On 26 March 2025, more than 150 healthcare leaders, frontline staff, and lived experience advisors came together for the Mental Health in Hospitals Leadership Summit, hosted by We Can Talk.
The summit marked an important turning point. After four years of delivering training nationally in partnership with NHS England, We Can Talk is now focused on supporting local systems to embed real, lasting change across hospital settings.
Why We’re Here
This event brought together people from across the system—acute hospital teams, mental health leaders, peer support workers and more—with a shared aim: to improve the experience of people attending hospital due to their mental health, and the staff who support them.
Opening the event, lived experience advisors Bhav and Hemlata welcomed attendees and set out the day’s core themes: Communication, Safety, and Empowerment. Each session explored these areas through lived experience reflections, hospital case studies, and open discussion.
Leadership at Every Level
Senior NHS leaders joined the conversation to reflect on the progress so far—and the work ahead.
Elaine Bowden from NHS England spoke about the importance of recognising acute hospital staff as a vital part of the mental health workforce, and how national leadership has helped open doors for training to reach trusts across the country.
Michelle Johnson MBE, National Clinical Executive Director at NHS Supply Chain, and We Can Talk Advisory Board Member, reflected on the role of senior leaders in driving culture change—reminding attendees that investing in training isn’t a sign of failure, but a sign of commitment. When trusts prioritise this work, it improves patient care, supports staff, and strengthens organisational culture.
Robin Barker: Calling for Change
Robin Barker, mental health nurse, CEO and founder of We Can Talk, delivered a sharp challenge to the system. He pointed out the uncomfortable truth that while mental health is regularly discussed in boardrooms, it’s still not being properly resourced in practice.
“We don’t need another working group. We don’t need another strategy. We need action. Because staff are ready. And patients can’t wait.”
Robin laid out the next step: from April, We Can Talk will launch a new one-hour e-learning module, designed for all hospital staff. It’s practical, affordable, and built to be part of everyday practice—not an optional extra.
🎥 Watch Robin’s full talk via LinkedIn
What’s Next
As We Can Talk shifts from a national programme to locally owned delivery, there’s an opportunity for trusts to take real ownership of this work.
Because this isn’t about pilot projects or one-off initiatives. It’s about changing culture. Supporting staff. And making sure that people attending hospital in mental health crisis receive the care, understanding, and respect they deserve.
Are you ready to move from conversation to commitment? We’re ready to work with you.
Use the form below and select: “I want to connect with your team.”
We Can Talk has launched a new organisational training model, offering NHS trusts unlimited access to one-hour, evidence-based mental health e-learning for hospital staff.
The move supports trusts to respond to the reality that every patient attending hospital has mental health needs—whether or not they arrive in crisis—and that all staff, clinical and non-clinical, have a role to play in providing compassionate, safe care.
Training that meets the scale of need
The training is designed to reflect the reality of modern hospital care: mental health is not a specialist issue—it’s part of every interaction.
We Can Talk’s one-hour, self-directed e-learning is co-delivered with people who have lived experience of attending hospital in crisis. It provides practical tools, language and confidence that staff can apply immediately in their own roles.
With a focus on communication, safety and empowerment, the content is suitable for anyone working in acute care settings—including students, volunteers and contracted staff.
Unlimited access, simple delivery
From 2025, trusts can access We Can Talk through a 12-month organisational subscription with unlimited licences across the workforce.
The training is:
• Delivered via secure web link
• Independent of NHS systems
• Exportable to internal learning records
This model allows trusts to train staff at scale—quickly and affordably.
Pricing
• £9,999 (incl. VAT) – for trusts with one Type 1 emergency department
• £19,999 (incl. VAT) – for trusts with more than one
Trusted by hospitals across the UK
More than 35,000 hospital staff have already completed We Can Talk training. On average, staff report being:
• 18 times more confident, and
• 30 times more knowledgeable
…when supporting patients attending due to their mental health.
Feedback from partner trusts shows measurable improvements in staff wellbeing, patient experience, and risk-related incidents.
Want something to share with your executive team?
Use the form below and select: “I’m looking for something to share with senior leaders.”
We’ll send you the Decision-Makers Briefing directly.
