I have taken a couple of days off over the past week, to spend some time away from work and to be with family and friends.
I want to be upfront about this. Overt, even, because whilst it’s busy it’s tempting to think that taking time off should be avoided or considered inappropriate in some way.
It’s not. As the NHS recovers and moves forward, I am convinced that taking leave, supporting health and wellbeing and ensuring colleagues are personally resilient will be of paramount importance.
And while Covid infection rates are down across Pennine Lancashire, the pressure and demand on our services continues, the number of people seeking urgent and emergency care remains consistent and there’s no doubt that every minute of every day counts.
But the reality is that taking a break is essential and none of the complex challenges we face will be magically fixed by continually cancelling people’s leave and enforcing a culture which requires everyone to work relentlessly long hours, seven days and nights a week, every week.
It doesn’t work like that – it’s just a short cut to staff burnout. I know this because we have done it during the pandemic and, truth be told, we will do it again when needs absolutely must. But it should be a last and final resort, weighed only against protecting patient safety and ensuring those who need care get it.
I have put on record my thanks to colleagues for their hard work and diligence many times, but it does bear repeating here again (and again), but the truth is it couldn’t and shouldn’t be sustained. I believe where organisations stand up and own this, they create an enhanced environment to deliver better outcomes for local people.
Everyone needs downtime, away from the day to day pull and push of work and all its requirements and responsibilities, to recharge and reenergise. Especially in a 24/7 operation where it is equally as important to know when you’re not at work, as when you are.
For me, it’s also important to commit to the idea of being off, particularly in a leadership role. It’s not easy and I certainly don’t always manage it, but stepping back allows others to step forward and, when their time comes, you can do the same in return.
I think you show colleagues respect when you empower them to handle things in your absence and demonstrate you trust them. That’s how it works in ELHT and how we retain our focus on safe, personal and effective care.
I have described previously how we’re all in it together and I mean it. I’m proud to be part of a culture that values annual leave for all colleagues, supports taking breaks and invests in health and well-being generally.
There are teams and people who for lots of reasons can’t, of course, and where that’s the case we also support carrying leave over or selling it back in extreme cases to make sure it isn’t lost or becomes a source of anxiety or extra stress. Colleagues can also buy more leave if they want to.
I want to say to patients coming into any of our settings or availing themselves of any of our services – this doesn’t mean we’re short staffed or running at suboptimal ratios. We’re not. We’re just making sure our people are rested so that they are able to effectively support you in your total recovery – however long that takes.
Please support them to do this, it means such a lot.
The last two years have been incredibly intense and whilst we’re no strangers to the concept of 24/7 in the NHS, it has been unprecedented, even for us.
In the past week the Government has published its plan for reducing the backlogs of treatment on our waiting lists as quickly as we’re able. The tough ask for people like me is how do we balance the day-to-day demand and pressure, reduce waiting lists and deliver care and support across our communities and make sure we don’t drive our biggest asset – our people – into the ground?
One part of the solution is absolutely to allow people, if not actively encourage them, to take time off in a planned and organised way.
We never stop in the NHS. It is our strength and pride. It’s what makes us tick and it’s why we signed up to work in this organisation that we know and love.
But, just like everyone else, it is ok to stop and go home. You deserve and need it more than you know and you’ll come back renewed and ready, again, for anything – reducing backlogs included.
Take care,
Martin