A LIFE IN THE DAY OF ...

Details: Created on Tuesday, 14 July 2015 12:33; Written by Marian Moore

Marian @ Krysan

THE WELLBEING CONSULTANCY

Planting Golden Seeds in Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, and Durham

____________________________

A L I F E I N T H E D A Y O F ...

A Day Dream Believer : A Whole-being

Matty

Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust's

ANNUAL MEMBERS' MEETING 2015

held on Wednesday, 22 July 2015

at the Marriott Hotel in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne

Dear Friends
Whole-being

Today, I introduce you to an organisation dear to my heart. In reading this, I hope that you, too, will come to appreciate the Social, Economic, Political and Spiritual contribution to this region's wellbeing of the Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust (NTW). Below are a few statistics to give you a flavour of NTW, a mental health and disability trust standing firm and strong in its transformative belief that 'the whole is greater than the sum of its parts'.

Think about it for a second.

In this new reality, I flourish. I am no longer a diagnosis digitised forever on Rio, rather I am a whole-being with a past, present and future. I have a supportive family, friends and neighbours. I am part of a vibrant, united community. I am whole and complete: totally at one with life.

There's even a Recovery College on my very doorstep.

As an elder woman of happy and optimistic disposition, this is music to my ears. At long last, the cavalry has arrived. Stigma and discrimination vanish before our eyes. Everyone stands together in a circle of love (and trust). We glimpse a rainbow: we have dignity in mental health.

Words create worlds.

Extraordinary ... worlds
Magical ... worlds
Peaceful ... worlds

Now, visualise these, the facts. With a workforce of 6,000 people, NTW is one of the largest mental health and disability trusts in England. It serves a population of around 1.4 million people, living across an area of 2,200 square miles. It works from over 60 sites across Northumberland, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland. On top of this, it also has a number of regional and national specialist services.

I welcome you to a Life in the Day of ...

Marian @ Krysan
Emotional Wellbeing Consultant

(1) Best Bib and Tucker

Neither do men put new wine into old bottles; else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles and both are preserved.

— Matt. 9:17

As patients, we are all stakeholders in the NHS. We all have a vested interest in its viability, its stability and its wellbeing. To set the scene for this weblog, here are three short stories around informing, persuading and inspiring. These stories are crucial to a proper appreciation of the importance of showcasing the Annual Members' Meeting of the flagship mental health trust I support as a Volunteer/Governor - and as a critical friend. The market place beckons.

Informing.

The US and the UK enjoy levels of material prosperity unprecedented in human history, yet they also have some of the highest rates of mental illness, anxiety, and depression anywhere in the world. Up to 25% of the adult population, and 10% of children under the age of 18, are now being diagnosed or treated for psychiatric symptoms. — Gail Hornstein

Persuading.

I think we need to be bold, imaginative, resourceful and persistently challenging. I think we need to spend our energy on identifying the levers within our grasp, each and every one of us, to ensure that our mental health is valued equally with our physical health. Anything less is incongruent to our humanity. — Jacqui Dyer

Inspiring.

The years of my recovery [from severe mental distress] have been years of joyful discovery. Golden people with a price above rubies constantly happen my way. I stand in awe of them and celebrate a kind and compassionate universe. We learn together and magic ensues. — Marian Moore

(2) Stories matter

Neither do men put new wine into old bottles; else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles and both are preserved.

— Matt. 9:17

Today from NHS England:

A worthy player in the field of informing, persuading and inspiring is NHS England. This is the national NHS leadership organisation which is charged with (among other things) 'telling it like it is' in relation to the state of play re our beloved NHS. No joyfulness here, today. Read this paragraph carefully, looking out for the important (significant) key words which give clues as to the desired direction of flow in troubled times:

"The status quo cannot hold. We need to carry through transformation rather than throwing yet more money at outdated models. Nobody should believe this will be an easy process. Transformation on this scale needs strength of purpose, unwavering commitment, and investment to support innovation and to release the entrepreneurial energies within the NHS, to bring care closer to people’s homes and communities, and to support the empowerment of patients to better manage their own health through modern technologies." NHS England

Key words: transformation, commitment, investment, innovation, empowerment, technologies.

