Service users and carers have a vast amount of expertise and experience which is a valuable but largely, under-utilised resource in training of mental health professionals. This teaching programme was aimed at junior psychiatric trainees and enabled users and carers to be actively involved in training.

We aimed to gauge the feasibility of integrating service user led training into routine curriculum by designing and implementing a pilot programme. The objectives were:

1. 1. To identify a group of service users and carers who were willing and able to participate in teaching.

2. 2. To design and implement a teaching programme which would provide an opportunity to the trainees to understand the perceptions of service users/carers and to improve clinical interview techniques.

3. 3. To obtain and provide feedback to the medical education committee about whether such a programme could be incorporated into routine training.

User and carer workshops were organised to mutually agree on the contents of the teaching programme. Formal and informal feedback was collected from both the trainers and trainees at various stages in the process.

The service users/carers were appreciative of the pilot programme and recommended that this programme should continue as it helps improve doctor-patient relationship. Most trainees felt that, along with improving their own communication skills, they now better understood the significance of empathy in a psychiatric consultation.

Detailed planning was crucial for deciding the course content, recruiting participants and ensuring the smooth running of the programme.