Prioritising our people and going with the flow

Everybody has a story to tell.

Human stories are the most powerful form of communication and the way to touch the heart. They capture the essence of the human spirit and can inform, help, amaze and inspire us.

That's why we start every board meeting with a patient story.
 
Over recent months we've heard some very powerful ones. From a teenager on our Horizon unit in Bury who said that whilst it was difficult to be away from family, the ward staff “made me feel safe", to another young woman on a Tameside ward, who through the continuity and stability of her relationship with staff, was able to gradually improve her mental health. Both were uplifting stories of recovery and both individuals now want to become mental health nurses, which is brilliant for them and our services.

We've also heard from the mother of an autistic child who praised the quality of our care, but spoke passionately about the toll of a long wait for the initial assessment. And a man with a harrowing back story, who reduced many of the board to tears last month, as he explained how feeling trusted on Tatton ward in Tameside made him feel liberated and valued for the first time.

At this week’s board meeting, a young man who has used our learning disability services talked about getting a job as a steward at Man United. He's now living independently and has completed qualifications along the way.

These stories are unique in their own way, but they are all so powerful in their impact. We are moved and inspired in equal measure, and are now looking at different ways to share the board patient stories with you.

As well as weaving the patient voice across all our work, for example, through the Triangle of Care where carers, patients and professionals work together; and engagement programmes such as our mixed sex accommodation, we need to ensure the staff voice is also heard.

Listening to our patients and staff is the most important thing we need to get right. I remind myself every morning that nothing I say this day will teach me anything. If I am going to learn, I must do it by listening.

Our work is all about people, and the stories we heard from staff at our recent Just Culture conference helped bring to life the importance of this new initiative.

I know Clare Parker's recent blog talked about the Just Culture approach, so I won't cover the same ground, except to say that it's great to see the Health Service Journal recognise the importance of what we are trying to do in an article this week. You can read the story here.

None of us like making mistakes. We all do our jobs to make things better, so it can be hugely stressful and upsetting when we get things wrong, especially if an investigation has to take place. Which is why creating a Just Culture, where people feel safe to speak up, but most importantly, feel listened to when they do, is so important.

It’s actually stress awareness month in April, where health care professionals and health promotion experts across the country join forces to increase public awareness about both the causes and cures for our modern stress epidemic. It’s the top reason for staff sickness here, so it’s a big issue.

I know everyone has their own way to try and manage stress. For me, spending time with family and climbing helps. I’ve just come back from a week’s holiday climbing, which I appreciate would be super stressful for some! But it’s the only thing I’ve found that keeps me ‘in the moment’ when I’m doing it. I just breath, focus and concentrate solely on putting my hands and feet in safe, solid places!

Whatever your de-stress activity is, remember that there’s on-going support out there. We’ve got a stress clinic on 3 April where you can speak to a psychological wellbeing practitioner, and all the information will be in the Connected weekly update on Monday.

Stress is often related to how out-of-control we feel, and so I’ve learnt over the years to try and accept more easily that I have to let some things go. That’s not to say that I don’t care, but I know I need to keep things in perspective. If you change the way you look at things, sometimes the things you look at change.

I often think of the Aesop fable about the tree and the reed. The tree boasts to the reed about being firmly planted in the ground, and then ends up as a log after a vicious storm whilst the reed survives, having bent to the force of the wind until it passes over. The moral of the story is that it is sometimes better to be flexible, and go with the flow, than stay rigid and try and face the full force front on.

Finally, to those of you who have ever faced the full forcefulness of a child’s temper tantrum - Happy Mothering Sunday this weekend!

Best wishes,
Claire