Halifax matron invited to Gibraltar to share experiences

South West Yorkshire Mental Health Trust shared its good work with health workers from around the world when a Halifax modern matron gave a talk at an international mental health conference in Gibraltar.

Modern matron Grahame Peace, who works at the Dales (a mental health unit) at Calderdale Royal hospital, was invited to the conference to talk about the ‘Tidal Model’ – a new approach that is being used to treat and support people with mental health problems across Calderdale.

Grahame was among speakers from the USA, Jersey, Spain and Bermuda at the conference – which was for people interested in developing and improving mental health services.

Grahame says, "We’ve been using the ‘Tidal Model’ across mental health services in Calderdale for the past year or so with really positive results. The approach gives patients different ways to learn cope with problems, with the most important aspect being the belief that people with mental health problems can recover their lives.

"Often people with mental health problems can get written off and lose hope, but the tidal model is about hope and optimism. Everyone at the conference in Gibraltar was really interested in the work we’ve been doing in Calderdale and keen to learn how they could do similar work in their services."

As well as sharing his experiences of the tidal model, Grahame also had a chance to learn how people from other countries are developing their mental health services. "One of the highlights of the conference was a presentation from a man called Dr Gallagher, from New York. He talked about 9/11 and how mental health services in New York were affected by the disaster. Overall I think everyone learnt a lot at the conference– I think it’s important for health workers to share their experiences and good work with each other."