About the guide
Spotlight on learning from local partner Moray Wellbeing Hub
The content displayed on this page was produced by Moray Wellbeing Hub and describes their reflections, experiences and learning over the years about lived experience leadership in driving change in healthcare / mental health services.
Visit Moray Wellbeing Hub- About the guide
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- A note on trauma and impacting change
About the guide
Everyone has a legal right to participate in decisions about their healthcare, as outlined by the Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011 and the Health and Social Care Standards: My support, my life.
Many people with lived/living experience of mental health challenges experience stigma and discrimination when trying to access, or when they are engaging with, different services. They, in turn, feel compelled to influence change and improve these services to prevent others going through the same, and to improve their own future experiences as well. Such negative experiences should be seen as a breach of rights; they are unjust and lead to inequalities that, in turn, worsen mental health for those individuals. Equally, it is logical that people who use a service are best placed to provide feedback on this experience, and what would help improve access and support for them, but potentially for others too.
Before you can effectively influence change, it’s important to understand how services are structured and organised, how relationships and power dynamics function, and where imbalances of power may be addressed.