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.
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