Thank you, it’s been emotional

The last few weeks have been very emotional.

When you have a six-month notice, you spend a lot of it just getting on with the job and not really thinking about the end. And then as the date has got nearer and nearer, the reality has hit me, that I am not just leaving Pennine Care, but also leaving the NHS and something that has been such a massive part of my life for the last 30 years.

When I dropped out of doing a pharmacology degree when pregnant with my daughter at 19, I didn’t think my path would lead me here. I am not sure where I thought it would lead me and I have done some interesting jobs finding out along the way, bar work, waitressing, quality control and sales to mention a few.

But I am so massively grateful it did bring me here and for the challenge, personal learning and friendships of the last 30 years.

I’ve been so lucky to land in a place that shares my values; and I must have done something right in a former life to have had the joy of being part of services that I am passionate about, and where for the most part, I have woken up excited about the day and looking forward to going to work. I consider myself privileged to have spent the majority of my working life in the public sector and to have made even a small contribution to society, but also that work hasn’t felt like work, but much more enjoyable and rewarding.

And I am especially glad that I got to finish my career in Pennine Care and with such lovely people. There really couldn’t have been a warmer, friendlier and more compassionate organisation to end my working life with. Whilst the last four and a half years have had their ups and downs, they have undoubtedly been amongst the most enjoyable and rewarding in my NHS career.

You know that I love climbing and mountaineering and so I was thinking about what over the last four years has been the equivalent of being on top of the mountain in the sunshine; and what has been the equivalent of being hemmed in by a storm and forced to pee into a bottle because you can’t get out of your tent!

There has been a fair amount of stormy weather that has occasionally grounded us. The battle for adequate funding with our commissioners, the multiple discussions about system working and the development of the integrated care system have made me feel like my head is exploding, and of course, over the last two years, dealing with the pandemic and the sadness of losing people and the stress of working in such a challenging way and supporting colleagues working under such exceptional pressure.

But there have also been lots of positive moments of achievement; the work on our strategy and establishing us as a mental health, learning disability and autism organisation, of our work on equality, diversity and inclusion and cultural change; the development of our new triumvirate structure and the progress being made in lots of areas of service improvement and development.

So, lots to be proud of, but I know that our successes wouldn’t have been possible without the commitment and dedication of all of our Pennine People.

I’ve been very lucky to work with many talented senior leaders and managers, dedicated clinicians and professionals, hard-working corporate colleagues, a great Board and Council of Governors who put in a lot of their time for little reward, and a brilliant exec team who have made my job easy, just be being lovely, fun, but capable people.

In particular, I wanted to thank three special women, Clare Parker, Evelyn and Karen Hamer.

When I left Cumbria to come here, I invited people to join me in Pennine Care and what I called the Manchester branch of the Cumbria Survivors Club (it was a very rewarding, but immensely challenging time in Cumbria!). Clare responded to this and so we have worked together for over eight years. And I know she knows this, and I know you know this, but she is a fantastic director and has been an amazing deputy to me. She has kept me going in so many ways and I am so grateful she has been such a big part of my story.

And Evelyn, I couldn’t have asked for a kinder, more caring and supportive Chair to spend my time with, within my last NHS role. We have been on the journey together in Pennine and she has been a wonderful companion to travel with. She has kept me on the right path, and brought insight, wisdom and gentle challenge to guide and steer me.

Karen Hamer is the best PA I have ever worked with. She has kept me organised and I simply wouldn’t have been able to do the job without her. She’s always right there behind me, picking up the pieces, sorting things and enabling me to do what I need to do.

So, thank you all for the last four and half years, it has been a complete privilege to be your chief executive. I will miss you, and I am trying not to think about the massive space in my heart that leaving the organisation and the NHS will leave.

 

But I am ready for a change. My body is ready for a change! I have had so many colds, infections and injuries over the last year or so, I need to create the time to make the most of my health before my body packs up completely.

