Reflections on the Impact of Mental Health Ward Staff Training in Race Equality and Values-Based Practice

Abstract

In this chapter, the authors reflect on a project they ran a few years ago that combined race equality with values-based practice training for the staff on a high-achieving mental health ward. One author (KWD, who is white) organised the project in her role as operational manager. She also ran the values-based practice part of the training drawing on her considerable experience in this area. The other author (EH, who is black) carried out an independent evaluation of the project drawing on her experience with both values-based practice and race equality in mental health. Notable is the extent of the differences between them in their pre-project expectations and in their initial understandings of the experiences of the participants. In resolving these differences, they come to a number of shared conclusions about how future projects of this kind might be run.