Today from NTW NHS:

So, I am now precisely where I want to be ... swiftly changing direction to re-live a delightfully (hopeful) day spent with the delightfully (hopeful) crowd at the Marriott Hotel in Gosforth. After only 5 years of existence, the Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust has my vote for 'top dog' in the NHS marketing arena for informing, persuading, inspiring ... and transforming. But then, I know (and now you know) that I am somewhat biased.

Yet, in my book, sparkling eyes tell their own story. And, they were there glistening like polished jewels everywhere I looked. What a wonderful gathering of interconnected, like-minded, helpful and hopeful souls! They are justly proud of what has been achieved up here in the North East, a region where every organisation, including our own, has been badly bitten by austerity. Sometimes down, but never beaten. North East and Proud.

I am not alone in being grateful to all who have worked tirelessly and creatively at every level of this organisation - from top to bottom; from bottom to top. The task was mammoth; the rewards are exquisite. For the allotted time, I meandered happily around a market place of interesting NTW stalls, each staffed by interesting NTW people. This was for all in attendance 'a learning community' convened for this one special day of the year, the Annual Members' Meeting 2015.

(3) Shining a Light on the Future

Neither do men put new wine into old bottles; else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles and both are preserved.

— Matt. 9:17

With apologies to all I have missed, here is a list of those whose handouts are stored for posterity in my 'Shining a Light on the Future' cloth bag - in no particular order:

The NTW Autism Service is situated on the Northgate site in Morpeth. This in-patient service works with adults on the autism spectrum who have extremely complex needs. The Trust is currently working on a new purpose-built 15-bed unit.

Ferndene provides an in-patient regional and national service for children and young people aged up to 18 years. Ferndene has 4 wards: Fraser, Redburn, Riding and Stephenson. This is a relatively new, beautifully-appointed facility, one which I have had the pleasure of visiting on 2 occasions.

Library and Knowledge Services. As someone with a passion for books and knowledge, I am fascinated to learn that the Trust libraries hold a combined collection of over 7,000 books and print copies of journals, covering mental health, learning disabilities and neuro-disabilities.

It was also my pleasure to spend time with a representative from the Clinical Research Network in the North East and Cumbria, a worthy organisation helping with research in 30 medical specialities. This includes the Dementias and Neurodegenerative speciality.

The NHS friends and Family Test leaflets were made available to me for information in an easy-read form. Beautifully and clearly illustrated, they ask patients questions about their experience as patients in a ward or out in the community.

There was more - much more, but the above will at least give you the gist as I rapidly run out of blog space. As some of you will know this not an unusual occurrence here at Krysan.org. Maybe it is time I focussed more and got down to writing that pesky novel I keep banging on about. Or, is this it - an evolving e-book - my own special creation? My choice. New wine in new bottles ... !

(4) Annual Members' Meeting 2015

Neither do men put new wine into old bottles; else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles and both are preserved.

— Matt. 9:17

All too soon, the first part of the afternoon at the Marriott was finished and over for another year. It was time now to move on to hear 'the business' of the Trust. This was spelled out in detail from the stage at this Annual Members' Meeting, one well-attended by upwards of 200 persons.

