I talked about unseen and unsung staff in my last blog and the positivity, power and presence these colleagues can bring with their modest, quiet kindness.
So, the unseen and unsung were fresh in my mind when other board members and I teamed up with different volunteers across our services for national Volunteers Week. If ever there’s a group that deserves our utmost admiration and respect, it’s these dedicated helpers who give their time so generously.
The invaluable and diverse contribution of our 151 volunteers is amazing and they are a hugely important part of our organisation. l was therefore really disappointed to miss our volunteers’ celebration event last Monday, although Evelyn, our chair and other exec directors were there to personally thank many volunteers, and I've had great feedback about how inspiring they found it.
There are so many different forms of volunteering, but it was certainly an eye-opener for me when I spent time with Pauline, a big-hearted volunteer on our Taylor Ward at Tameside Hospital. Pauline was a patient on the ward for some time, although she’s not used our services for the last four years, and I was blown away by her story of recovery and how much hope she is providing to others.
I joined in Pauline's bucket-list session with patients where they were encouraged to talk about their hopes, ambitions and dreams for the future. When a lad called Josh shared his interest in working in IT, it felt good to be able to offer some advice about potentially volunteering in our corporate services. I tried to do my own bucket list as part of the activity, but was distracted talking to people about theirs! I had such a good afternoon talking to Bernie the ward manager, spending time with Pauline, and listening to the stories and aspirations of people on the ward.
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| Claire and Pauline, our amazing Taylor Ward volunteer |
The mutual benefits that volunteering can bring struck me. Not only does the organisation benefit hugely as the activities that our volunteers are running make them an indispensable part of many teams; it was clear that volunteering for Pauline and for many others is part of their therapeutic journey, and a potential way back into paid employment if that is what is desired.
I also visited the Health and Wellbeing College this week with Jackie Stewart, managing director for mental health, and we heard lots of powerful stories about the value and impact the college has had in people’s lives. I am very appreciative of the students, peer trainers and staff for their passion and commitment, and for giving up their time to share their views and concerns in such an open and brave way. I know that there is a lot of anxiety about the long term future of the college, but we are all committed to exploring how we can enhance and develop its contribution in different ways, given its very positive contribution to recovery.
Still on the theme of unseen and unsung, we then had Carers Week which runs until 16 June to recognise the immense contribution they make to families and communities. I met with the Stockport carers group on Wednesday evening and heard about the tremendous impact being a Carer has on their lives. Apparently one in 10 people in the UK is a carer in some capacity and I’m in that group having reduced my hours at work to support my daughter who is suffering from post natal depression. But for many carers it’s a full time job and it wasn’t easy listening hearing from the Stockport carers about the difficulties their loved ones sometimes have being able to get the right care and support.
As a parent, I know I would do anything for my children and, despite the fact that they are now adults, this hasn’t changed. It is hard watching someone you love in pain and not being able to ‘solve’ it, and I came away with a real appreciation of the distress and stress this is placing on the carers, but also of their commitment and passion for working with us and other partners to improve things.
Getting out of the office to understand more about other people’s roles can be so rewarding and humbling, but also educational, and our board certainly learnt a lot when we did a condensed version of the prevention management of violence and aggression (PMVA) training this Tuesday. We played the roles of both staff member and patient and I can only imagine how scary and distressing it must feel for both in a real situation where physical restraint is being considered.
My heart was beating ten to the dozen and I was in a safe, controlled environment! We undertook this training as we wanted to understand more about restraint, given we regularly receive reports about this difficult area and it is in the national spotlight. The insight gained in the training will genuinely help our board.
We are very lucky to have such a brilliant PMVA team to provide this training. We hear many positive comments from staff about their professionalism and skill, and certainly saw this in action. We are very grateful and appreciative of their immense experience and commitment.
On the subject of outstanding teams and individuals, please don’t forget to nominate for the Pennine Care People awards. We want to recognise and celebrate our stars and, as I said in my email to launch the awards, this very much includes our community staff.
There’s only a fortnight until many community service colleagues transfer to the Northern Care Alliance on 1 July. We’ve got a number of things happening to say thank-you, but being able to acknowledge and applaud your special successes as part of our annual awards would be a fitting tribute.
So, finally here’s to all the volunteers, carers and staff who are the heart and heroes of the health and care system. We see you, we thank you and we applaud you.
Best wishes,
Claire
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