Mindfulness Matters

Here's me (top) and Suzanne Lynch,
with her home-grown spinach:
"finally ready to harvest, although
I've grown so attached to it now
I might find it hard to eat!" (bottom) 

I mentioned in my previous blog about taking annual leave during this pandemic to rest and recharge, and also the importance of being kind to ourselves as well as to others. As you know, ’kindness’ is the theme for this year’s mental health awareness week, in addition to being one of our four values.

Henry James, the novelist, said: “Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind”.  But why is it so easy to be kind to a loved one, a friend, a neighbour, a stranger – and not ourselves?

We appreciate kindness. We welcome kindness. We value kindness. But we tend to dismiss the value and healing quality of kindness directed toward ourselves.

The little voice in our heads says, “But if I’m too kind to myself, I won’t get anything done!”. This just adds to our stress and anxiety. Surely if our compassion does not include ourselves, then it is not complete?

So, in the true spirit of ‘being kind to myself’, I’ve taken a bit of space to switch off and had a few days of annual leave this week.

I’ve therefore not done a lengthy blog this week, but I’m delighted that we have Suzanne Lynch from our staff wellbeing service for the guest blog. Suzanne has been doing some fantastic work around the power of meditation, so I thought it would be very timely to hear from her.

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Suzanne Lynch, counsellor & mindfulness teacher, staff wellbeing service

The Mindfulness Lessons of Lockdown

Lockdown has been a different experience for everyone; nearly nine weeks on, being asked to contribute to this blog has given me an opportunity to pause and reflect on the mindfulness lessons I’ve learnt from lockdown.

The week immediately before lockdown, like many colleagues, I was using up my annual leave entitlement before the end of March; I thought I’d be doing a spot of decorating and some relaxing with a capital R – instead, I was pelting up-and-down the motorway visiting elderly relatives as far-flung as Essex, making sure they had everything they needed before their 12 week shielding began.

There was nothing mindful about my state of mind at that time; I was stressed, confused about different advice coming from various health officials and hyper-vigilant about protocols, since my partner has an underlying health condition.

In the mindfulness courses we teach, we talk about the seven pillars that underpin mindfulness.  Once lockdown properly began, I was forced to slow down, reconsider priorities and learn more about the pillars of mindfulness from the lessons that lockdown presented to me:

Lesson - Acceptance
Acceptance that I have no control over current circumstances and no control over when this situation will come to an end – acceptance that abiding by the guidance will keep us all safer, acceptance too that I may as well adjust to the new routine and rhythm of life for now.

Lesson 2 – Letting go
Of what I am not able to do and what is not within the remit of my role… accepting that guilt may be a consequence of that. Thank you psychologist, Jo Black, for your hugely helpful article Dealing with guilt during Covid-19: NHS staff not on the frontline.

Lesson 3 – Curiosity/Beginner’s Mind
I thought I lived in a fairly suburban area because I always turned left out of my front door for a walk. I never realised that if I turned right instead, less than 10 minutes’ walk away there is a field with cows and buttercups.  Also, I now know where and in what order wild garlic, bluebells, tulips and cherry blossom grow in my neighbourhood; it’s been an education.

Lesson 4 – Non-striving
Working remotely from home: Citrix anyone? Installing Outlook? Scheduling a meeting in Microsoft Teams? Getting on to ESR? I’m technology averse at the best of times; sometimes, doing these basic IT tasks feels like threading a camel through the eye of a needle whilst my temperature rises, shoulders tense and teeth grit.  Mindfulness has taught me to recognise these symptoms of stress and to take a breath, call a colleague to ask for help or leave it for now, focus on another task and try again tomorrow...

Lesson 5 – Non-judgment
…of teenagers who walk or cycle three-a-breast down a narrow lane whilst us oldies are dedicatedly trying to social distance…non-judgment is always a work in progress…

Lesson 6 – Trust
Trust that change and situations we cannot control can sometimes turn out for the best. Last weekend at the supermarket a new team member told me that due to Covid-19 he’d been made redundant a month ago. He’d been a supervisor in a completely different job for 15 years, he’d had to commute to work and was stressed out by the workplace politics.  As soon as he was let go, he contacted his local supermarket and started the very next day. Now, he says, he walks five minutes to work, has more time with his family and has a laugh everyday with his workmates.

