Testimonials

Paul Andrew - Family and Systemic Psychotherapist

I have recently returned from my working sabbatical with THC and am still in the process of reflecting upon this incredible journey of both
professional and personal learning. I was unsure what to expect in the weeks prior to our arrival in Cambodia. However what I have experienced
during our 2 week experience will stay with me for many years to come. I felt it has been one of the highlights in my career working in child and
adolescent mental health for many years and a real privilege to have joined a talented and enthusiastic team of fellow clinicians from the UK.
  My work with our Cambodian colleagues supporting their work with children and families affected by their mental health has given me further insight into my own practise. I found our Cambodian colleagues both open and curious to consider different approaches when working with child and adolescent mental health. Their enthusiasm to engage in systemic principles when working with families was particularly encouraging so as to support a more holistic approach to mental health for the benefit of all concerned. From my experience I feel I have not only contributed ideas, theory and
teaching in the field of mental health for our Battambong colleagues but have brought much home to help shape my own practise with children and
families in daily work within the NHS.



Nicole Hill   - Nurse Practitioner

Thank you so much Jan & Paul for inviting me back out and for all of your support before, during, and after the trip. As always, the trip was fantastic - a whirlwind of emotions, energy, and non-stop fun. Please send my thanks to the colleagues out in Cambodia for making us feel so welcome during our stay, the experience wouldn't have been the same without their hosting skills and taking us under their wing during the hospital tours and during teaching. The week was such a wonderful time and I'm very much looking forward to coming back out again.

John Randall

Refection and thoughts about my trip to Battambang 2022• My eyes were opened to a completely diferent culture, environment and health care system • The charity has a very simple but challenging strategy of supporting a delicate and impoverished health care system by raising awareness and educational support • Transform Healthcare Cambodia has provided me with an amazing reset moment and refection on my own career in the UK • Perhaps I should’ve done this 10 years ago before my own burnout set in!! • I will certainly now not worry about minor irritations with GP computer software systems in Lancashire, or the highlands of Scotland anymore! • The charity should not underestimate the transformative and inspirational impact it has on colleagues who are involved and then can transfer those benefts back to their own practice in the UK

Roka Community Clinic

 We visited the Roka community clinic about 20 km from the centre of Battambang, 30 minutes by tuk tuk

The bumpy road and ride, the tropical foliage around the entrance and environment really felt we were in rural and remote country.

We met an inspirational Doctor Samnang Eng, who is the lead clinician for this combined family, general practice and community treatment centre.

Dr Sam was a thoughtful, caring, insightful, and passionate Doctor who was both deeply embedded in his local community but could look out to national and international horizons on how he could improve the health outcomes of the community he served.

He understood the value of raising standards, education in its broadest sense, and the pivotal shift in the management of infectious diseases to noncommunicable long term diseases, such as diabetes,  hypertension and heart disease.

He took us on tour of the clinic, departments, facilities and we met members of his team.

It was a delight to see how engaged he was with all of his staff and the patients.

He frequently paused for a smile and conversation with his patients waiting to be seen or assessed and there was a clear sense of appreciation and mutual respect.

He was very proud of the latest building work, which included a new pharmacy, which included plans for a digital screen to give out information to patients while waiting for their medicines and prescriptions.

Learning from the challenges around Covid and infection control, thought had been given to facilities, clinical areas and corridors to make patient’s experience and flow through the hospital safe, effective and less likely to cause cross infection.

He was keen to explore ideas on better management of long term chronic diseases.

He clearly understood the value of better care, closer to the patient and the community.

With improvements in quality of primary care, this would lead to better outcomes and enable the regional Hospital and national hospitals to manage more complex and serious cases.

Many aspects of his thinking, brought reminders of my early days in general practice when there was a paradigm shift from acute disease management to complex primary care and long chronic disease management.

I was interested in access to medicines, particularly around hypertension. There were only two anti hypertension medications available.. atenolol and amlodipine. Dr Sam had no knowledge, for example of ACE inhibitors which could be useful in patients with combined illnesses of heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension. I promised him further information and help in this area.

During our discussions, it became apparent that the charity may well have much greater traction in providing educational resources, equipment, and learning to a community clinic setting than the complex hospital system at Battambang.

I reflected on my own learning as young GP in training. I had the privilege of seeing general practice change from an acute health care delivery system for family care to a shift of complex disease management in the community. I’m sure the charity can help in this with its organisational insight.

Dr Sam reminded me of some of the great GP leaders of the 1960s and 70s, e.g. Dr Tudor Hart, where from his practice in the mining villages of South Wales, he had the vision to transform the healthcare problems of impoverished communities, to a more system wide approach to better management and population health.

I would be very confident the charity could offer support and educational resources to help Dr Sam in Roka.

John Richmond

They are thirsty for knowledge and change. I think this is partly a desire to improve things and also the fact that the charity, THC, have been returning consistently for 10 years so that we had the advantage of a level of trust and recognition that there was no hidden agenda.

Alison McCracken

Big thanks to Jan, Paul & Edwin for all their support both before and during the trip. Was a really enjoyable week and felt that I learnt a lot.

Sivleap and the physios at the hospital have been really welcoming and helpful too without which the trip wouldn’t have worked.

The physio team seem really keen to have future THC therapy volunteers deliver training. They are a small team but seems there is the potential to deliver training which would be useful to them in practice.

Nicole Hill

I really enjoyed this week in Battambang and I’m definitely considering doing something like this again.

Alison McCloud

The staff were very friendly and welcoming

The Safety team

Following a very friendly welcome meeting with hospital staff at Battambang Hospital, the Patient Safety team,

Various from Nurses Visit 2019

“I am a different person, not just professionally but personally”

• “I value the simple things, things I took for granted previously”

• “I realise the importance of family engagement and how they should be involved with care”

• “What a wonderful institution our NHS is but we can learn from Cambodia”

• “My confidence, knowledge and understanding has been massively enhanced”

• “I will be a better leader and manager and have no fear about progressing in to year three”

• “This has been the most rewarding experience of my entire life. I would not have missed it for the world and would encourage every student nurse to apply and be part of it, it is life changing, literallylife changing”.

Jan Tynan

Reflected on my time here, Humbled by how much they manage to achieve with so little. Had pleasure of meeting new people. Made friends. Beginning to use more communication medians! Very happy memories

Sue Kendal

Felt privileged and humbled to work with Khmer colleagues and women and babies within such limited resources. They are so serene and happy people

reflected on the medicalisation of medicine in the U.K. The Khmer pregnant women do not have any expectations and are so grateful for the limited resources that they Birth in. The developed Countries and U.K. Residents do not realise how lucky and privileged they are at having an NHS free at the point of care