren’t enough anymore. Words hit and can bounce off the walls, but actions can break down walls.

Change and improvements start with actions. It starts when we look inwardly and decide to open our minds and openly challenge the situation right in front of us, instead of being embarrassed and afraid of the truth, especially if it hits close to home.

#race4all #conversationsarejustnotenough

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