An Everyone Story: Finding our way back to compassion, hope and humanity

‘It was a disaster from the word go,’ Barb Spriggs said when telling the story of her husband Bob’s admission to the Oakden Older Persons’ Mental Health Service in Adelaide. Barb had no idea that her story would launch a landmark inquiry, The Oakden Report, trigger a Royal Commission, and place her at the centre of a national scandal. Barb’s story also changed Duncan McKellar’s life, a psychiatrist in the review team delving into the circumstances surrounding Bob’s death. Duncan went on to lead a transformation in culture and care. An Everyone Story explores what we might learn from Barb’s story, from the stories of people who lived and worked at the Oakden Campus, and the reimagined services that followed it. It places these stories into context – of Duncan’s life and learning, of our health and social care systems, and our communities. It asks why cultures of care and service go wrong and what we might do to achieve a kinder and more compassionate world. Ultimately, An Everyone Story considers what it means to be human. — ISBN13: 9781923042179