I am sat starting to write this blog on Christmas Day evening, nothing has been wrong with today I have had a very good day but as I have written in previous blogs I am a carer for my wife. She is now tucked up in bed. Her Psoriasis has progressed and psoriatic arthritis is causing us more problems. As we start to understand more about her condition there is a clear link between infections, treatment cycles and fatigue. Not fatigue in the sense of being a little tired but fatigue in a medical sense where despite being tired and even when sleeping, her quality of sleep limits the benefits.
This is not a poor me blog, but I hope that by writing this I may help someone else. I am hoping that perhaps this will be uncomfortable reading and if I have written it correctly then for some people it will make them angry. Anger is a misused emotion it is the calling card that change need to happen and the only thing we can change for certain is our response to situations and feelings.
Taking a leaf from Dame Esther Rantzen perhaps some of this is therapy, although I will not be writing this for the same journalistic institution she uses.
I am going to start with the Robins Williams quote:
"I think the saddest people always try their hardest to make people happy because they know what it is like to feel absolutely worthless and they don't want anyone else to feel like that"
The blog was going to be about are we really looking after our colleagues in the work place, but recent experiences have taught me that perhaps we need to look deeper to our own actions.
Let us get this started in a work environment.
As adults we spend a large proportion of our time at work with our colleagues and yet do we actually get to know them or do we simply co-exist? Office dynamics will always change this but being on secondment has opened up my world to working with an amazing group of people. Perhaps prior to this secondment, I was a round peg in a square hole. I sit in the very lucky position that I hope I can say that every day I go to work, I go to work with friends. We all have our own roles and responsibilities but nevertheless there is a commonality that is the foundation for friendship.
For many years the way in which people communicated and lived their life means it is easy for people to come in do their job and go home and there will always be those in life who choose to do that. There will in equal measure be those who bounce around the office. But for many we will never be privileged to know what is really going on outside the walls of work, yet no matter how hard we try what happens outside will undoubtedly have an impact inside work. There are those who can use work as an escape but even so what is happening on the outside has an impact despite the choices we make.
We now have the pseudo world of Social Media; many people sadly abuse social media either by making their lives seem amazing or by thinking that it is a space where you can say anything you want with no consequence. If only people would use it properly it could be such a tool for good, a place to keep in touch with friends and a way of maintaining links over long distances with more people. Having just sent and received Christmas messages, social media allows the same conversation to go on not only once a year in a letter of biblical length but on a more intimate day to day basis.
The internet is a complete minefield which could be described in the language of a topical politician as 'fake news'. Information can always be readily defend our knowledge of half truths where as real facts taken time, research and understanding. It taints our views and societies expectations.
I hope this will not upset the people involved but I recently went to the aid of someone who tried to commit suicide, let me make one thing very clear there are some who call these cries for help, something that can be ignored, simply look at the term a cry for HELP. At a moment in someone's life they see they only way forward in the world as being to stop existing in it. What society have we created that these kind of actions can be unresolved and and those cries unanswered. It is very easy to say we are not equipped to to deal with it, there is a health service there that will pick up the pieces. I am too busy and have my own problems. The one thing I know is the feeling of sheer inadequacy I had when I was sat with them, no words would make things 'better' nothing I could do would be a miracle cure, but at the same time I was the one who had been reached out to and the only thing to do was my best.
In my own personal battle I know the value of that one person at that time of crisis. Let's face it choose whatever words you want but at that moment in time when someone is having a crisis their mind is controlling them and rationality has left. Sometimes all we can do is to be there and try and stop any more harm. The fix is down to medical professionals, the treatments they have available and the patient to be in a place where they feel safe enough to change.
One of the things patients are taught as they recover from that feeling of worthlessness is to put things in place to combat and prevent thoughts from taking hold. This is where society and the work place comes in, it is hard for people to say I need this for my mental health, because there is so much stigma attached to the mere statement. If someone had cancer then everyone rallies round and gives them support, perhaps it is because there is something physical, something we can attempt to understand. But with mental health the tablets are only part of a picture, the get a grip campaign may want to stop reading now, humans are by their very nature a communal animal, a large part of what is hard wired in to us is about being together as a pack. A pack exists with structure and responsibility but the key thing of any successful pack is the ability to look after the pack.