Lesson 7 – Patience
Be patient - the spinach seeds you’ve planted in the back yard as your first foray into gardening will eventually grow…

Extra Lesson – Kindness
Kindness has been all around.  Each week at the Thursday Clap for Carers, as neighbours we all check in on each other especially those who live alone and have socially distanced chats. Compost has been shared over fences for vegetable planting – and I now know all my neighbours names.

Extra Lesson – Gratitude
I’m grateful to all my mindfulness teachers over the last five years at Pennine Care – Peter, Christina, David and Paddy – for giving me the tools of mindfulness practice to help ground and anchor in difficult or uncertain times.  It’s not a wonder-cure and it’s not necessarily going to change anything, but it might change how I react to situations - sometimes for the better.  I’m grateful for the comradeship of the team I work in at Pennine Care.  I’m deeply grateful and in awe of our frontline staff in every area and department. Please take good care, wishing you all well.

***********************************************************************************Best wishes,
Claire
You can follow me on Twitter @ClaireMolloy2

Boxes upon boxes and the wonders of technology

Sorry for the break in my blogs recently, but I’ve been very busy moving house!

I’ve downsized into a smaller home and it’s currently full of boxes which represent a lifetime of accumulated possessions. My husband and I are working through them trying to decide what to let go of and what to keep - we’ve had to think really hard about what’s important to us.

This reminded me of some of the difficult decisions our Board had to make last month, where we really had to focus on what’s important to us as an organisation.

The first one was about the future of our Health and Wellbeing College; we were so grateful that students and staff came to our board meeting to share their stories, so we could hear first-hand the value of the college and what it means to them.

We recognise the importance of this service which is heavily focused on supporting people’s well being and recovery, but know that we have to balance investment in this service against all our other services that are also under pressure and require more money. And this is in a context where we are currently running a deficit.

However, after very careful consideration, we decided to continue funding the development of the college, while we work with our commissioners to explore priorities for investment, as part of our wider mental health transformation programme.

The other challenging decision our Board faced was around mixed sex accommodation. Like many trusts across the country, we still have some mixed sex accommodation in our inpatient mental health services. We recognise that for patients to have safety, dignity and privacy this needs to change. These changes could impact on how accessible our services are though, with some patients having to travel further if their local inpatient service is single sex instead of mixed.

Again, we were grateful to our staff who attended Board and shared their views about the proposals. Over the next few weeks, we are going to be carefully considering the impact of the changes that were agreed in principle, so we can ensure we find ways of mitigating these as much as possible. The Board will be receiving a final business case in September, and in the meantime, we will be talking to people about the proposed changes so we fully understand the concerns and can develop the best way to implement the proposed changes.

While my husband and I may be making progress sorting through our boxes of possessions, we’ve been less successful with our internet connection in our new house! We’ve also got poor phone signal, and I’ve come to realise just how much I rely on the internet and how important digital access is to my day-to-day life. It’s no different at work; on a clinical visit this week, the team told me how difficult it sometimes is for them to get onto the IT system.

That’s why our new refreshed digital healthcare strategy is so important. We want to become recognised as a national leader in the use of digital technology, to improve the safety and convenience of our services. I know we have a ways to go yet, but we have made massive progress already in the implementation of an electronic patient record across a lot of our services.

I wanted to thank everyone who is working so hard to make this aspiration a reality, whether that’s the technical teams supporting this work, or staff in services shifting to working in different ways. It’s a huge programme of change but I appreciate people’s commitment to making this happen.

We know how essential technology is to the delivery of front line services and we want to make the most of it – whether that’s making everything you need accessible on mobiles, tablets and computers, or standardising systems so care is safe, consistent and effective. We’re planning some events later in the year, so you can tell us what matters to you and what ideas you have to improve our services through technology.

I’d like to apologise to the Irwell unit as I had to cancel my visit a couple of weeks ago, but I will visit the North and South wards soon to meet you and hear about your work.

I did manage to squeeze in a visit to our children and young people mental health units, Hope and Horizon, at Bury this week. I was struck by the great leadership team they have: passionate leaders who are clearly visible and make a real difference to their staff. It’s no surprise Lindsay Baucutt, their operational manager, has been shortlisted for the Inspirational Leader award, and the team has been shortlisted for the Team of the Year award in this year’s Pennine Care People awards.

Despite having such amazing staff, their work is not without its challenges. It’s clearly a great place to work but they still struggle with the same issues as many of our services, such as staffing and recruitment. We’ll be working together to try and find a solution.

So that’s another hectic week over. Have a good weekend everyone - I am off to fix a leaking shower and do a bit more unpacking before a bit of R&R next week on holiday!!

