Recordings from Henry Hawkins Lecture 2024

The event began with opening remarks from Dr Chris Flood, Professor in Healthcare Practice and Research from London South Bank University and Together’s Chief Executive, Linda Bryant.

The first speaker of the evening was Kate Jopling who drew on over 15 years of experience to address loneliness through change in public policy and practice, discussing the impact that disconnection and social isolation can have on mental wellbeing. Kate is a Policy and Strategy Consultant and Independent Loneliness Expert and highlighted the recent moves in the US and within the World Health Organization to recognise loneliness as a major threat to health and explored why the quantity and quality of our relationships significantly impacts mental and physical health.

Jacqui Dyer MBE was the second speaker of the night and took the audience on a journey to show why the voice of the community is so vital in the improvement and transformation of service delivery. Jacqui is Chair of the Advancing Mental Health Equalities Taskforce and the Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework Steering Group, NHS England and explored the importance of community in tackling inequalities in outcomes, experience and access to mental health services. She discussed the recently launched Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF), and why we must all be responsible for the success of this first ever anti-racism framework to amplify the voice of racialised and ethnically and culturally diverse communities.

The lecture concluded with Together’s Chair of the Board of Trustees Carol Cole providing closing remarks and our first ever Henry Hawkins Awards where we acknowledged the contributions of some members of staff and volunteers from around the organisation.