Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust has become the latest acute hospital to partner with We Can Talk to provide access to their one-hour, evidence-based e-learning designed to build the confidence and skills of all hospital staff to support patients in a mental health crisis.
The launch was marked by a live event in the hospital restaurant, where over 70 staff signed up to begin the training within just a few hours. The We Can Talk team were joined on-site by one of their Lived Experience Advisors, creating space for meaningful conversations with staff across clinical and non-clinical roles.
“We’re excited to raise the profile of mental health support in our acute Trust by introducing this new offer to all staff — recognising that everyone plays a role in shaping the mental health culture of an organisation.”
— Anthony Gartland, Head of Nursing – Mental Health, Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust
Pictured left to right: Ellen (Project Support Officer, We Can Talk), Anthony Garland (Head of Nursing – Mental Health, Royal Surrey), Stuart (Lived Experience Advisor, We Can Talk)
We Can Talk is made up of three short modules focused on communication, safety, and empowerment — core themes shaped in partnership with hospital staff, mental health experts and people with lived experience of attending hospital in a mental health crisis. Staff hear directly from patients, as real-life stories lead learners through reflective, practical scenarios.
“It was a full circle moment for me — this was the first opportunity I’ve had to be in a hospital talking to staff in person about how my experience of coming to hospital in crisis forms part of this training.”
— Stuart, Lived Experience Advisor, We Can Talk
As part of their rollout, Royal Surrey has added a listing for the training to their internal learning platform, MyLearning, making it easier for staff to find and access the course. We Can Talk uses a dedicated platform — not standard SCORM-based e-learning — which allows for a more dynamic, video-led experience and built-in data tools for tracking uptake and completions.
Stuart, Lived Experience Advisor, alongside Royal Surrey staff at the We Can Talk launch stand.
“This training is about more than raising awareness — it’s about giving staff a practical, human-centred way to build confidence and support better patient care. We’re proud to partner with Royal Surrey to embed that across the whole hospital.”
— Robin Barker, CEO & Founder, We Can Talk
By bringing the training directly into their internal learning ecosystem and taking early steps to engage staff in person, Royal Surrey has demonstrated a clear commitment to placing mental health on equal footing with physical care — and making sure that everyone, regardless of role, is supported to play their part.
To find out more about We Can Talk, visit wecantalk.com.
The Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH) NHS Trust celebrated its new partnership with We Can Talk through a series of in-person and online events during Mental Health Awareness Week.
We Can Talk is a one-hour mental health e-learning programme designed to build on hospital staff’s existing expertise — enabling all staff, students and volunteers to use their skills more effectively and enhance interactions with patients of all ages experiencing a mental health crisis. The programme has supported over 35,000 hospital staff since 2017.
Members of the We Can Talk team joined staff from PAH to engage colleagues in conversation and encourage sign-up to the e-learning.
“It was incredible to see so many staff and people passing through with an interest in mental health, and the amazing sign-up numbers for the We Can Talk e-learning.”
— Cassie Burke, Mental Health Liaison Nurse, The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust
Pictured left to right: Liv (Lived Experience Advisor), Cassie (Mental Health Liaison Nurse), Robin (CEO & Founder, We Can Talk)
“It was great to meet staff from so many roles who were interested in mental health. I had conversations with security staff, healthcare assistants, nurses, doctors, receptionists, and many more. Anyone you meet in a mental health crisis can make your experience a positive one, and I hope We Can Talk will show staff how.”
— Liv, Lived Experience Advisor, We Can Talk
Pictured (and in header): Celebrating launch day in style — staff signing up to We Can Talk and picking up cupcakes, tote bags and more.
In just a few short hours, over 150 staff registered to start the first of three 15–20 minute modules — each designed to build real-world skills around a core theme:
With the Trust previously sending some staff on Mental Health First Aid training, We Can Talk enables broader access — reaching all 5,000 staff, students and volunteers across the organisation — and introduces a programme specifically focused on the needs of acute hospital staff.
“We’re excited to support staff at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust to go beyond awareness and build their knowledge, confidence and practical skills to support patients attending hospital due to their mental health. We’re excited for this new partnership and to see the impact on patient care and staff experience.”
— Robin Barker, CEO and Founder, We Can Talk
To find out more — or explore bringing We Can Talk to your Trust — visit wecantalk.com.
Over the past four years, We Can Talk has supported acute hospitals across England through a national programme with NHS England—helping staff respond with confidence and compassion to people attending due to their mental health.
Now, thanks to detailed analysis from Dr Ilyas Sagar, Data Analyst at We Can Talk and Founder of I.Insights, we can show that the benefits are not only clinical, but economic.
