30 October 2025

Last week, Fernando Monteiro, BBV Senior Peer Support Worker at the Bloomsbury Clinic, and Phidelma Moepi, HIV Peer Support Worker, had the opportunity to shadow Lived Experience Practitioner Oscar Patton-Lyons at the Riverside Mental Health Centre in Hillingdon.

They were warmly welcomed by Oscar and the Occupational Therapy (OT) team, joining a Baking Group where they supported and engaged with both service users and staff. Afterwards, Oscar gave a tour of the centre, showcasing the team’s commitment to delivering high-quality, person-centred care.

Fernando was particularly impressed by the Sensory Room, a calm and therapeutic space used by Oscar for one-to-one peer support sessions. “It was encouraging to see service users being so well supported,” Fernando said. “The Sensory Room really enhances the effectiveness of Oscar’s work.”

The visit highlighted the value of peer shadowing opportunities across CNWL. They allow lived experience staff to share knowledge, skills, and best practice, and to learn from one another in different settings.

“I came away with lots of ideas to apply in my own work,” Fernando added, “especially around offering peer support in more informal and creative ways that help build community and social connection.”

Reflecting on the experience, he said:

“Shadowing a colleague in a mental health setting reaffirmed the universality of peer support. Despite differences in diagnoses, we’re united in our ability to use lived experience to promote hope, self-determination, and recovery — both for ourselves and for those we support.”