Somehow we seem to have lost all sight of this what we say and what we do are at opposite ends of the spectrum. From bitter painful experience I have found we are in general becoming worse at this, in an enlightened age when medicine and understanding of health in all forms is at an all time high we only pick off the bits that suit us. Worse still we are not equipping ourselves and others for what happens when simply life gets in the way of intentions and we need to make amends.
Our work places are now built around the high flyers, graduate schemes, fast track schemes, talent spotting. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the world treated everybody as being that special. No doubt I have written this before but when I started in the NHS I was taken around Addenbrooke's Hospital by the lead nurse in Surgery. I met all kinds of people during the day from Medical and Surgical Consultants, to nursing and ancillary staff. From managers to people working in Estates. At the end of the afternoon I was asked who was the most important person I had met. Not wanting to shoot myself in the foot I gave an answer that waffled through the options. However, the answer has stuck with me heading towards half a career later. It was the man who kept the boilers running as without him no-one else could come to work and we would not be able to treat any patients. Their background role seen by society as insignificant has a huge impact on enabling everybody else to do their job. Yet where is attention largely focused, the high flyers, people simply disappear in to the back ground a great place to work needs to be a great place for everyone.
What can we do about this in the work place and in life. Let us start with the work place, it costs nothing to ask people how they are but do so with the openness to spend the time listening to the answer. Keep an eye out for someone who has suddenly gone quiet talk gently and with open questions that may allow them if they choose to reveal what is going on. Understand that the person who spends time helping an listening to others and telling them how great they are with sincerity is probably some one who knows what it feels like to face that challenge. In all honesty I know that feeling of worthlessness all to well, it is a familiar overcoat or blanket that no matter what I do, will always be part of my make-up. Yet recently I received an award at work for doing what comes naturally, ensure that people never feel alone and are supported. What was amazing was the message that was received and the warmth that comes from the comments. The award was only internal to the organisation, but the recognition from someone else meant so much. Therefore does your work place have a way of rewarding staff for doing those minor things that are out of the norm and make the work place a better place to be.
The work place is one thing but a lot of what we need to change is the society we live in. If you think that changing society is beyond us. We are all a part of society and change always comes from a small group of determined people, so in Barack Obama's words we are the ones we have been waiting for.
It is nothing drastic that I am calling for, no mass of diving on our swords; the changes are so subtle but could revolutionise society and the work place. Here are eight simple steps we can all take.
1) Simply listen to the challenges that other have coming up and then send them good luck messages before and congratulations afterwards. It always lets people to know that they are not on their own and that the pack is there with them.
2) Congratulate people whole celebrate their success but remember to share your own successes and ask others to join you in celebrating success in general.
3) If you offer to help someone or to be there, then do it and as all plans will occasionally fail be prepared to pick up the reigns of re-organising it.
4) Be more tolerant, if everyone was your kind of person then the world would be a better place.
5) Never give in to hate, one of the most important things I learnt in life from my Grandfather was a simple saying: "You are too young to hate; and when you are old enough to hate you will realise that it isn't worth it"
6) Think what message you are actually sending and more importantly how will it be received. The words we use and the actions that surround them are so important.
7) Learn to make amends, we will get things wrong no matter what we aim for but when we do, try to make it a goal to make amends.
8) Start admitting that no-one is perfect and comprehend that we need to live and work on our faults.
9) Remember to tell everyone you are close to how amazing they are and how much they mean.
Why should we do this well as I have felt recently and the motivation for this blog is best described by the words of Robin Williams again.
"I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up alone. It's not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel all alone."
In short let us rediscover our pack mentality, support each other, recognise our own talents and stand in amazement at the talents of others.
