Publish date: 13 June 2022
The Cassel Hospital hosted the prestigious Skellern Lecture on Thursday 9 June.
The Lecture, which takes place annually at different venues across the country, celebrates advances in the field of mental health and mental health nursing.
Eileen Skellern was one of the great innovators in mental health nursing and made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of this field.
She played a leading role in developing the knowledge, skills and professional contribution of nurses, and worked at the Cassel Hospital in Richmond.
The event started with a welcome address from Stephanie Bridger, Director of Nursing and Patient Experience at West London NHS Trust, before the first award was given.
The Cassel Hospital Co-Production Award was handed to Daksha Samani and Moira and Phil Hunter.
They worked on the Cassel Hospital parents' forum after Phil and Moira's daughter was admitted to the hospital.
Phil and Moira said the group allows them to share their own experiences with other parents whose children are experiencing similar difficulties.
They said: "We're really humbled. One of the reasons for the group was to give something back.
"We're so grateful our daughter is still alive because of the Cassel Hospital."
Dr Russel Ashmore was then presented with the commemorative plaque by Professor Mick Mckeown, who said he was "overwhelmed" to receive the award.
The annual Skellern Lecture was given by Dr Gary Winship. His lecture was titled: “The Modern Mental Health Nurse, Where now for Skellern's Vision.”
During his lecture Dr Winship described the history of ideas that led Eileen Skellern to develop psychosocial nursing.
Reflecting on the lecture, Dr Oliver Dale, Clinical Lead for Hammersmith and Fulham Community and Recovery Mental Health Services, said: “Many will be familiar with Tom Main's 'The Ailment' but what is less well known is the approach set out in this 1957 paper was driven by these changes in nursing practice.
“Drawing on Peplau, another hugely influential nurse of the time, Main and Skellern strove to create a therapeutic environment that was ultimately democratic. This demanded courage to consider the hospital’s unhealthy aspects as well as the patients’ healthy ones.
“Today, the patients continue to contribute to the running of the hospital and care for the community’s members. Such an approach is key to what allows the staff and patients at the Cassel to get alongside one another and arguably was the beginnings of what we call co-production now.
“Dr Winship’s talk set out the importance of the psychoanalytic underpinning of this psychodynamic approach and how the Cassel maintains a culture of enquiry in order to keep alive the ever present pathological processes that can overwhelm us.
“Such an attitude remains relevant for us all as it allows us to provide therapeutic relationships which are honest and enduring. Wherever we work, ward or in the community, these developments in nursing practice were critical to understanding how we provide containment.”
Speaking after the lecture, Dr Winship said he was "absolutely delighted" to deliver this year's lecture and called the Cassel "one of the best hospitals in the world."
He added: "People should be encouraged to visit Cassel Hospital and spend time here and see how things happen."
Following the Skellern Lecture, Professor Kevin Gournay was presented with the JPMHN lifetime achievement award.
He said: "It's been a really special evening. There are so many people here tonight who are friends and there's some I haven't spoken with for years. It's been really lovely."
You can find out more information about the Skellern Lecture here.
Learn more about the Cassel Hospital here.