Best wishes,
Claire

My five ways to wellbeing

Earlier this week you will have received a Trust email giving tips on adopting the five ways to wellbeing and as January is typically the time when people endeavour to make healthier choices, I thought I’d share some of the things I do to maintain my own wellbeing and resilience. It’s also timely because this coming Monday is known as ‘blue Monday,’ which is supposed to be the most depressing day of the year!

The five ways to wellbeing are connect, be active, take notice, keep learning and give.  These days we all lead very busy lives and work hard, nowhere more so than in the NHS, so I think it’s really important that we try to take some time to look after ourselves and our wellbeing.  The daily challenges and pressures we face at work and home can really test our personal resilience, so the five ways to wellbeing are thought to provide a good framework for maintaining good mental health.  Here is how I try to adopt them…

1.         Connect

My family is the most important thing to me and I spend as much of my time as possible with them, especially my first granddaughter who was born just before Christmas! Being closer to family was one of the attractions about moving here. Being able to talk and share with them is really important. We all need someone to 'off load' to and to share problems with and I don't know how I would manage without my patient husband who is great at just listening to me rant on occasions! 

2.         Be active 

I try to exercise regularly, although I haven’t been as active as I should be recently. I have a huge passion for climbing and mountaineering and most of my holidays are spent doing this sort of activity. I know it sounds counter intuitive, but for me, I find this much more relaxing than any beach holiday, although occasionally I do wonder whether I shouldn't just be hanging up my boots and taking it easier! My most challenging climb was in the Himalayas a few years ago when I was part of a small team who managed to climb a mountain that hadn’t been attempted before. It was a huge challenge and I spent a lot of the time feeling scared and but it was very rewarding, especially since we managed to get to the top and down safely! One of the things I love about climbing is that your mind has to be completely focused in that moment, instead of thinking about all the others things going on in your life.

3.         Take notice

As you can probably tell, I really enjoy spending time outside and appreciating the beautiful countryside we have. I go walking quite a lot as it is free and relatively hassle free and this provides the chance to explore.  My journey to and from work takes me over Chapel Brow from the high peaks into Charlesworth, and I love that moment in the morning when I reach the top driving over and can see the fantastic views of Manchester and beyond (when it  isn't foggy!) I always pause for a moment to appreciate the view and I’m looking forward to being able to stop there in the summer months and maybe do a walk or a run on the way home.

4.         Keep learning

I’ve certainly been on a learning curve since taking up my new role with Pennine Care and like to continually learn in my professional career.  A few years ago I also learnt to play the piano. It's so hard learning an instrument as an adult, but I can now play Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, although rather badly!  I’ve also recently been to a lino-cut printing workshop where I made this fine piece of art…. well I was pleased with it anyway!   It was like potato printing for adults! I’m not particularly a creative person but it was quite relaxing and calming cutting the shapes out, like a form of mindfulness.

5.         Give

Quite a few years ago we decided as a family to stop spending lots of money on fancy Christmas gifts and instead give money to charity. We do a secret Santa so we each get one decent gift but then have a little competition to determine which charity we donate the rest of the money to. It’s a really nice, fun thing to do. 

As part of the Trust’s work on staff wellbeing, we have all been encouraged to make a personal pledge against one of the five ways to wellbeing.  My pledge for this year is that I want to continue to connect with people in the organisation and especially staff on the frontline, and so will be aiming to spend at least one day each month out visiting clinical services and also holding some larger engagement events with staff over the coming months. 

You can make your own pledge here: http://portal/shwbr/Pages/Contact.aspx

I look forward to reading all of your pledges!

Thanks,

Claire

Claire Molloy

Chief Executive

E: ceo-penninecare@nhs.net

T: @ClaireMolloy2

Rugby League is leading health and wellbeing

We recently held an event at SalfordRed Devils ground in support of the charity, Rugby League Cares (RLC) and the great work of the charitable foundations across rugby league. The event was supported by Pennine Care, the Red Devils Foundation and the One Medical Group.

In Pennine Care, we believe health and wellbeing work is most successful when it is delivered in communities, in ways that make sense to local people. All too often we promote healthy messages, or health professionals tell people to stop smoking, drink less or lose weight, without truly thinking through how hard it can be to stop or change something to improve your health.