Tuesday, 26 December 2017
Sunday, 18 September 2016
Chasing Heros
This blog has taken a long time to write as time and thoughts have required refinement. It was started a week after the world sadly lost Dr Kate Grainger, she was the founder of the #hellomynameis campaign. During her cancer treatment she realised that medical colleagues were not introducing themselves to patients. Whilst here at Leeds Teaching Hospitals she launched the campaign which was open not only to medical personnel but to all members of the hospital.
The Trust is now a wash with #hellomynameis badges. The badge is more than a piece of uniform, it is an optional extra for staff to identify who they are to patients and to remind them to introduce themselves to patients.
To get a badge members of staff have signed up to:
• Always introduce yourself to patients and visitors
• Treat them as you would a member of your own family or friends
• Always see the person behind the condition
• Treat people with respect and dignity.
In February this year I had the opportunity to meet Dr Kate at a 'Circus' themed cake stall she was involved in running. I remember her warm smile and caring persona that sprang from her. It was an honour to be able to help her in her fundraising efforts.
Her death and the wonderful tributes paid to her all of which were richly deserved has got me thinking about what is a real hero.
We live in the age of celebrity and personal fame. There is media hype and obsession with the lives of people like our sports stars. I know for many their hopes and dreams rest on the shoulders of a few. The nation pins its hopes and dreams on a football team, a rugby team, a cricket team or during the Olympics an individual in their chosen favourite events. We also see them rewarded nationally by the establishment if they are successful in doing what they have trained for and received income for to allow them to dedicate their lives to.
Are these true heroes or are they icons, people who are the pinnacle of achievement. It is a fine line. To help me manage stress and to keep things in perspective I often reflect on things some times it is clear process at looking back on a particular action and sometimes is it looking back over a theme. Those reading this will know that I have no sporting heroes there are people I may admire, people who are icons but very few heroes.
There are also those who a thrust in stardom by being on Television, this fame is often sought by many who want to be seen as having made it in something. But is this correct should people be allowed to force themselves on the nation.
What do I mean by a hero?
The dictionary definition of a hero according to the Collins Dictionary 1) the principal male character in a novel or play, 2) a man of exceptional courage, nobility 3) a man who is idealised for having superior qualities in any field.
If we look at the last two definitions perhaps heroes are closer to us than we imagine.
Heroes in the work place
I have many potential heroes in the workplace. They are the people who have made things better, the manager who supported me by allowing me to become a Future-Focused Finance Value Maker and in so doing opened a door of opportunity. From him I have learnt that understanding the person behind the colleague is as important. Also a manager who does not stand in the way of his staff undertaking secondments that will be of more benefit to the individual than to the department has certain heroic qualities.
There are the colleagues who are gifted at their jobs. They set a shining example of talent in a particular area and many including myself marvel at their abilities.
One particular hero of mine is the Director of Finance who put faith in me and mentored me to develop acted as an inspiration and spurred me on increasing my confidence whilst tempering the sharp edges.
The speakers we meet and the people we network with those we look up to, it is interesting to hear Roy Lilly's comments at a NHS Leadership Academy event describing the people who lead our NHS Trust not simply as leaders but as heroes due to the burden and responsibility they carry for the limited reward and thanks they receive.
That is not to forget those managers who have confidence in us and allow us to spread our wings and try to soar. How do they do this? they spot talent and nurture it, they round the sharp edges and their enthusiasm for developing people becomes infectious..
However, we must never forget that there are other around us especially in Healthcare that really must be classed as heroes. Recently I had the privilege of spending some time with a Ward Housekeeper recently looking at how food was served to our patients and how the ordering process worked. At the end of two meal services I saw the care she look over ordering and distributing meals and the way she put the patients at the centre of what she was doing. It reminded me that often the people doing the work at the grass roots level are over looked in Healthcare for the massive difference they make to the organisation and how they are over looked by so many for doing those jobs that keep organisations running.
In life outside work
As a sufferer of depression there are many people to whom I am grateful those people who are at the end of the phone to go for a pint or who open their homes up for you to sit on their sofa and unwind and de-stress.
