KHPeople: Misha Gardner

Misha shares her experience leading a new service aiming to improve outcomes for people experiencing chronic pain in Lambeth.

What is your role within the KHP partnership?

I am an Assistant Project Manager working within the Mind & Body Programme as part of KHP. My role is to manage the Pain: Equality of Care and support in the community (PEACS) programme. PEACS is an exciting programme developed through experience based codesign work to support people from Black Communities living with chronic pain across primary care. The service was launched in September of 2022 and has been supporting vulnerable people using a bio-psycho-social approach, drawing on a range of expertise across primary care, clinical psychology and the voluntary and community sector.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

I think it's quite unusual to not dread going to work on a Monday! However since working as part of this team and working on a programme where we have created something rewarding and innovative, I have to say; I no longer hate Mondays and I truly enjoy what I do.

What inspired you to get into this work?

I've always worked in spaces where I can support the most vulnerable in society, and so I was pleasantly surprised to be taking on PEACS as soon as I joined the team. Seeing how far we've come, and the huge amount of work that we've managed to achieve over the last year continues to inspire me to want to make a positive impact on the communities we serve.

What are the benefits of working in partnership?

Working alongside people who have a diverse range of skills and knowledge.

What would be your career top tip?

There's always opportunities to learn something new, and nobody's perfect! So be open and believe in yourself, try to enjoy the chaos when it comes and most importantly; keep going.         

For more Information on the PEACS programme visit: Pain: Equality of Care and Support within the community (kingshealthpartners.org).

King’s Health Partners Mind & Body is committed to joining up mental and physical healthcare, training and research to improve health outcomes for our patients and service users.