By Sean Barnes

My name is Sean Barnes and I am a Public Advisor (PA) for ARC NWC and a member of the Public Advisor Communications sub-committee. I wanted to tell you a bit about my own lived experience and how it can help in organisations like ARC NWC.

I have served as an NHS Governor and Trustee for Lancashire Mind where I attracted £2000 for use in research on exercise facilities for psychiatric inpatients. I have been involved in co-production as a PA for ARC NWC as well as for the MRIC initiative – Mental Health Research Innovation Centre (University of Liverpool/Mersey Care NHS Trust) where I completed a research training package.

I have presented at conferences about my lived experience both in hospitals for three years and community services. I have a diagnosis of schizo-affective disorder which comes with psychoses, auditory and visual hallucinations and delusions of grandeur when acutely unwell. The medication/therapy from the NHS and Council as well as support from my friends and family keep me well.

Working with charity Choice Support – I was invited to Copenhagen and Strasbourg to present on lived experience at legal conference –such an honour – between 50 and 100 audience.

I want to share the growth in my own experience in ensuring that service users are involved and have a voice. That’s what motivates me. ARC NWC was a good opportunity to do this. For MR supported by ARC NWC, I received comprehensive training on how to understand the science behind research and have helped develop patient information leaflets – standing up for the subjects of research. Advisors in ARC NWC are compensated for the time and their travel. Helping outline health benefits of findings and dissemination is ongoing.

I viewed the RaCES systematic review for a piece of research I was interested in developing and used the evidence towards shaping a research proposal for Lancashire Mind – Exercise facilities for inpatients – I would like to see this considered as a subject for further research moving forward.

In CLAHRC NWC I worked on IAPT / stroke project and a conference in Liverpool where findings from my research internship, as part of a larger study, were disseminated.

I have worked with CQC and Royal College of Health facility inspections/reviews, such as at Ashworth Hospital in Maghull, and was impacted by the intensity of patients there. I have brought that experience to ARC and MRIC.

I do some patient educator roles with medical students about taking psychiatric histories and also enjoy that.

A special mention to Dodger the Beagle who has been a God send for me!

Why not visit the ARC NWC website for more information about the role of advisors?

Read more about Sean here.