I am aware that I am here to write this blog because of two people. The first is a friend who when the worst day of depression came spent time with me on the phone and stopped me doing something very stupid. He had no idea of the plans that ran through my mind that night, but a phone call as promised by him later means that you are reading this. This is the same person who is talented in so many ways, but gave me the greatest gift, a future. In my personal life he is a true hero.
The other person that I owe a huge amount to is my nephew and Godson, when things were black his love made such a difference, he may never understand the scale of what he does on a day to day basis. But I am increasing aware he is a hero, he faces his own challenges and some challenges I am blessed to share with him. But as I learn to search increasingly for the best in people I see how amazing he and my niece are. They will do far greater things in life than I can ever hope to achieve, but to be their Uncle is an amazing reward and the joy they have brought in to my life and the way I am absorbed in to theirs makes them heroes.
These are very personal heroes but if I consider those who people who cross our lives and can inspire us, the friends that give us the brutal truth, sometimes we may not wish to hear it but at times we need to hear and understand the truth as others see it. people who are willing to be so honest can be heroes, because the protect us from ourselves.
Heroes by skill
There is a children's book called Badger's parting gift. It is written to help children cope with grief but in the story it focuses on those skills that people teach us as an amazing gift to cling to. We all have that one teacher who we look up to, mine is surprisingly a sports teacher who made sport at high school a subject to be enjoyed and as the archetypal 'whimpy kid' that is an amazing achievement. What heroic quality did he display, he saw me as an individual and supported me he helped me find options that I enjoyed and somehow helped me avoid the sports I was no good at. He celebrated my achievements and did not care that I would never be on the school sports team.
As I type this blog I am reminded of the communication skills that a friend demonstrated when we were together with someone who had a mental health crisis. Seeing her work what I can only describe as communication magic meant that when I have dealt with similar situations I have had the confidence to make a difference when the time came. I know that the skills that she demonstrated are ones she has learnt and refined over time; however, I am still in awe of what she does and I am blessed that she and her family are friends.
The final kind of hero I want to talk about are those who have excelled in their chosen professions, many of whom have made massive difference to the world. Some have the creative ingenuity that provides a system or product that will go on to change thousands of lives and some their presence at a time of crisis makes the difference. Many of these people also give their times and skills to others for charity or because simply they can, the reward they seek is someone to say thank you.
Finding our own heroes
So what does this mean for us at work and in life, the world is full of amazing people, if we find their skills and strengths and allow them to fly not only in the work environment but as part of society it can make a life changing differences to the world.
We all have the capability to be a hero to someone and there will be times that we will all fulfil that role for someone. We can spend our lives looking for a hero but very often they will be sat next to us in the office, across the table in the pub.
They are at the end of a phone, an e-mail or round the corner. By searching for these people in our lives we can perhaps all make some of the changes to society that Kate Granger did and through this mutual recognition we will enrich our society and our work places.
The Trust is now a wash with #hellomynameis badges. The badge is more than a piece of uniform, it is an optional extra for staff to identify who they are to patients and to remind them to introduce themselves to patients.
To get a badge members of staff have signed up to:
• Always introduce yourself to patients and visitors
• Treat them as you would a member of your own family or friends
• Always see the person behind the condition
• Treat people with respect and dignity.
In February this year I had the opportunity to meet Dr Kate at a 'Circus' themed cake stall she was involved in running. I remember her warm smile and caring persona that sprang from her. It was an honour to be able to help her in her fundraising efforts.
Her death and the wonderful tributes paid to her all of which were richly deserved has got me thinking about what is a real hero.
We live in the age of celebrity and personal fame. There is media hype and obsession with the lives of people like our sports stars. I know for many their hopes and dreams rest on the shoulders of a few. The nation pins its hopes and dreams on a football team, a rugby team, a cricket team or during the Olympics an individual in their chosen favourite events. We also see them rewarded nationally by the establishment if they are successful in doing what they have trained for and received income for to allow them to dedicate their lives to.
