We Can Talk

We Can Talk is transforming the experience of the more than one million people who attend hospital due to their mental health every year, and developing the staff who support them.

Join us in training 1 in 5 staff in 2025, transforming one million mental health conversations in acute hospitals.

We Can Talk is scaling our impact by expanding access to our award-winning one-hour, self-directed e-learning to staff working with patients of all ages. Our education approach amplifies staff’s existing expertise, supporting them with the context and confidence to apply their core skills to people in mental health crisis.

 

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Working in partnership to create change

Since 2017, We Can Talk has worked with Health Education England, NHS England and more than 70 NHS trusts to transform the practice of 30,000 staff through our award-winning mental health e-learning.

Staff are 18 times more confident and 30 times more knowledgeable in supporting patients’ mental health post-training.

As the only programme of its kind in the NHS, we continue to deliver practical, high-quality training that transforms staff practice. Now, we need your help to scale our solution to meet the increasing needs of the acute care workforce and those attending hospital due to their mental health.

Find out more about our Impact.

North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust
The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Isle of Wight Ambulance NHS Trust
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust
West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust
East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust
London Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust
Bolton NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals of Northamptonshire
Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust
South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust
Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust
Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
South Tyneside And Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals Of Leicester NHS Trust
West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust
Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
North West Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust
Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS
St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust
University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust
Airedale NHS Foundation Trust
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Barts Health NHS Trust
East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
Isle Of Wight NHS Trust
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals of North Midlands
South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust
South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
We Can Talk
Medway NHS Foundation Trust
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn. NHS Foundation Trust
Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust
Whittington Health NHS Trust
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
Aneurlin Bevan University Health Board
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
View all hospitals and trusts we work with

Hear how We Can Talk is transforming mental health interactions in acute settings — for patients and the staff who support them

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Video transcript

Liv: Well, the We Can Talk project just means so much to me. I think it’s just something I couldn’t even imagine was real. When I look back at me being in a bad place, I could never imagine doing what I’m doing now and sort of telling my story in a way. And I think it just gives me a lot of closure about a lot of things. And I think at the time when I’d be in hospital in a mental health crisis, I’d just think literally everyone was against me. And being in a co-produced project and working with hospital staff, it’s just been like amazing, ’cause it made me realise like people weren’t judging me or people weren’t trying to make things worse for me, people just don’t always get it. 

Stuart: So I got involved because I think it’s really important for people to have a platform to share their experiences, although our experiences are unique and we all have different experiences, I know that I’m not the only person who’s had negative hospital experiences. And I know that there’s work and there’s people who want to do something towards changing that. I don’t think we’re supposed to be… it’s supposed to be an us against them. I think by getting involved in this kind of work where I can speak about my lived experience in a healthy environment, as health professionals are willing to listen, we can start to have a conversation about how to improve care.

[END OF VIDEO]

Can't watch the video?

Video transcript

Keshia: We Can Talk has definitely been more than a project. It’s more of a way of practice, a better way to understand those around us, wherever it is somebody passing you in the corridor or somebody you work with, it gives you a better idea of looking beyond the person and seeing beyond what their emotions could be, the whole iceberg, what’s underneath. It just gives you a whole new way of thinking and reflecting on things. And that’s something that you’ll have with you for life. 

Laura: Over the past few years, we’ve seen a massive increase in mental health coming into hospitals. And we just don’t have enough knowledge. We don’t have enough skills to effectively care for these patients. And I think especially what we’ve learnt from the project is that, you know, what the experience that that patient has when they come into hospital can completely change their outlook on hospitals in general, and on their stays and really affect them going forward and on discharge and how they respond. So I think, the more people can be educated and can have that knowledge and that skillset to care for these patients. Like we said before, even if it’s just a case of, you know, making small changes, I think is really, really important. And I think really beneficial for patients and for staff, it will make our experience of these patients and how we care for them a lot more positive, and I think personally, you’ll feel a lot better about the care you’ve provided, if you’ve got that knowledge and skillset to do so. 

[END OF VIDEO]

Creating system-wide impact

Patients encounter a range of staff in acute settings and consistently report that each person has the opportunity to create a positive impact on their experience of care. We Can Talk includes an unlimited number of licences for all staff, students, volunteers and operational sub-contractors (e.g. security, domestic) to ensure consistency across all clinical and non-clinical areas.

Underpinned by the largest dataset of hospital staff’s experience of mental health in the world (and crucially using no slides), our professionally produced content is delivered by people with lived experience of attending hospital during a mental health crisis. This offers a unique insight into patient perspectives and practical strategies to improve care interactions.

Find out more about our local offer For Trusts.

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“We Can Talk allows staff to recognise their existing skills and unlocks the confidence to apply these skills to improve care for patients who attend due to their mental health. I hope every member of hospital staff has the opportunity to access this training.
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Take the first step to ensure your trust is part of our plans to train 1 in 5 staff in 2025, transforming one million mental health conversations in acute hospitals.

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Robin Barker
Director, We Can Talk
Registered Nurse (Mental Health)

robin@wecantalk.online
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