Twelve years ago, Ruby Chott was running a successful business in Chigwell, Essex. When her daughter experienced a mental health crisis at university, Ruby started her own journey in mental healthcare and eventually her curiosity led her to peer support work.

“When my daughter became ill, I couldn't understand the ‘why’ it happened. I thought my daughter was so loved. You know, we did our very best, we've been the best of parents. So why? I think the ‘why’ never left me. And I wanted to understand.

“I gave up my job and became a full-time carer, and then started volunteering at Goodmayes hospital and I absolutely loved it. My heart, my compassion, just changed.

“It answered a lot of my questions going into it. It did a lot for me.

“Every patient in that hospital is there for a reason. They all have a story. Something has happened to them. And it's heartbreaking. And I think just to show compassion to them. You know, you don't need a qualification to show kindness. You don't need a qualification to show a bit of compassion.

“You can talk about yourself, your own experience. When I talk to people that are very angry sometimes I say, I understand, I've been there, I felt like that.”

From volunteering, Ruby moved on to become an involvement representative and then trained as a peer support worker. Peer support workers use their lived experience of mental health difficulties to support service users or carers.

“I'm just so passionate to see recovery in people. I want to show people compassion, show them love, show them that look, you can become resilient. You can become strong and you can heal.

“People can say to doctors and nurses often ‘you don't understand’ but they can’t say that to us. We've been there. We've walked that road and it's good for them to hear that. And if they can see how we are, how we can recover and come through and be a light for those that are in the darkness.

“I'm passionate about getting staff that work in mental health the training but also the self-care they need. Because these people are working in very high stressful jobs here, and when you are working with patients who might be unwell, you've got to look at yourself as well.”

Ruby now co-facilitates trauma informed care and risk formulation training at NELFT. Her dream is “to see peer support workers on the wards at Goodmayes hospital.”

Find out more about peer support work at NELFT Peer Support Workers | NELFT NHS Foundation Trust