Are these true heroes or are they icons, people who are the pinnacle of achievement. It is a fine line. To help me manage stress and to keep things in perspective I often reflect on things some times it is clear process at looking back on a particular action and sometimes is it looking back over a theme. Those reading this will know that I have no sporting heroes there are people I may admire, people who are icons but very few heroes.
There are also those who a thrust in stardom by being on Television, this fame is often sought by many who want to be seen as having made it in something. But is this correct should people be allowed to force themselves on the nation.
What do I mean by a hero?
The dictionary definition of a hero according to the Collins Dictionary 1) the principal male character in a novel or play, 2) a man of exceptional courage, nobility 3) a man who is idealised for having superior qualities in any field.
If we look at the last two definitions perhaps heroes are closer to us than we imagine.
Heroes in the work place
I have many potential heroes in the workplace. They are the people who have made things better, the manager who supported me by allowing me to become a Future-Focused Finance Value Maker and in so doing opened a door of opportunity. From him I have learnt that understanding the person behind the colleague is as important. Also a manager who does not stand in the way of his staff undertaking secondments that will be of more benefit to the individual than to the department has certain heroic qualities.
There are the colleagues who are gifted at their jobs. They set a shining example of talent in a particular area and many including myself marvel at their abilities.
One particular hero of mine is the Director of Finance who put faith in me and mentored me to develop acted as an inspiration and spurred me on increasing my confidence whilst tempering the sharp edges.
The speakers we meet and the people we network with those we look up to, it is interesting to hear Roy Lilly's comments at a NHS Leadership Academy event describing the people who lead our NHS Trust not simply as leaders but as heroes due to the burden and responsibility they carry for the limited reward and thanks they receive.
That is not to forget those managers who have confidence in us and allow us to spread our wings and try to soar. How do they do this? they spot talent and nurture it, they round the sharp edges and their enthusiasm for developing people becomes infectious..
However, we must never forget that there are other around us especially in Healthcare that really must be classed as heroes. Recently I had the privilege of spending some time with a Ward Housekeeper recently looking at how food was served to our patients and how the ordering process worked. At the end of two meal services I saw the care she look over ordering and distributing meals and the way she put the patients at the centre of what she was doing. It reminded me that often the people doing the work at the grass roots level are over looked in Healthcare for the massive difference they make to the organisation and how they are over looked by so many for doing those jobs that keep organisations running.
In life outside work
As a sufferer of depression there are many people to whom I am grateful those people who are at the end of the phone to go for a pint or who open their homes up for you to sit on their sofa and unwind and de-stress.
I am aware that I am here to write this blog because of two people. The first is a friend who when the worst day of depression came spent time with me on the phone and stopped me doing something very stupid. He had no idea of the plans that ran through my mind that night, but a phone call as promised by him later means that you are reading this. This is the same person who is talented in so many ways, but gave me the greatest gift, a future. In my personal life he is a true hero.
The other person that I owe a huge amount to is my nephew and Godson, when things were black his love made such a difference, he may never understand the scale of what he does on a day to day basis. But I am increasing aware he is a hero, he faces his own challenges and some challenges I am blessed to share with him. But as I learn to search increasingly for the best in people I see how amazing he and my niece are. They will do far greater things in life than I can ever hope to achieve, but to be their Uncle is an amazing reward and the joy they have brought in to my life and the way I am absorbed in to theirs makes them heroes.
These are very personal heroes but if I consider those who people who cross our lives and can inspire us, the friends that give us the brutal truth, sometimes we may not wish to hear it but at times we need to hear and understand the truth as others see it. people who are willing to be so honest can be heroes, because the protect us from ourselves.
Heroes by skill
There is a children's book called Badger's parting gift. It is written to help children cope with grief but in the story it focuses on those skills that people teach us as an amazing gift to cling to. We all have that one teacher who we look up to, mine is surprisingly a sports teacher who made sport at high school a subject to be enjoyed and as the archetypal 'whimpy kid' that is an amazing achievement. What heroic quality did he display, he saw me as an individual and supported me he helped me find options that I enjoyed and somehow helped me avoid the sports I was no good at. He celebrated my achievements and did not care that I would never be on the school sports team.
