If you would like to take part in a discussion or share your story, please read this information carefully.

What are these discussions for?

We’ve partnered with NHS Wales Executive to help them gather your views on how a new crisis and in-patient mental health care programme could improve the support people receive.

At the discussions, people will share and discuss their experiences. The things shared and worked on together within the group will form part of a report to NHS Wales. This report will then be used in the development of new acute and crisis mental health care support.

We want to hear your story, whether that’s receiving support, helping someone else to receive support, or working in services.

Put simply, if you’ve had experience of acute or crisis mental health care in Wales in the past five years, this is a chance to share your experience, and work together to help shape the future of mental health services.

These discussions will take place in February and March 2025.

Who are these discussions for?

These discussions are for anyone in Wales who is 18+, and who meets any of these criteria:

• Has accessed or received ‘crisis’ services within the last five years.
• Has been an in-patient in mental health services in Wales within the last five years
• Is a family or carer of someone who has been an in-patient in Wales in the last five years
• Has, in the last five years, worked for a third-sector organisation in Wales that supports in-patients within mental health services and people experiencing crisis

When are the discussions ?

Attendees will only need to come to one of the discussion days.

Family members, carers and third-sector staff

• Monday 17^th February 2025
  • Swansea

• Tuesday 18^th February 2025
  • Wrexham

People who have been in-patients in mental health services or have accessed crisis services

• Monday 17^th March 2025
  • Colwyn Bay

• Tuesday 18^th March 2025
  • Cardiff

How do I get involved?

If you would like to take part, you can do both of the following – or just one if you prefer:

• Attend a discussion to talk about your experiences and those of others, and work with us to help shape what goes into the final report to NHS Wales.
  • To let us know you’d like to attend a discussion, please complete a form here.

• Share your story. Stories sent to us will form part of the report to NHS Wales. If you choose, your story may also be one of those looked at in the discussion groups.
  • If you would like to attend a discussion, please register your interest before sharing your story. You can also share your story without attending an event.
  • Share your story here.

When we share stories publicly or in the report or events, they can be anonymised if you prefer.

Once you’ve sent us your information, we’ll be in touch to let you know next steps. There are limited spaces so we’re not able to invite all applicants. We also cannot share all stories, but every story will be read. All experiences will shape the report to NHS Wales, which will inform the future of services.

FAQ

Food and dietary requirements: Lunch will be available on each event day. You will be able to state any dietary requirements when you complete the event form.

Travel expenses: Attendees are asked to make their own travel arrangements. We can reimburse some travel expenses for shorter travel distances; please attend the discussion closest to you. If you are unsure about travel expenses, you will be able to check with the event organiser beforehand.

Support workers and interpreters: if you will be supported by a support worker or an interpreter on the day, we may be able to reimburse at their daily rate of pay.

Translation: live translation into Welsh will be provided on the day.

If you have any queries, please contact amyfleming@platfform.org

Other important information

Stories shared with this project may be shared with other organisations or published publicly, either by Platfform or NHS Wales. Stories can be anonymised for external use if required.

Stories shared, and discussions within group events, will be used anonymously to form part of the report to NHS Wales. Both stories and the final report will be retained as intellectual property of the NHS Wales Executive – this is to ensure that experiences can continue to be shared in future, and can continue to be part of changing and shaping systems and services.

Personal data shared with Platfform will not be shared with anyone else, except if you have given permission for us to share your real name alongside your story. You may wish to take part on future events relating to shaping services – if so we will ask your permission to share your details with our NHS Wales partner to help facilitate this.