Mutual help meeting

The ward is a social community and a powerful mechanism to help shape patients’ behaviour and progress them towards discharge.

The help and assistance patients give one another is highly valued by them. It also offers the giver the chance to make a meaningful contribution and the potential to increase their self esteem.

By supporting people to positively appreciate one another, contain their own emotional reactions and uphold behavioural expectations, then this intervention may equally contribute to reduced levels of conflict.

So, our mutual help meetings have an agenda with four items and that’s thanks, news, suggestions and requests and offers.

When you’re in hospital, you know, we help each other the most.

Patients help each other in their recovery because they’re there and they see each other being upset and they help each other there and these mutual help meetings are just another positive way for that.