Last week I had the privilege of attending an open day about Open Dialogue with local services, NHS trusts across the country but also researchers from all over the world – testament to the fact that the story of open dialogue is a global one, a truly global movement.

Acutely aware of the growing need for real improvement of mental healthcare over recent decades, the World Health Organisation (WHO) spent years searching for examples of best practice around the world. And then they found Open Dialogue – now recognised by the WHO as a gold standard treatment for mental health conditions that puts the patient at the centre of their care. A human rights approach like no other.

Open Dialogue helps people experiencing mental illness achieve positive outcomes by fostering non-hierarchical trusting relationships between them, their family, their wider support network in the community they live in and their mental health team, while also promoting agency. 

It represents a deep culture shift – learning to be alongside someone in their distress rather than reflexively and automatically doing to people. Putting the relationship first and recognising that good care cannot exist without a good connection first.

And not just with those in need but with as many people in their network – who know and love them – as possible.

The results have been nothing short of phenomenal. In Finland – where this approach originated in the 1980s - they found that more than three quarters of those presenting with acute psychosis left services for good following their first episode, when treatment was organised that day. Now, that area in Finland has the lowest incidence of chronic psychosis in whole world.

Replicating this, or even part of it, within the NHS will truly be a game changer. What we have seen already is that it has meaningfully engaged, excited and enthused people using our services and clinicians alike wherever it has been implemented.

We, at NELFT, are very proud of having helped to pioneer this work and look forward to doing our part in building the Open Dialogue family of clinicians, peer support workers and users of service more broadly within our organisation and beyond.

The open day provided us with a real sense of what is possible and what the future might hold, if together we all make a concerted effort to move our system towards dialogical care.

A huge thanks to everyone who made this an inspirational day.

Firstly, Dr Russell Razzaque who has been leading on this work for years and his team, to our Dialogue First service and to the Devon Partnership Trust, Kent and Medway, and to Waltham Forest Peer Supported Open Dialogue service teams (POD) who shared valuable knowledge about their practice.

And to Claire Murdoch, who spoke both in her capacity as the CEO of the Central North West London Trust that offers this training to hundreds of practitioners and as the National Director for mental health at NHS England.

Most importantly, thank you to all of those who have been seeking mental health care and their families and carers who openly shared their moving stories with us.