Rugby League Cares and the charitable foundations of rugby league’s professional clubs and State of Mind promote health and wellbeing – with a difference. Firstly, they know their communities and their communities know them. It opens doors and rugby league fans will listen to ambassadors from their clubs, maybe more than they would their GP. Secondly, to quote one of the speakers at the event, Professor Alan White, “there’s more to sport than sport”. Sport reaches people and communities in a unique way the NHS could never replicate.

Mike Farrar and Professor White spoke at the event about this. There’s more on sport and health here and here. 

There is an emerging evidence base for sport and how it promotes physical activity and improves health. We don’t do enough to promote this. It is this link that led me to be interested in working with rugby league partners to bring together the event, which aimed to launch the idea of ‘A Year of Health and Wellbeing in Rugby League’.

I was fortunate enough to open the event with my own personal experience and it went something like this…

“In welcoming everyone today, rather than talking about health policy or the work of the NHS, I just wanted to share a personal reflection on how the great game of rugby league positively influences people’s lives.

This is Mick, known to some as Michael, in the Army he was called Mac. I call him Dad. There he is barbecuing aged 88. Dad’s a lifelong Leeds Rugby League, now Leeds Rhinos, fan. He was at a very famous final in 1968 to see Leeds win a very close game in difficult wet conditions.

As I grew up, from a an early age he would take me to many Leeds games at Headingly and as a tradition we would go on Boxing Day to watch Leeds play at home. Dad’s love of rugby league and many sports rubbed off on me. He would talk about how fit players were and how important it was to look after your health. He encouraged me to be active, to play sport and to play team games. I played rugby through school and beyond. 


I'm convinced that Dad’s love of Leeds rugby league and the sport in general was a key reason I had such a positive experience of sport as young boy and as a young man.

Terry Flannagan, Chair of Rugby League Cares, talks about how people benefit immensely from their experience of rugby league. I definitely did.

The work of Rugby League Cares and the professional clubs’ charities and foundations understand communities, rugby league communities, like the one I grew up in, and they know how to bring the game and its positive image into people's lives to influence and improve health and wellbeing. Their work and their contribution is often unheralded. Hopefully we can shine a light more on their great work.

As Terry says the foundations are champions helping hundreds of thousands of people to lead healthier and wealthier lives. Rugby League Cares, the foundations and the ground breaking mental health work of State of Mind are ambassadors for the game and ambassadors for better health in rugby leagues game and its communities.

Whenever health is mentioned we usually think of the NHS. Health isn't the NHS. Health is something we own, our health and something the NHS plays a part in. But in talking too much about the NHS we talk too little about the difference the foundations, State of Mind and others can make and do make to people's health and wellbeing. Today is about bringing their work to the front more. I believe we the NHS can do more to promote and support their great work and the benefits of that will pay for themselves.

I think we should think of today in two ways, as a celebration of what's already been achieved and as a challenge for 2015 to achieve even more.”

The event went very well and there was a real energy about the possibilities of promoting health through rugby league’s connection with its grassroots communities.

I found something really interesting during the day and the notion has stayed with me since. It links to these lines from my opening welcome; ‘Whenever health is mentioned we usually think of the NHS. Health isn't the NHS.’

A number of people came up to me and said that comment had really struck a chord with them. As one person said to me, “If there’s one message I will take from today it’s that health is my health, not something the NHS will sort out when I get ill, but something for me to look after. I’m responsible for my health and to sort it out before I get a heart attack, not wait for the NHS to fix something after I have one.”

I think we do, all too often, think of health as the NHS. This is symptomatic of the dependency model we have created over many decades. The NHS is a provider of healthcare, to people who need support when their health deteriorates or when we can protect against illness, for example immunisation.

Health isn’t the NHS, it is something we experience, we literally live and breathe it every day. We can’t control our health entirely, some accidents and illnesses can’t be foreseen or prevented, but we can improve our health significantly by taking as much responsibility for it as we can.

In trying to shine a light on Rugby League Cares, the Clubs’ Foundations and State of Mind at this recent event, we made a small attempt to nudge our collective thinking away from health is the NHS. The work of these charities (look them up) is phenomenal and they reach hundreds of thousands of people every year, helping people make better health decisions and get more active. They do a lot for small amounts of investment, so they are good value too.

If we are to provide care outside of hospital, if we are to provide health and wellbeing support that communities engage with, then the solution won’t be the NHS. It has a part to play, a very important role. However, the NHS has to work with and embrace partners and together we have to build a very different health offer. One that gives health back to people and moves it away from the dependency model of the NHS.