What does meaningful staff support in the NHS actually look like and why does it matter now more than ever?

In this episode of London in Mind, host Dr. Estelle Moore speaks with Dr. Harriet Conniff, a clinical psychologist with experience in paediatrics, adult health, and humanitarian work.

They explore the day-to-day realities for NHS staff working under relentless pressure, and what it really takes to care for the workforce in ways that are proactive, practical, and sustainable. Drawing on lessons from the pandemic and her experience leading wellbeing initiatives, Dr. Conniff shares why supporting staff is about far more than a “nice to have”. It’s about protecting the people who protect us.

• The pandemic as a turning point for staff wellbeing
• Why how support is offered matters as much as what is offered
• Using data wisely: what staff surveys can and can’t tell us
• Tackling sickness, turnover, and burnout with systemic solutions
• Helping teams reconnect with their own strengths and resilience
• Why staff wellbeing is inseparable from patient care
• Staying engaged: why silence can undermine support efforts

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Harriet Conniff – Sustaining Those Who Care for Others

Harriet’s book explores practical ways to support the wellbeing of health and care staff, drawing on lessons from the frontline and evidence-based approaches to staff support.

ACP-UK – Psychological Debrief Practice Guidance (PETR)

Guidance for teams on how to run safe, structured post-event reflections (PETR) following distressing events at work, supporting staff wellbeing and learning.

Learning from the NHS Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hubs [British Psychological Society]

Key insights gathered from frontline case studies during the pandemic related to staff mental health and wellbeing provision

About Dr. Harriet Conniff:

Dr. Harriet Conniff is a mother and clinical psychologist who has worked in paediatrics and adult health settings for her entire career, mainly in intensive care and respiratory medicine. Throughout, she has been responsible for providing support to healthcare staff in different ways. Harriet feels passionately about this work and is continually learning from staff she is privileged to work with and her colleagues in the field of staff health and wellbeing. Harriet is systemically trained, specialising in the solution focused approach and finds the latter, as well as a systemic consultation model, particularly useful in staff support working. She lives in London, her hometown, which she loves for its diversity, and she replenishes her energies by travel to mountains and the sea.

About the Psychological Professions Network:

The Psychological Professions Network (PPN) is a multi-professional membership network commissioned by NHS England that brings together professionals, living experience advisors and partners from across provider trusts, integrated care systems, higher education and local communities, to champion workforce development and innovation to maximise the impact of psychologically informed approaches on public health and healthcare delivery. PPN London...

What does it really mean to work in genuine partnership with people who have been on the receiving end of health and care services? And what needs to change for that to happen in a meaningful way?

In this episode of London in Mind, host Dr. Estelle Moore speaks with Nashiru Mamori, founder and director of Real Insight. Nash shares how his own experiences have shaped his understanding of co-production and why it requires far more than simply giving people a seat at the table.

Together, they discuss the barriers to true collaboration, the emotional labour involved in sharing lived experience, and the subtle power imbalances that can hold progress back. Nash reflects on the progress made so far, what still needs to change, and why trust and respect are the foundations of authentic co-production.

Whether you’re a practitioner, policymaker, or someone with lived experience, this conversation offers a moment to pause, reflect, and think differently about how we work together and why it matters.

• Overcoming self-doubt in communities
• Creating psychological safety and feeling valued in co-production
• Recognising bias in how lived experience is included
• Building trust and safeguarding confidentiality
• Why preparation and training are essential for meaningful collaboration

• NHS England – Working in Partnership with People and Communities
• NHS guidance on embedding co-production and meaningful involvement, moving beyond tokenism to shared decision-making.
• National Survivor User Network (NSUN)
• A user-led charity supporting people with lived experience of mental ill-health, trauma, and distress — amplifying voices and challenging power imbalances in health and care.
• Co-Production: Putting Principles into Practice (Social Care Institute for Excellence, SCIE)
• A practical framework on what co-production really means, including principles, barriers, and examples of good practice across services.

About Nashiru Mamori:

Nashiru Momori is the Founder and Director of REAL-INSIGHT, a consultancy led by people with lived experience of mental health challenges, substance misuse, homelessness, and the criminal justice system. Guided by his own recovery journey, Nash champions a holistic, asset-based approach that empowers service users beyond diagnoses. He provides peer support, advises organisations on recovery-oriented practice, and connects offenders and ex-offenders to resettlement, education, training, volunteering, and employment opportunities. Nash also works with service users, frontline staff, and senior leaders as a consultant, trainer, and adviser. He is currently an Expert User Consultant with West London Mental Health Trust.

About the Psychological Professions Network:

The Psychological Professions Network (PPN) is a multi-professional membership network commissioned by NHS England that brings together professionals, living experience advisors and partners from across provider trusts, integrated care systems, higher education and local communities, to champion workforce development and innovation to maximise the impact of psychologically informed approaches on public health and healthcare delivery. PPN London is focused on strategic initiatives and leadership to enhance mental and physical health outcomes and...

Have you ever thought about the difference between equity and equality in healthcare, and why it really matters?

In this episode of London in Mind, host Dr. Estelle Moore speaks with Dr. Amrit Sachar, Joint Presidential Lead for Equity and Equality at the Royal College of Psychiatry.

They explore how systemic inequality directly shapes health outcomes in the UK with evidence showing that disadvantage can literally shorten lives. Together, they consider how psychologically informed approaches can create health and care environments where both staff and patients experience justice rather than harm.

Drawing on her frontline experience in liaison psychiatry, Dr. Sachar shares what she’s learned about the impact of inequality and the practical steps we can take to create a fairer, more inclusive system. Whether you work in health and care or have lived experience of the NHS, this conversation offers both critical insight and down-to-earth ideas for lasting change.

• Why access isn’t the same for everyone
• Compassionate policymaking in overstretched services
• The impact of structural inequality during COVID lockdowns
• Feeling overwhelmed about implementing equity? Why starting small matters
• How stereotypes can influence clinical judgement
• Why equity, diversity, and inclusion are more important than ever
• Making equity part of the system, not just a training module

Dr. Amrit Sachar is an experienced Consultant Psychiatrist with a strong track record in leadership, medical education, and quality improvement. She serves as Joint Presidential Lead for Equity and Equality at the Royal College of Psychiatry and has a Master’s in Leadership in Quality Improvement from Ashridge Executive Education, Hult International Business School.

• Marmot Review: Ten Years On (Institute of Health Equity)
• A powerful follow-up to the landmark Marmot Review, documenting how health inequalities in England have widened over the past decade.
• “Snowy White Peaks of the NHS” – Roger Kline
• A seminal paper exposing the lack of diversity at the top of NHS leadership and why it matters for equity.
• No More Tick Boxes (Roger Kline, 2021)
• A review highlighting why traditional equality initiatives often fail — and what organisations can do differently.
• ACEs and Population Health (CDC)
• Evidence on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and how early-life inequality impacts health across the lifespan.
• NHS England » Patient and carer race equality framework [PRECF] The mandatory framework designed to support trusts and providers on their journeys to becoming actively anti-racist organisations.

About the Psychological Professions Network:

The Psychological Professions Network (PPN) is a multi-professional membership network commissioned by NHS England that brings together professionals, living experience advisors and partners from across provider trusts, integrated care systems, higher...