We Can Talk until 2027 impact report
We Can Talk was founded in 2017 to transform the experience of people who attend hospital due to their mental health, and the staff who support them. Since then we have engaged over 30,000 members of staff across more that 100 hospitals.
Our We Can Talk until 2027 impact report reveals the success of the project so far and outlines our mission to achieve 100% coverage of hospitals in England with a Type 1 A&E by 2027.
Download the report
Read the impact report to discover how We Can Talk has:
- Engaged over 30,000 staff members in more than 100 hospitals since 2017, with 98% of staff reporting a positive impact on their job.
- Increased staff confidence 18X and knowledge 30X in supporting mental health crisis
- Improved the quality of care, enhanced support systems, and transformed perceptions of mental health in acute hospital settings.
Co-producing change
“Co-production helps bridge the gap between healthcare professionals and service users, creating a more collaborative and effective approach to care.” – Dr Ann York, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist
The We Can Talk until 2027 impact report outlines our groundbreaking application of co-production in healthcare service transformation. We have meaningfully involved Young Advisors (young people with lived experience of accessing acute hospitals due to their mental health), acute hospital staff, and mental health specialists in the co-design and co-delivery of training, engagement, resources, and research.
Our approach to co-production provides a transformative opportunity to empower stakeholders and create a more inclusive and effective health system, as proven by the change that continues to be embedded across the NHS through the We Can Talk project.
Read more about our approach in the impact report
Are you in?
3 in 5 A&E staff have experienced high levels of burnout, stress and exhaustion (Royal College of Emergency Medicine, 2021). An overwhelming majority (89%) of hospital staff encounter children and young people in mental health crisis and 90% want more training (We Can Talk / Child Outcomes Research Consortium, 2019). With a staggering 300% rise in children and young people with mental health conditions arriving at emergency departments since 2010 (NHS Digital / The Independent, 2020), urgent action is needed.
We Can Talk has positively impacted mental health care for young people in hospitals. It has enhanced the quality of care, increased staff confidence, improved support systems, and altered perceptions of mental health. It has improved staff wellbeing and reduced sickness. Our community now includes tens of thousands of staff who regularly engage with the project in-person and online every month.
We Can Talk has already made substantial progress, currently present in two-thirds of hospitals with a Type 1 A&E. our vision is to achieve 100% coverage by 2027, moving beyond culture change and to establishing a new cultural standard.
Will you join us?