There were 8 items on the Agenda, as follows:

Welcome and Introductions by Hugh Morgan Williams, Chair
Minutes of the Annual Members' Meeting 17 July 2014 by Hugh Morgan Williams, Chair
Chief Executive's Reflections of 2014/15 by John Lawlor, Chief Executive
Report of the Council of Governors / A Governor's Story by Fiona Grant, Service User Governor for Adult Services / Rachel Simpson, Service User for Learning Disabilities Services
Financial Report and Annual Accounts 2014/15 by James Duncan, Executive Director of Finance
Annual Report by Hugh Morgan Williams, Chair
Questions from the Public by Hugh Morgan Williams, Chair
Close by Hugh Morgan Williams, Chair

Long ago, as a diligent young student, I took pride in my elegant (and copious) shorthand notes. Every word was a pearl of great price. Now that I am free of the constraints of previous life choices, I simply sit back and enjoy the performance - wherever I happen to be. And, that's exactly what I did today. I appreciated from the depth of my whole-being, not only what was said, but also how it was said - the voices, accents, inflections, colours, depths, passions. Everything.

This is Appreciative Living. Transformative.

This was, indeed, a 'best bib and tucker' occasion for all of us. I especially loved being witness to the easy banter from the stage, a banter that belied the seriousness (even the gravity) of the occasion. Not forgetting for one moment the meticulous preparation that had so obviously gone into getting everything just right and ready for this very public (mandatory) event. Well done all. A worthy effort. Fit for purpose.

(5) Annual Magazine 2015

Neither do men put new wine into old bottles; else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles and both are preserved.

— Matt. 9:17

Unlike the Report and Accounts which are a legal necessity, the Annual Magazine is not - it is a relatively new optional addition to NTWs publications. A little bird told me that last year's print run totalled a staggering 1,000 copies and this by popular demand! Everyone seemed to want to know about Recovery.

As I quickly leaf through the pages of the current issue about The Whole Person, I am looking out for an article on transformation. All the articles in the Annual Magazine are good news, but this one really hits the spot for me. So, without further ado, I conclude by quoting directly from 'Transforming how we work with you' by Stewart Gee. Stewart is the Technical Programme Manager for Transformation. He writes:

The word transformation has become the buzz word of recent years and Transformation is often confused with the word change. However, there is distinct difference.

In transformation, you design your future and then design ways to bring it about. Transformation doesn't describe the future by referencing the past (better, faster, or cheaper), is designs a future that is entirely new.

The work we are progressing through community transformation was originally developed using this approach. The clinically led Service Model Review developed principles to underpin all transformation within NTW.

It is already clear that the budgets we receive to deliver services in the NHS are unlikely to grow significantly in the near future and we must ensure that every pound spent in our trust adds value to our patients.

Transformation means radically changing what we have now - a departure from previous efficiency savings programmes, which have tended to focus on doing things the same way for less money. The transformation programmes we are currently progressing in NTW are making permanent widespread, sustainable differences to our services and our culture, which will drive the necessary change to our organisation's care, support and health care.

A butterfly is a transformation, not a better caterpillar ...

— Stewart Gee

(6) Aspiring to inspire

Neither do men put new wine into old bottles; else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles and both are preserved.

— Matt. 9:17

I think you will agree that a multitude of safe hands are steering the Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust. I am well aware this is not an easy ride. Leadership takes skill, wisdom, courage and a strength of purpose above and beyond the norm. It also takes teamwork with everyone pulling in the same direction.

To all of you, I say thank you - you save lives. At what cost this is to your own whole-being, one can only imagine. Stay safe, stay well, invest in yourself: our invitation from life is to not let changes get us down, but to lift ourselves up and move past them. No matter what happens over the next several years, we'll be at our best if we are grounded and heart-centred.

Words create worlds.

Marian Moore
NTW Governor for Older People's Services

A Call for Parity of Esteem

Investment in mental health services means a more compassionate society, a more caring society and I would also argue a fairer society. - Hugh Morgan Williams, NTW Chair

Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (NTW)

http://www.ntw.nhs.uk/

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NTW Annual Magazine 2015

The Whole Person

http://www.ntw.nhs.uk/section.php?l=1&p=1071

Reflection 267

Welcome!

Alert Idiocy

It's never too late to have a marvellous childhood. True maturity is that second childhood which I still call alert idiocy.

(Douglas Harding. The Trial of the Man who said he was God.)

ENDS

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