A guest blog and testimony from Soneika “Sunny” Atkinson, Mental Health Student Nurse at University of Essex and one of the #150Leaders. The blog aims to present Sunny’s experience and personal project to promote and develop good dental care for mental health patients in hospital settings. Soneika’s project has the support of the Student Education Facilitator for the Essex Partnership University.
I am Soneika, second-year mental health nursing student at the University of Essex. My mum nicknamed me Sunny.
Mental health, alongside all it entails, is very personal to me. I am from a culture that doesn’t acknowledge mental health challenges. This is the main reason I decided to build my life’s career around public health.
Mental health is a complex topic to discuss, and sometimes it is even hard to diagnose mental issues because, most times, mental health symptoms are not physical. It is a general tendency to believe there is nothing wrong with a person because they do not look ill. I wanted to work in healthcare, particularly with people suffering from mental health issues.
I am incredibly interested in the mental health aspect of public health. I intend to help others understand and overcome this issue that only a handful of people understand or see as relevant. Studying for a BSc in public health and health promotion gave me the essential skills to explore and further understand mental health.
I have worked in the primary care sector for over 15 years and have acquired a good understanding and a deep passion for the healthcare industry. I started working in the dental nursing field in 2005. So am ‘from dental to mental’.
I started my university education as a mature student with two young children. I was aware that it would be arduous. But I was surprised that I could use my time management and organisation skills from my career as a dental nurse to survive university life and being a mum. I also became the student voice, raising issues and concerns affecting students. My participation as a student’s voice greatly developed my leadership skills who would help me make a difference in dental health among mental health patients.
My Student Leadership Project: Dental Mental Wellness
Recently, I have been accepted on to the Student Leadership Programme (#150Leaders) who have given me the opportunity to attend several conferences and being coached by a healthcare sector leader. #150Leaders has allowed me to be more confident, leave the relationship with imposter syndrome behind, and further develop my leadership skills. I feel included when I am among my fellow students because I am able to share my views without being misunderstood.
The Programme has given me a platform to raise my voice further and advocate for positive change, which will help vulnerable people. I also created a student leadership project based on my experiences, with the help of my coach. While I was in placement, my dental nursing background helped me identify gaps in dental care for mental health patients receiving treatments in hospitals.
With this project I want to introduce:
- dental charting to mental health patients who receive mental health assessment or treatment in a hospital setting.
- dental screening among mental health patients to help the multidisciplinary team provide prompt solutions to save the patients’ oral health. Dental screening can also contribute to a more patient-centred approach depending on the patient’s oral health needs.
The rationale for this project is that many patients in the ward have oral problems due to mental illness. Mentally ill patients are often unable to effectively maintain oral care due to their poor oral hygiene and consumption of unhealthy foods. They, therefore, greatly need oral care under close supervision. Sometimes, these patients cannot express that they are having toothaches or other pain. Therefore, this project is crucial because it can provide prompt solutions to saving the oral health of mentally ill patients. The project will also contribute to a more patient-centred approach depending on the patient’s oral health needs. Most patients need oral health awareness in community settings and healthcare centres. Therefore, this project aims to create oral health awareness among patients in the hospital and community settings. The project will focus on a patient’s dental chart, which views the dental anatomy to check the condition of the teeth.
The project will identify if the patient is wearing a denture, has a bridge crown, has a decayed tooth, or has dental decay. Gum health is also crucial in oral health and shall also be addressed. Through different professionals in the health sector, the project will get access to patients’ dental records. Have they been treated for dental conditions? Have they encountered difficulties in chewing because of oral problems? If the record is unavailable, the patient should get a dentist appointment for a dental examination.
Currently, the project is in its initial stages. I am researching how the project can be funded and looking at the other vulnerable groups with dental care in their setting. My expectation for the future is that the project will have a great impact on the dental health of mentally ill patients. No recent research on the topic creates a gap that can be further examined. However, the project has the support of the Student Education Facilitator for the Essex Partnership University Trust. I also have three presentations at my university: a leadership conference, an advocacy and activism lecture, and a presentation with first-year students. So far, my university has acknowledged my project, and I plan to continue to work on it.
Soneika “Sunny” Atkinson, Mental Health Student Nurse at University of Essex and one of the #150Leaders