A major difference was the role of the nurses on the two wards. On the second they largely stood back and observed, while on the first they made every effort to interact with patients and be part of their day-to-day lives.

Staffing levels played a role in this. With relatively few nurses caring for a large number of inpatients on the second ward, they did not have enough time to spend on each patient as an individual, despite them having a named nurse.

This made a huge difference to the experience of being hospitalised. During my first stay, the ward had a social atmosphere which made it a more pleasant place to be. In the other, it was far more austere and much less conducive to making positive therapeutic progress.

As someone with schizophrenia, talking makes a huge difference. It is only through talking that, as a mental health inpatient, you truly understand the caring ethic of the nurses. Conversation helps you to understand the nurses are there to look after you and are acting in your best interests.

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Interaction does not have to be more than a brief chat now and again, but can be meaningful for patients. This conversational and communicative style of nursing helped me to concentrate on my mental health. It also brought me and the other patients out of ourselves so we became more involved with each other’s therapeutic journeys.

Part of this is as simple as a chat with a nurse being able to lift my spirits when my mental illness was bringing me down. It also helped to take my focus away from the paranoid thoughts which are part of life with schizophrenia. The nurse’s voice can provide clarity when you are hearing things.

With a named nurse, you know you are being cared for individually, and the therapeutic relationship builds over time as the nurse gets to know you. They are your partner in confronting the illness, and a compassionate companion to talk to about the emotional suffering it causes.