#SystemsChangers

Today I went to see a customer; he is funny and kind, he used to love walking and cycling, he can spell any word you ask him and he knows the city like the back of his hand. He is homeless and sleeping on a friend’s sofa. He has MS and a range of other physical health issues. He suffers with depression and has a history of drug use.

If I had a magic wand that could change the system there is so much that I would change for him. I’d conjure up a flat of his own where he had access to increasing levels of care and support as his MS declines; I’d give him the benefits he’s entitled to, without disruption, confusing phone calls and delays; I’d give him instant access to mental health services who understand the impact his physical needs have on his depression. I’d give him substance misuse support that would come to him when his mobility is too poor to make the journey to the service.

This magic wand stuff is achievable but sometimes getting there is frustrating. It’s frustrating because you know you need to pull in a range of specialists from different fields to provide the support. It’s frustrating because this takes time and energy and resilience.

But I’m here to tell you that there’s hope. Although you might not always have access to a specialist you do have access to an expert. Your customer. They are experts in their own lives and experiences and if you’re lucky enough to perform a role that lets you listen and get to know them they’ll teach you to be an expert to. 

So maybe you can’t diagnose someone with psychosis, or prescribe them medication or adapt their home to meet their needs; but you do know when someone is questioning your customer too hard, or when they’re telling the truth even when other people think they’re not, or how hospitals make them angry because they once lost a family member there, or how living in shared accommodation scares them or that they used to have a dog whose name was Chip.

You might not be a specialist in mental health or housing or but if you’ll be there to ask the right questions and stick with the customer until they get some answers you'll change the system for them. You might not be able to get a qualification in it, but your specialist subject is far more important: You’re an expert in Dave or Katie or Lou or Simon or Liam or Connor or Lara or Chloe or Stan or Lawrence or Ava or Alice or Richard or Andrew or Philip or Gill or......