As I type this blog I am reminded of the communication skills that a friend demonstrated when we were together with someone who had a mental health crisis. Seeing her work what I can only describe as communication magic meant that when I have dealt with similar situations I have had the confidence to make a difference when the time came. I know that the skills that she demonstrated are ones she has learnt and refined over time; however, I am still in awe of what she does and I am blessed that she and her family are friends.
The final kind of hero I want to talk about are those who have excelled in their chosen professions, many of whom have made massive difference to the world. Some have the creative ingenuity that provides a system or product that will go on to change thousands of lives and some their presence at a time of crisis makes the difference. Many of these people also give their times and skills to others for charity or because simply they can, the reward they seek is someone to say thank you.
Finding our own heroes
So what does this mean for us at work and in life, the world is full of amazing people, if we find their skills and strengths and allow them to fly not only in the work environment but as part of society it can make a life changing differences to the world.
We all have the capability to be a hero to someone and there will be times that we will all fulfil that role for someone. We can spend our lives looking for a hero but very often they will be sat next to us in the office, across the table in the pub.
They are at the end of a phone, an e-mail or round the corner. By searching for these people in our lives we can perhaps all make some of the changes to society that Kate Granger did and through this mutual recognition we will enrich our society and our work places.
Monday, 27 June 2016
Words of Desmond Tutu from No Future without Forgiveness
One book that I have constantly on my desk at home is "You have breath for no more that 99 words. What would they be?" This is a collection of thoughts from inspirational people around the world. Someone I have always admired is Archbishop Desmond Tutu, I am glad that the following words from him are in the book. These are words to look up to, words to aim for and words that if understood can have an amazing effect on our lives.
So here are 97 words from the Archbishop.
"Ubuntu is very difficult to render into a Western language. It speaks of the very essence of being human. When we want to give high praise to someone we say, "Yu, u nobuntu",; "Hey, he or she has Ubuntu." This means they are generous, hospitable, friendly, caring and compassionate. They share what they have. It also means my humanity is caught up, is inextricably bound up, in theirs. We belong in a bundle of life... It is not 'I think therefore I am'. It says rather: 'I am human because I belong.' I participate, I share."
So here are 97 words from the Archbishop.
"Ubuntu is very difficult to render into a Western language. It speaks of the very essence of being human. When we want to give high praise to someone we say, "Yu, u nobuntu",; "Hey, he or she has Ubuntu." This means they are generous, hospitable, friendly, caring and compassionate. They share what they have. It also means my humanity is caught up, is inextricably bound up, in theirs. We belong in a bundle of life... It is not 'I think therefore I am'. It says rather: 'I am human because I belong.' I participate, I share."
Thursday, 23 June 2016
Patient Centred Finance Staff
The main aim of the NHS is to provide patient-centred care, we acknowledge the work of the clinicians, nurses, pharmacists and allied health professionals but do we ever truly recognise the vocation of those who provide our support services.
I have recently moved into a new secondment and am back on the operational end of work. Admittedly not with patients directly but working alongside frontline staff to provide those services. This has meant that I have spent more time out and about in the organisation.
Two incidents yesterday underlined how much of an impact those of us who provide support services can have.
Walking down the corridor I so an elderly gentlemen looking confused, naturally I asked if I could help, he said he lost his wife and couldn't find her. He was clearly worried, he had dropped his wife off in her wheel chair in the reception area and by the time he had returned from parking the car she had disappeared.
He knew a doctors name but had no idea where he needed to go for his wife's appointment as she had the letter. I am now presented with two options, direct him to someone who could advise or to stay with him until the mystery of where his wife was reached its conclusion. Remembering that one of the five values of our organisation is Patient Centred I took the gentleman on to a nearby ward to work out where we might find the doctor.
