Knowledge exchanges

An opportunity for learning and

collaboration across Wales

Find out more and sign up to a series of knowledge exchanges taking place across Wales in March 2025.

What is a knowledge exchange?

A knowledge exchange is the process of sharing expertise, information, and insights between individuals, organisations, or communities to foster learning, collaboration, and innovation. It involves both the transfer and creation of knowledge, enabling people to gain new ideas, solutions, or perspectives that they can apply in their own contexts. They provide two-way learning, where hosts and visitors share innovations and challenges, and can act as real enablers to adaptive learning for everyone taking part.

A knowledge exchange visit is a structured, immersive experience where experts by occupation and experience share expertise, learn best practices, and build collaborative relationships.

There are benefits for both exchange visit hosts and participants. Hosts will gain new perspectives on their local innovations, from experts who can offer new ideas and alternative solutions. Participants will have the opportunity to refine their knowledge and enhance their learning of the event themes. The overall experience will enable long term partnerships and encourage a quality planning system.

Participating in knowledge exchanges

Each exchange is a two-way learning opportunity. Whilst hosts will be facilitating the visits and providing information about their current delivery models, participants are encouraged to be curious, engage in debates around effectiveness and outcomes, and really utilise the time away to reflect upon how the concept(s) may be implemented in their own area. Further guidance will be provided at the online orientation sessions taking place in advance of the visits.

Please do remember to be compassionate. All the hosts have worked extremely hard over a few short weeks to plan the knowledge exchanges on top of existing commitments. We truly hope that participants and hosts have equal benefit from these experiences. We are really looking forward to understanding the impact that the practise to knowledge that will be generated by your experiences, has for our Welsh mental health system.

In advance and following the visits, the theme leads will work with hosts and participants to consolidate the learning in preparation for workshops at the conference.

Participants are welcome to apply for any knowledge exchange. Knowledge exchanges are being held across different sites in Wales, and each will require a different time commitment. Before you apply, please ensure you have permission from your line manager to attend (if applicable) and can arrange your own travel/accommodation requirements. Experts by experience can reclaim their expenses from the NHS Wales Executive, please email NHSWE.SPMH@wales.nhs.uk for further details.

To be accepted for a knowledge exchange, you must also be able to attend/watch on playback a 1-hour orientation session for the theme on Microsoft Teams, and the 1-hour reflection session after the knowledge exchange. These sessions are vital in helping to prepare for the consolidation of learning that will be taken into the conference by your knowledge exchange hosts workshops. During your exchange you will also be required to work with your exchange host to develop a summary of the knowledge developed during local activities.

Applicants can select as many knowledge exchanges as they choose, but before applying, please bear in mind the additional time commitments. Some exchanges may also be happening on the same day. Places will be given on a first come first served basis, and exchange offers will close as soon as the spaces have been filled.

Implementation of a Recovery-based Mental Health System for Wales

Each host site will share their local experiences of implementing specific aspects of a recovery-based system approach, along one of three main themes:

Theme 1: Transforming the community mental health system including:
- Open access care
- Person-centred, recovery oriented, trauma informed practice
- Place based, connected community health services

Theme 2: Redefining the mental health workforce

Theme 3: The systematic implementation of PROMs/PREMs in mental health services to support and demonstrate person-centred care

The following information provides a brief description of the knowledge exchange and anticipated learning outcomes, as provided by each host.

Interested in taking part in a knowledge exchange?

Recognising the value for two-way learning, anyone can attend the knowledge exchanges. Experts by occupation and/or experience are encouraged to participate. This includes leaders across a variety of roles in mental health services, as well as people with lived experience.

Please book via the Eventbrite link on each knowledge exchange by no later than 26 February 2025. Please note, all exchanges are first come, first served, and once spaces have been filled, the knowledge exchange opportunity will close. Your host will contact you with more information about your knowledge exchange, including contacts, timings and venue/access information.

Theme 1: Transforming the community mental health system

The strategic challenges facing community mental health services in Wales are multi-faceted. Addressing these challenges requires the transformation of community services to create a more robust, person-centred, accessible, and sustainable mental health system that can meet the needs of all individuals across Wales in a timely manner. This has been identified as one of the key visions for Wales, outlined in the draft Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy (2025-2035).

There is growing international evidence to support a stepped care approach to mental health systems, that includes open access to mental health support; person centred, recovery orientated, trauma informed practise; and place based, connected community mental health systems. The following exchanges provide insights into each three of these pillars and provide participants with a deeper understanding of how these concepts can be implemented in our Welsh mental health system.

Pre-exchange orientation session: 10 March 2025, 14:00-15:00, Microsoft Teams
Post-exchange reflection session: 31 March 2025, 15:30-16:30, Microsoft Teams

Theme 2: Redefining the mental health workforce

Redefining the mental health workforce involves consideration of the skill mix of professionals, embracing emerging roles and the promotion of seamless working models. This is supported through strengthened workforce planning, adopting whole person approaches including new skills and training, new approaches to recruitment and retention and leadership development approaches that support compassionate care and wellbeing.

Theme 3: The systematic implementation of Patient Reported Outcome Measures, (PROMs) and Patient Reported Experience Measures (PREMs)

The forthcoming Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Wales has a commitment to embed routine outcome and experience measures into practice in all mental health services. Patient reported outcome and experience measures (PROMs and PREMs) can effectively be used to support person centred care, demonstrate the impact of services and interventions and ensure we focus work on what matters most to people.

There are three knowledge exchange opportunities, one in tertiary services, one in young person services and one that will be focussing on the specific use of ReQol. Each will facilitate conversations where we are able to learn and share experiences.

Pre-exchange orientation session: 3 March 2025, 15:00-16:00, Microsoft Teams
Post-exchange reflection session: 21 March 2025, 13:00-14:00, Microsoft Teams