CAN YOU PROVIDE DETAILS OF YOUR BACKGROUND?

I’m 41 and have been married to my husband Dave for 18 years. We live in Bournemouth, Dorset and have three children and a working cocker spaniel (called Jarvis). I had eating disorders and depression from the age of 11-21 and found it extremely hard to recover from my mental health issues. I was fortunate enough to receive some excellent support from my local NHS eating disorder service in Poole, Dorset. Thankfully, I’m now fully recovered from my eating disorder and able to use this experience to support others.

HOW HAS YOUR LIVED EXPERIENCE SHAPED YOUR FUTURE CAREER?

I found my recovery from an eating disorder extremely difficult. Eating disorders impact your physical, social and mental health and I felt that few people really understood how hard it was to get better. When I felt well enough in my recovery, I wanted to help others and raise awareness of eating disorders. I started a charity in Dorset and trained to be a therapist. I’m so passionate about offering hope to those who experience eating disorders and their family members. It was hope of a brighter future that inspired me to keep going in recovery. I now work as the National Co-Lead for FREED (First Episode Rapid Early Intervention for Eating Disorders) and eating disorders therapist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. I also work alongside NHS England’s mental health policy team writing policies for national eating disorder treatment and I’ve just published my first book.

In your view, what must healthcare designers and providers do to facilitate greater involvement of service users? The environment you are treated in makes a huge difference to how you feel about your recovery. The facilities that are provided can often improve engagement in treatment. If the setting is well thought through and sensitive to theneeds of the patient, you feel cared for and understood. It’s vital that people with lived experience are consulted during the design of healthcare facilities. There are details that you just wouldn’t think of if you hadn’t had a mental health issue yourself. Colour schemes and where you place bathrooms/toilets can all make a difference to a treatment setting.

WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE AND HOW HAVE THINGS CHANGED?

I was treated in an NHS building that been converted from an old library and staff living quarters. I remember attending my first appointment there and sitting in the waiting room. The waiting room was like a ‘goldfish’ bowl where everyone could see you and I could hear conversations in the therapy rooms next to the waiting room. I felt anxious that other patients might hear what I was saying in my appointments.

Last year, there was a new building built at the eating disorder service in Poole and it is nothing like the old building I was treated in 20 years ago. I and other current or previous patients were consulted on the design of the building. I actually cried when I went in it and saw it for the first time. The building was so light, airy, and hopeful. The kitchens and facilities had been so well thought through to support rehabilitation and recovery for patients experiencing eating disorders. I could see that this could really reduce down patient’s anxiety and offer them opportunitiesto cook food and have other therapeutic groups that they wouldn’t have had the facilities to accommodate in the old building.

TO WHAT EXTENT IS THERE ENOUGH COLLABORATION WITH SERVICE USERS WHEN DESIGNING AND CREATING A HEALTHCARE ENVIRONMENT?

I’m unsure about how many healthcare providers seek feedback from previous service users when engaging in the design process, but for me, it’s a non-negotiable part of the journey. How do you know if the facility is going to be ‘fit for purpose’ unless you ask the people who have used it or will use it? Including service users is not something to be feared, it enriches the process for all stakeholders because stories and experiences bring projects alive and add meaning to them.

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE SERVICE USERS CONSULTED AT AN EARLY PROJECT DEVELOPMENT STAGE?

I always believe that service users should be involved at the very start of the project before its inception. True co-production is not just asking people with lived experience to give their opinion on something you have already decided upon, it’s about allowing them to be part of the whole process and part of your team.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?

Since I recovered from my eating disorder, I’ve learned that to be happy and content in life means to accept myself for who I am, be ‘unashamedly me’ and to work in areas I’m passionate about. I wait for opportunities to present themselves and go where I’m celebrated and needed. Recently, this has led me to speak at global mental health summit in Argentina and I’ll be heading off to Australia to train eating disorder teams on early intervention. My main aim is to make treatment and support for those with eating disorders accessible and effective. Even though I work as a clinician, I often still bring my lived experience into training roles. I hope to break down some of the stigma that still remains for those who have experienced mental health issues and now work in that area.

Jess aims to make treatment and support for those with eating disorders accessible and effective

Find out more at: www.jessgriffiths.co.uk