My ambition is to make health and social care better - and this is how

My journey through mental ill health, rehabilitation and education has taught me how much difference the right support can make. It has also encouraged me to consider how I can use what I have learned to help others.

That is why I am developing Crawshaw Health, an initiative I hope will bring together free continuing professional development (CPD) resources, coaching and mentoring, and accessible public education about mental health and wellbeing.

I am currently developing a website to provide the foundation for this work. My next priority is to build a useful collection of educational content that supports professionals in their practice and helps members of the public access reliable information.

One of my main ambitions is to provide free CPD learning resources for health and social care professionals. Working in these sectors requires more than completing mandatory training. It also demands effective communication, empathy, reflective practice and a willingness to keep learning.

I want Crawshaw Health to cover person-centred care, positive behaviour support, staff motivation, leadership, professional communication, and mental health awareness. Planned resources could include educational articles, reflective exercises and practical guides that help professionals apply evidence-informed ideas in their everyday work.

I also want to explore how these resources could be developed in line with recognised professional standards, with opportunities to seek appropriate external review or CPD accreditation where feasible. Free access should not compromise quality.

Throughout my own journey, I have benefited from professionals who listened, offered encouragement and helped me recognise opportunities to develop. These experiences have reinforced my belief that effective support involves working collaboratively with people rather than simply telling them what to do.

Coaching can help individuals identify their strengths, work towards realistic goals and develop their own solutions. Mentoring offers opportunities to share experience, provide guidance and support professional growth.

I want to explore how Crawshaw Health could help professionals develop these skills through practical learning materials and, in time, partnerships with experienced practitioners. Any structured mentoring would need appropriate safeguarding, supervision and clear professional boundaries.

The third part of the initiative would focus on the wider public. Through blogging, I want to publish accessible, evidence-informed articles that explain mental health, challenge misconceptions and explore ways to promote wellbeing.

Having experienced serious mental ill health myself, I understand why greater public awareness matters. I want to cover supportive relationships, psychological needs, healthy habits, and the importance of seeking appropriate professional help. These articles would complement, rather than replace, clinical advice and treatment.

My ambition is to start locally, exploring opportunities to work with health and social care professionals, community organisations, and others who share these aims across Mansfield and Ashfield.

There is still work to do to turn Crawshaw Health into a sustainable non-profit initiative. Alongside developing the website and its content, I will need to research potential funding, establish the appropriate organisational structure and explore partnerships that could help the project grow. I would also welcome opportunities to learn from established organisations already working to improve professional development and public wellbeing.

I do not claim to have all the answers. I aim to create opportunities for people to learn from evidence, experience and one another.

My journey has shown me that people can develop in ways they might never have imagined when they receive encouragement and opportunities. I now want to put that belief into practice by making education more accessible, supporting better coaching and mentoring, and helping people understand mental health more effectively.

If we want better health and social care, we must invest in the people who deliver it and make knowledge accessible to those who need it. Developing the Crawshaw Health website is my first step toward turning that principle into a practical initiative for Mansfield and Ashfield, with the ambition to reach further in the future.