Design, delivery and evaluation of teaching by service users and carers

Education influences individual health and social care professionals and the systems in which they work. We describe a postgraduate educational program that did this through involving service users and carers in designing and facilitating teaching programs. A module of teaching was designed and delivered in partnership with users and carers from older people's mental health services to a multidisciplinary student group. Its evaluation employed written feedback and separate focus groups involving students and service user/carer teachers. Both groups highlighted the profound effect of the teaching, and the involvement of users and carers was a powerful experience for all involved.