A strong return on investment
Dr Sagar’s evaluation of We Can Talk’s national delivery shows that:
📈 Every £1 invested generated nearly £5 in cost savings between 2021 and 2024
These savings were driven by measurable reductions six months post training in:
• Security callouts (↓43%)
• Patients absconding (↓40%)
• Complaints (↓27%)
• Staff sick days (↓66%)
Each of these outcomes was statistically significant at the 0.05 level using a sample of 121 staff who completed We Can Talk training.
In addition, staff reported a 30% reduction in thoughts about leaving their role. While this figure was not statistically significant on its own, when viewed alongside the reduction in sick days—and the well-established link between absence and staff turnover—it strengthens the case for improved workplace stability.
Smarter, more sustainable care
Better mental health conversations reduce incidents, improve staff wellbeing and create safer environments for everyone. With over one million people attending hospital due to their mental health each year, this kind of shift matters—not just for individuals, but across the entire system.
What’s next: local partnerships, deeper insight
As We Can Talk moves from national delivery to local partnerships, we’re giving trusts more control and visibility over their impact.
All organisational subscriptions now include:
• An annual impact report, including ROI
• Learner compliance exports for internal reporting
• Support to track outcomes through your existing systems
This means trusts can verify results locally, understand what’s changing, and work collectively to shape future improvements.
Want to talk?
If you’d like to explore how We Can Talk could support your organisation, we’d love to hear from you.
Use the form below and select: “I want to connect with your team”
Robin Barker, CEO and founder, We Can Talk; Registered Nurse (Mental Health)
Over the last eight years, I’ve seen what’s possible when you bring hospital staff, mental health experts and people with lived experience together. That’s what We Can Talk has always been—co-designed, co-delivered, and grounded in the real world of acute care.
And yet, here we are.
Mental health—patients arriving in crisis—is still an issue of concern for every acute hospital trust in the country.
It’s on the agenda in every board meeting.
Every planning session.
Every huddle.
We hear the same things again and again:
More patients. More risk. More distress. More pressure on staff.
And still, we avoid saying the thing that everybody already knows.
Nobody wants to acknowledge the elephant in the room.
That despite all the conversations, despite all the references to mental health in minutes and strategies… many organisations still aren’t doing the one thing they could do today to support their staff.
They’re not investing in mental health education.
They’re not creating the conditions for staff to feel prepared.
An everyday part of the job
Acute hospital staff support the emotional and mental health needs of every single person who walks through the door—not just those arriving due to their mental health, but everyone.
And they’re doing it everywhere:
In waiting rooms. In corridors. In open bays.
They don’t shut the doors when systems break down.
They don’t hide behind referral forms or opening hours.
They meet people where they are.
And far too often, they’re doing it without the training or support they need.
There are one million people working in acute hospital settings.
Our goal is to train them all.
Because mental health isn’t a specialist subject.
It’s an everyday part of the job.
Staff are already leading
In the last four months alone, over 5,000 staff have completed more than 15,000 hours of online learning through our platform.
Not because their trust told them to.
But because staff on the frontline shared it, promoted it, encouraged their colleagues, and made time for it.
They took it seriously.
They prioritised it.
Often, they did it on their own time.
So the question is:
What are organisations going to do to meet that commitment?
How will they ensure every member of staff has the confidence to use the skills they already have to support someone in crisis?
Because when we speak to patients who’ve attended hospital due to their mental health, they tell us clearly:
Anyone—from the receptionist to the doctor to the cleaner—has the power to transform their experience.
To make them feel human.
To make them feel heard.
From national to local: it’s time to act
Last November, I announced our shift from a nationally available programme to one that is locally owned.
Not because I had a crystal ball on national policy.
But because we’ve always known: to create lasting change, this work has to live inside trusts.
This isn’t a nice-to-have.
Mental health training for acute hospital staff is now a requirement for the job.
It’s a reflection of the reality we’re working in.
We’re proud of what we achieved through national support.
But we didn’t build this to sit on a shelf.
We built it to last.
To be embedded.
To be part of everyday hospital life.
What comes next
From April, we’re introducing our new one-hour e-learning, suitable for all staff, supporting patients of all ages, with unlimited licences and priced for partnership—not for profit.
So if your trust tells you they can’t afford it—at a time when agency spend is climbing, sickness rates are up, and complaints are rising—it’s not a funding issue.
It’s a leadership issue.
Let me be clear: this isn’t about letting the system off the hook.
We absolutely need to apply pressure—on politicians, commissioners, and national bodies.
