Someone asked me the other day how I was feeling on a scale of one to 10 and, whilst it’s a simple enough question on the face of it, I did pause momentarily to give the answer some thought.
Of course, the response for everyone will vary wildly at any given time on any given day, depending on what else is going on not just around them but with others at work and at home, both mentally and emotionally too.
Fortunately for me, in the moment the question was asked I was at Clitheroe Community Hospital as part of a meeting with colleagues from the executive team and we were checking in with each other to understand where we all were before we started the day.
After thinking, I tentatively ventured an eight, but I do want to offer some context to that response, which you might have expected to be lower bearing in mind the significant challenges we are all managing across the Trust.
The first thing I will say is that just being in an alternative environment, driving a different way to work through the beautiful, autumnal Ribble Valley countryside and getting to see and say hello to colleagues working there was enough to put me in a positive mood.
I was also delighted to be able to welcome our new Executive Director of Finance, Sam Simpson, to the team and the Trust as a whole on her first official day.
It is great to have Sam here providing leadership in what is undoubtedly a huge and challenging area. I know she brings a wealth of experience and expertise, but it is equally clear we are going to need every bit of it as we navigate our way through winter and towards the end of the financial year with the aim of protecting the safety and quality of our services whilst significantly reducing our costs.
I know the financial challenge feels overwhelming and is taking up huge amounts of time for everyone in the Trust at the moment but I am confident we can – by working together – get closer to target than we think and without compromising patient safety, which is always a hard red line for ELHT.
Whilst still in her first week I know Sam is up to speed on the significant ask and will already be getting a real sense of the task at hand. She will also already be recognising that we’re one team across all services and settings and when it comes to challenges we are always ‘all in it together’ and pulling in time.
It important to state that it is not for Sam to deliver our budget, of course, but her input and guidance to the already brilliant finance team supporting us is going to be hugely important in helping us to get close to, if not across, the line. Can I just add here my thanks to Charlotte Henson who has been managing this area of the Trust ahead of Sam’s arrival and it would be remiss of me not to reflect how grateful we are for everything she has done.
I have said many times, being ‘out and about’, speaking to colleagues and patients and just being across our different services and settings is always a tonic and being in Clitheroe on Tuesday was no different.
In my 14 years with ELHT I have so many fond memories of being there and all remind me just what a warm and welcoming local hospital it is.
Seeing people there is always a real treat and at lunch I was stood in the queue next to a man visiting his wife and, without knowing who I was, he struck up a conversation to tell me she could not have been better cared for and that the hospital was a ‘fantastic place with fantastic people who could not have done any more for her’.
I didn’t let on, but you can imagine how incredibly proud and pleased I felt. It is, undoubtedly, this kind of moment which makes it all worthwhile and grounds me firmly on what is important and, of course, what is not.
Sometimes, we must remember, it’s just the small things that make a difference to our experience, whoever we are. I think this sentiment stands for so much in life and, particularly, in a health care organisation.
Secondly and absolutely material in my score of eight is that I took a couple of days off to make a long weekend and, truth be told, I am not great at that. I always have loads of leave I haven’t taken at this time of year and I can be guilty of not switching off even when I do. I know it will resonate with loads of colleagues when I say I check and respond to emails, take calls when I shouldn’t, dial into meetings… that kind of thing.
The worst if it is that, whilst this is all with good intentions, I’m conscious of role modelling that it is expected of others and somehow the ‘norm’. It isn’t and should never be.
So, I had a word with myself, listened to those around me who recognised this too and after a couple of days with my family and friends, a good few miles out in the fresh air on my bike and admittedly a couple of glasses of wine afterwards, I was feeling refreshed and renewed and ready to go again.
To this point, I want to say this: I know people come in early, stay back and cover for others and this is massively appreciated, particularly by patients and their families who need our support at some of the most desperate times imaginable. Thank you for doing this, it defines the spirit of ELHT and our desire to always commit to human and compassionate care.
But I don’t want to normalise a culture where people do long days every day, either.
There is nothing surer in my mind that there will always be work to hand for everyone in the NHS and there will always be something to do. The trick is to recognise when you need to go above and beyond and when it is ok to prioritise your own needs, your own family and your own health and well being.
We are all human after all and whilst providing safe, personal and effective care is our collective aim there is a balance and a duty to colleagues too. You are as important as anyone else and your ability to be here, contributing productively – at an eight or above on the best days – is paramount to our success.
If you are feeling below par or you have taken a moment and realised your score is a little lower than is your norm today, please remember we have health and well being support available to you and you only need to reach out and ask for help.
Thanks for everything you do. The next few months are going to be tough in so many ways but I wouldn’t want to face it anywhere else or without the brilliant team we have here.
In closing, let me mention the Remembrance Services I joined at Burnley General Teaching Hospital yesterday and in the Garden of Memories at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital this morning. There can surely be no bigger or poignant reminder that we’re all human than recognising the ultimate sacrifices made by others to secure our freedoms and protect our way of life by giving theirs.
I am proud of the way we always commemorate this each year and of the ongoing support and focus to veterans who find themselves in our care generally by the team Shafiq Sadiq and Fiona Lamb. Thank you, your efforts are recognised. Lest we forget.
Martin