16 May 2022

On Tuesday 3 May, Dialog+ launched across all CNWL London boroughs and Milton Keynes with step-by-step implementation across all adult community mental health services.

What is DIALOG+?

The DIALOG+ approach enables patients to have supportive and meaningful conversations with healthcare professionals about the aspects of their lives that are most important to them such as family, relationships, employment, leisure activities and accommodation, in addition to their mental and physical health.

The idea behind DIALOG+ is that all patients within adult community mental health services will have a named worker and a co-produced care plan so there is consistency and improved quality of care. It is ultimately a person-centred approach that seeks to be clear about the help and support available to each patient.

DIALOG+ also helps track the progress of a patient’s recovery and their satisfaction with the help they receive. For a more detailed summary of Dialog+, please follow this link.

Where are we now?

‘Train the Trainer’ events were held throughout April to help guide staff through the approach. Recordings of these sessions are now available so all CNWL staff can view and get to know the new model.

Christopher Whiteley, CNWL Chief Psychologist, said: “The launch of DIALOG+ in our adult community mental health services is a huge milestone in the transformation of our services helping staff, patients and the people important to them work together on the things that really matter to patients.”

Katherine Nagib, an expert-by-experience who has supported with the training, said: “life balance is important to everyone, especially when we start getting back to life after times of being unwell. Talking and working on what matters most to me can only be a good thing. Change begins with a vision and then action shall manifest that vision. We can then restart, reclaim and reroute our path to a healthy picture of a new life or press the restart button and build on our life experience so far. Small steps lead to bigger changes and as we take action, with support from Dialog+, we can see the landscape change and feel so much better within ourselves and out in the world.”

Conversations are now ongoing for Dialog+ to be implemented more widely across the Trust in the future.