The Ward Clerk knew that the Doctor held a clinic in the nearby Outpatients department, so s brief walk and we arrived at the first reception desk. We were then directed to a second desk, the gentleman asked if his wife had been brought up to the clinic. The clerks said that the lady had not arrived and that she was expected.
At this point the gentleman started to worry further, he had not seen his wife in the reception area and now she was not in clinic. I can comprehend the worry of trying to find someone in a large building when you already have the worries which relate to being in a healthcare environment. There suddenly became an impasse, in some ways I realise the Clinic Clerks could not go off and search for the lady, but at the same time leaving an elderly gentleman to walk the corridors searching for his wife was not a solution either.
The best solution and the most patient centred would be for me to go and do an initial check with the reception staff if they had seen where the lady had gone. A quick run down the stairs, thankfully I have lost weight so can run down the stairs and speak when I get to the bottom and I was in reception. By the reception desk was a lady matching the description of the gentleman's wife. A quick check of identity and another problem raised its head. The lady was wheelchair bound. At this point I will admit that I have probably broken some rules here; but what was needed from a patient perspective was for the patient and her husband to be reunited as soon as possible. I asked if she minded if I pushed her up to the clinic where her husband was waiting.
A few minutes later the two were reunited and we discovered that what the husband defined as being unable to walk did not match the wife's need for independence and she had managed to get to the toilets on her own. Hence when he had arrived in the hospital she was not where he expected.
I left two relieved and grateful people sat in clinic, I hope that I was able to demonstrate a little compassion in my duty and that we in the acute sector even though we are removed from patient care have a responsibility to demonstrate that even finance staff can have direct impacts on patient care.
The second incident happened late at night as we left the pub a friend and I heard anguished screams and wondered if someone was being attacked. The scream came again and as we approached the road a young man entered our view carrying what looked to be a roll-mat and a holdall.
Now being able to see the young man it was clear that he as upset and all he had left in him was an anguished cry, the temporary barriers near our church felt the full force of his frustration. He then took the same direction was we did heading for our local park (Country Estate), the speed of his walk and the anguish of his cries caused call for concern. Should I hope all is well or was his a danger to himself or others. That is not my call to make but what was clear was that there was a person in distress who needed help. I was struggling to keep him in sight the only option was to call for help, dialling 999 I asked for the police, the operator put me straight in the queue however I had to wait to be connect to the police call handler. To be fair I got a very competent call handler and we worked together, I provided him with as much detail as I could and he provided the communications link to officers heading to the scene.
I caught glimpses of the persons shadow as his frame silhouetted against the lights. Or he used his mobile phone and the light shone out like a beacon. Being on the field was obviously calming as the screaming stopped this made him more difficult to locate, I still feared that he may do something that he would regret later in his life if not try to end his life.
After 18 minutes from my initial call the police arrived, by this point I had, had to return to the light to enable the police to find me. Another few minutes and the search had been passed on to the police.
What worries me was how many other people had this soul passed? Who else had heard the distressed and anguished cries. There is no right or wrong to this question, but I believe that some people are called by vocation to certain roles, when we find them we should as a community support them, acknowledge their skills. They may not be a doctor or a nurse. They may not be the pharmacist or the physiotherapist. But they are the people that can show compassion when it needed. We celebrate our professions, we idolise footballers and sportsmen, make heroes of our celebrities. But at the end of the day do we recognise those small gestures that make a difference to a persons life.
By doing those small gestures, finance staff can engage briefly in patient care and make a difference. As the quotes says "To make a difference in someone's life, you don't have to be brilliant, rich, beautiful or perfect. You just have to care enough and be there."
I have recently moved into a new secondment and am back on the operational end of work. Admittedly not with patients directly but working alongside frontline staff to provide those services. This has meant that I have spent more time out and about in the organisation.
Two incidents yesterday underlined how much of an impact those of us who provide support services can have.
Walking down the corridor I so an elderly gentlemen looking confused, naturally I asked if I could help, he said he lost his wife and couldn't find her. He was clearly worried, he had dropped his wife off in her wheel chair in the reception area and by the time he had returned from parking the car she had disappeared.
