4 minute read
Importance of lived experience in training
The importance of incorporating lived experience in training, in order for it to be embedded in the workplace, be it healthcare or social care, is absolutely crucial. This is something that we, at Care Business Associate Training (CBAT) are taking very seriously in order to ensure the people who our clients support are involved in the training of staff and carers.
We have developed Bildact certified Breakaway and Physical Intervention Training, which meets the Restraint Reduction Network Training Standards which were created following the death of Olaseni Lewis in September 2010. Olaseni was a 23-year-old British man who died from Cerebral Hypoxia (lack of oxygen to the brain) after a prolonged physical restraint involving 11 Police Officers at Bethlem Royal Hospital in London, where he presented voluntarily following the onset of acute mental health issues. He was restrained for a period of 45 minutes face down and when his body went limp, it was thought he was faking it. Tragically, he never regained consciousness and died four days later. Serious failings were identified by a second coroner’s inquiry, and the jury found Olaseni died as ‘a result of excessive, disproportionate and unreasonable restraint and force.’ (Restraint Reduction Network Training Standards 2021 Version 3.1, pg 8 Ali & Conrad Lewis). It took Seni’s family over 8 years to get this ruling.
In order to ensure staff understand the serious nature of the use of physical intervention and restrictive practice, training provided by Bildact certified Training Providers is now a requirement. “The NHS welcomes the publication of the Restraint Reduction Network Training Standards. These Standards have been written to focus on ensuring training promotes human rights and supports cultural change necessary to reduce reliance on restrictive practices (rather than purely focus on technical skills). Certification of compliance with these Standards will be a requirement in NHS commissioned and CQC regulated services from April 2020” (Professor Tim Kendall, National Clinical Director for Mental Health, NHS England 2019) (pg 10 RRN standards same as above reference).
I was very privileged recently to meet a lady who is supported by one of our client’s, who agreed to let me interview her so we could share her story about how she felt being physically restrained. I was incredibly moved to hear this brave lady’s journey of how she was abused as a child, taken into care, further abused, had relationships where she was abused in the worst ways imaginable again and the impact this had on her mental health and dependence on drugs and alcohol as well as multiple attempts on her own life. She described to me how she felt being physically restrained due to her violent behaviour whilst she was being sectioned, which was triggering due to the abuse she had already endured and how in the last five years now she had moved to the setting where she currently resides, she has been able to reduce her medication considerably and has not been restrained there once. When asked what was different where she lived now, she said she never used to be able to trust anyone and couldn’t talk to anyone as she was scared to talk to them about her feelings and what she went through. She now trusts the staff and they ‘talk it out.’ When asked what advice could she give staff who work with people who need support, she said ‘talking and listening’ and she was ‘learning how to deal’ with her past trauma. This incredible lady wanted her experiences to be heard and wanted me to put it in as many courses as possible to help people understand.
Training is one thing, listening to someone’s real and raw experiences really brings the training to life and makes it real for people, so they can go back into their workplaces with a bit more understanding.
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