So, I don’t have a plan other than to spend more time doing the things I love; and enjoy not working and having the responsibility of being chief executive. As someone once said to me, there is no such thing as an aspiring chief executive just one that is either perspiring or expiring!

So, I wish you all the very best for the future. This organisation is full of caring, feisty, determined and talented people and I know under your collective leadership that Pennine will continue to go from strength to strength.

Thank you for making my time here such a positive one.

They are everywhere, in history, literature, the news and amongst us all

International Women’s Day this Tuesday was an important opportunity to recognise women’s incredible achievements, raise awareness and encourage others to advocate for gender equality.

With only three weeks until I retire (eek, doesn’t feel real) I’ve been thinking about the amazing people I have worked with and how lucky I’ve been to have truly inspirational female bosses at the very start and end of my career. 

They didn’t only help my personal development, but they have challenged bias and helped establish the value of women as leaders.

Sharon Beamish, my first boss when I joined the NHS 30 years ago, was extraordinary. She started as a domestic assistant in her local hospital and through grit, talent, drive and determination ended up as a chief executive. Sharon was proud of her working-class background, spent seven years doing a part-time degree while working and earned so much respect across the West Midlands where she worked.

You often hear about people who get to the top pulling the ladder up after them. Sharon never did that, she encouraged and invested in other women to succeed and was a wonderful coach. I worked for her for five years and she encouraged me to move into mental health through supporting a secondment, as she knew I had a special interest in the area and needed to move on. Great leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders.

And then I’ve had Evelyn at the end of my career: an exceptional person and leader. Evelyn has challenged so much bias throughout her life and, like Sharon, has worked immensely hard to get to her position and hugely supports people’s personal development. She is passionate about tackling inequalities and was awarded an OBE for services to ethnic minorities in the field of health. 

Evelyn challenges people to be more inclusive in such a gentle, calm and kind way. Her strength is her gentleness, remaining constant and clear-minded across all manner of situations. I wish I’d worked with someone like Evelyn earlier on in my career, but I’m just so grateful that I’ve finished my career with her.

Of course, I’ve also worked with many inspirational and brilliant men, but as a woman I think having two remarkable bosses at the start and finish of my working life has made me a better person. They have owned their unique story and used their authentic voice.

And along the road I have tried to challenge bias in my own way and through my leadership style.

My mother was a brilliant role model, always encouraging me to be myself and work hard but to pick my own style, which is perhaps why I have pursued climbing, a fairly male dominated activity. When I was young, my family used to call me ‘Contrary Mary’ because I wanted to be so independent, always choosing my own path. This has mostly served me well, although it has occasionally got me into trouble; for example, when I had my stomach pumped as a young girl after eating laburnum seeds to prove to my brother that they weren’t poisonous!

But I have learnt from and been influenced by so many different women, from every corner of the world and every walk of life. My daughter, Madonna and even Sarah Conner in the Terminator films, who is my ultimate female hero.

Madonna has pushed boundaries, with a super smart business brain and an unshakeable sense of self. Like her music or hate it, the ‘Queen of pop’ has challenged traditional views of women with her own relentless and controversial mindset, and an incredible penchant for not following any rules. She has stood for what she believed in, despite the critics, and is an example of how to succeed through hard work and willpower.

Then we have Sarah Connor, who we saw evolve from a young waitress with man troubles into a muscle-flexing, pull-up-doing, one-handed-shotgun-loading heroine. She’s the prototype for the modern action heroine, and a model of strength and femininity existing side by side. A symbol of what women can and will do if their survival, and the survival of their children, is threatened.

At the end of the day, the best role models are women who are confidently themselves, who bring light into the world because they are authentic and real. They are everywhere, in history, literature, the news and amongst us all. And as I come full circle at the end of my career, I am just so grateful for each and every inspirational woman I have had the joy to work with.

Best wishes

Claire

You can follow me on Twitter @ClaireMolloy2