He knew a doctors name but had no idea where he needed to go for his wife's appointment as she had the letter. I am now presented with two options, direct him to someone who could advise or to stay with him until the mystery of where his wife was reached its conclusion. Remembering that one of the five values of our organisation is Patient Centred I took the gentleman on to a nearby ward to work out where we might find the doctor.
The Ward Clerk knew that the Doctor held a clinic in the nearby Outpatients department, so s brief walk and we arrived at the first reception desk. We were then directed to a second desk, the gentleman asked if his wife had been brought up to the clinic. The clerks said that the lady had not arrived and that she was expected.
At this point the gentleman started to worry further, he had not seen his wife in the reception area and now she was not in clinic. I can comprehend the worry of trying to find someone in a large building when you already have the worries which relate to being in a healthcare environment. There suddenly became an impasse, in some ways I realise the Clinic Clerks could not go off and search for the lady, but at the same time leaving an elderly gentleman to walk the corridors searching for his wife was not a solution either.
The best solution and the most patient centred would be for me to go and do an initial check with the reception staff if they had seen where the lady had gone. A quick run down the stairs, thankfully I have lost weight so can run down the stairs and speak when I get to the bottom and I was in reception. By the reception desk was a lady matching the description of the gentleman's wife. A quick check of identity and another problem raised its head. The lady was wheelchair bound. At this point I will admit that I have probably broken some rules here; but what was needed from a patient perspective was for the patient and her husband to be reunited as soon as possible. I asked if she minded if I pushed her up to the clinic where her husband was waiting.
A few minutes later the two were reunited and we discovered that what the husband defined as being unable to walk did not match the wife's need for independence and she had managed to get to the toilets on her own. Hence when he had arrived in the hospital she was not where he expected.
I left two relieved and grateful people sat in clinic, I hope that I was able to demonstrate a little compassion in my duty and that we in the acute sector even though we are removed from patient care have a responsibility to demonstrate that even finance staff can have direct impacts on patient care.
The second incident happened late at night as we left the pub a friend and I heard anguished screams and wondered if someone was being attacked. The scream came again and as we approached the road a young man entered our view carrying what looked to be a roll-mat and a holdall.
Now being able to see the young man it was clear that he as upset and all he had left in him was an anguished cry, the temporary barriers near our church felt the full force of his frustration. He then took the same direction was we did heading for our local park (Country Estate), the speed of his walk and the anguish of his cries caused call for concern. Should I hope all is well or was his a danger to himself or others. That is not my call to make but what was clear was that there was a person in distress who needed help. I was struggling to keep him in sight the only option was to call for help, dialling 999 I asked for the police, the operator put me straight in the queue however I had to wait to be connect to the police call handler. To be fair I got a very competent call handler and we worked together, I provided him with as much detail as I could and he provided the communications link to officers heading to the scene.
I caught glimpses of the persons shadow as his frame silhouetted against the lights. Or he used his mobile phone and the light shone out like a beacon. Being on the field was obviously calming as the screaming stopped this made him more difficult to locate, I still feared that he may do something that he would regret later in his life if not try to end his life.
After 18 minutes from my initial call the police arrived, by this point I had, had to return to the light to enable the police to find me. Another few minutes and the search had been passed on to the police.
What worries me was how many other people had this soul passed? Who else had heard the distressed and anguished cries. There is no right or wrong to this question, but I believe that some people are called by vocation to certain roles, when we find them we should as a community support them, acknowledge their skills. They may not be a doctor or a nurse. They may not be the pharmacist or the physiotherapist. But they are the people that can show compassion when it needed. We celebrate our professions, we idolise footballers and sportsmen, make heroes of our celebrities. But at the end of the day do we recognise those small gestures that make a difference to a persons life.
By doing those small gestures, finance staff can engage briefly in patient care and make a difference. As the quotes says "To make a difference in someone's life, you don't have to be brilliant, rich, beautiful or perfect. You just have to care enough and be there."
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