My name is Tony Rankin and I'm a PCPI here at the University of Sunderland. I've been a PCPI for
some four and a half years now, I've been involved in strategic meetings, interviews, OSCE's,
history taking, physical examination, case studies on myself. Prior to the 20th of September 2010,
I was a regional business development manager for a small company called Orange.
On the 20th of September 2010, I suffered a major breakdown.
In the following 10 years, without boring you all to death, I was diagnosed with type 2 rapid cycle
Bipolar with anxiety and a little bit of paranoia thrown in. I used various services within the NHS
to get me to about 70% of the person you see today, fantastic GP, clinical psychiatrist,
occupational therapy, a bit of CBT which worked brilliantly for me and then I was introduced to
Leslie Scott and the PCPI programme here at the University. Initially, I was very scared,
very anxious, didn't recognise what it was that I could bring and what I deserved to be here for.
I'd never been to University, I've never walked through a university campus, I'm now standing
here with a staff lanyard on, I have a sense of self-worth and value. I have been brought in,
I was socially isolated for many many years and now I am able to travel on my own albeit in a car
rather than public transport and what I can give to students has given me all of the things I've
mentioned about self-worth etc. I now know that we can bring an awful lot to the students. On
the mental health side, it's been invaluable to me and my wellness. I have a sense of purpose, I have
more confidence and my well-being has increased exponentially. If I can give one little nugget
to a student that I'm with, of how to interact and how to help somebody with mental health illness,
in a 20 minute or an hour consultation, then I am buzzing, I am absolutely buzzing.
To bring people in from a society that feel, not rejected but alienated, the programme allows,
particularly where I come from with mental health, it allows us to help the students put what they're
learning into practice and how to deal with somebody with mental health issues. We're all
different but it's how to impart that knowledge, how to get the confidence of the patient and how
to get the information out the patient in order to give them the best outcome. But this really raises
my game, it gives me something to look forward to, I get a buzz from it, it's just absolutely
fantastic, the students come up afterwards about telling our story, how it's helped them relate
to real patients once they get out into practice. We want them to be the clinicians
that are better than some of the ones we saw in our journeys. I'd like to credit my GP Dr Heath,
Dr Aaron Guptas, a clinical psychiatrist, my occupational therapist who is absolutely superb
and Leslie Scott. This programme is absolutely fantastic. I cannot speak highly enough of this,
particularly where I sit with mental health. I have good days and bad days as we all do. I have
a wellness recovery plan, I have a wellness plan and a major part of my wellness plan
is being able to do the work on this programme. I can't speak highly enough of it.