We need a system that doesn’t wait until crisis to act.
But while we fight for that, we can’t leave staff without support.
We Can Talk gives hospital staff the tools to face what’s happening right now.
It says: You’re not failing. The system is.
And here is something you can do to keep going—without burning out or backing away.
That’s why this work matters.
So here’s what I’ll leave you with:
If your trust talks about mental health in the boardroom but doesn’t provide training for staff—that’s the elephant in the room.
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.
Want to talk about how this could work in your trust?
You can email me directly at robin@wecantalk.com
Or use the form below and select: “I want to connect with your team.”
The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust has been an engaged and proactive partner in the We Can Talk programme from the early stages of our national roll-out. Now, as we move to locally led delivery, the trust has signed a new organisational subscription—ensuring that all staff have access to our one-hour e-learning.
Their story is a powerful example of what’s possible when training builds confidence, and confidence leads to innovation.
Practical change driven by frontline insight
A few years ago, the team at Princess Alexandra Hospital identified a critical issue: patients attending A&E in mental health crisis were waiting too long to be triaged. Longer waits meant increased distress, higher risk of escalation, and a growing number of absconsions. At one point, 15% of these presentations were linked to incident reports.
Cassie Burke, Mental Health Liaison Nurse at the trust, saw an opportunity to intervene.
“My aim was to improve registration, reduce anxiety, and lower the risk of escalation or absconsion.”
Working in partnership with We Can Talk Lived Experience Advisors, Cassie co-produced a rapid access card. It allowed patients to discreetly communicate their reason for attendance, so staff could offer an alternative waiting space and ensure triage happened more sensitively and efficiently.
What changed
After implementing the card, the results were clear:
• 66% improvement in triage wait times, with a 25-minute average reduction
• Zero reported incidents during the audit period
• Sustained improvement, with average triage times now consistently below 16 minutes
• Absconsion rate reduced to 0% during key phases of the project
Earlier evaluations showed similarly powerful outcomes—even as demand increased.
This is what happens when confident staff are supported to lead change, with co-designed tools that meet real-world needs.
Now scaling access trust-wide
As part of the move to local partnerships, the trust has signed an organisational subscription to We Can Talk, enabling access to our one-hour, self-directed e-learning across the workforce.
Designed for staff, students and volunteers working with patients of all ages, the training provides core knowledge and confidence—and with unlimited licences, the trust can now train all 5,000 staff.
This isn’t about creating mental health specialists. It’s about ensuring every member of staff has the tools to offer safe, compassionate care when someone is in crisis—and the confidence to act when it matters.
Want to explore how We Can Talk could support your organisation?
Use the form below and select: “I want to connect with your team.”
When Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust introduced We Can Talk training, it was part of a wider commitment to improving how staff support people attending hospital due to their mental health.
The result? A trust-wide boost in staff confidence—and a new innovation that’s gaining attention across the system.
Beth Duncalf, mental health and learning disability practice educator at the trust, used the We Can Talk platform as a foundation to co-design a tool that helps staff support patients in crisis in practical, compassionate ways. That project—the mental health toolbox—has now been presented at the European Academy of Paediatric Societies in Vienna and shared with trust leadership during quality rounds.
Turning knowledge into action
Since launching We Can Talk, nearly 300 staff across Alder Hey have completed the training, logging over 800 hours of learning. That investment in capability created the conditions for something more.
Beth led a quality improvement project alongside We Can Talk’s lived experience advisors—people who know what it’s like to attend hospital in crisis. Together, they developed a simple, structured resource that helps patients navigate difficult moments and helps staff respond with confidence.
The toolbox includes both a physical kit and a user-friendly booklet, built around four types of support:
• Physical – drawing, eating, games
• Calming – mindfulness, breathing, sensory ideas
• Distraction – films, music, writing prompts
• Letterbox – space to write to staff when talking feels too hard
Designed to be flexible, it supports both guided use and independent exploration—making it useful even when staff are stretched for time.
“Before the training, many staff avoided these conversations—not because they didn’t care, but because they didn’t feel confident. The toolbox gave them a way in. A starting point.” – Beth Duncalf
Leading by example
This is what We Can Talk is designed to do: give staff the confidence to use the skills they already have—and turn that confidence into action.
The training provided the shared language, practical tools and cultural shift. Beth and the team built on that to create something lasting—an example other trusts can learn from as they embed the programme more deeply.
Want to talk?
If you’d like to explore how We Can Talk could support your organisation, we’d love to hear from you.
Use the form below and select: “I want to connect with your team”
