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| Kissing Cara! |
It's been
a fascinating few weeks, steeped in developing principles for person centred
care. The process brought together people working in health and social care in
all sectors and those with lived experience of services too. I found myself wondering which I was....what
side of the fence? The healthcare professionals were familiar; a warm and
a recognisable part of my past. The
third sector is definitely part of my tribe now:I'm proud of the innovation, the flexibility, the person centredness
at its heart. But I recognised where I
felt I really belonged was with those with the lived experience for this work.
The words expressed went to my heart and its absolutely that, that fuels my
passion for the work.
My name
badge just had my name on it. Just me. Part of every tribe and none. I admit there is liberation in that. Feeling able to see all
parts and advocate for all in the system is part of what I can offer. The
symbol we developed for person centredness does not have a unique collection of
words, they have all been expressed before but they are the ones we connected
with. They are all of our words and they tell the story for all, not just those
with lived experience of care but all of those in the unique relationship of
enabling wellbeing, for themselves, with others. And there is a sacredness in
that relationship. From the trust between the surgeon and patient to the carer
of the person with dementia who together find how to reach out and connect through
the dense fog of the condition.
The
strongest message that has gone to my heart is that for this to thrive we need
compassion, trust and respect for all in the system. And that's not what I hear
about in so many places. A system perfectly designed to not enable person
centredness is the risk. My fear is that this won’t
change if it looks like the only thing we care about in health care is waiting
times. Hardly a day passes when our news
channels don't resonate with talk about waiting times, leaving a system at risk
of distortion. Yes if I need a simple orthopaedic procedure I'm happy to go
where necessary to have it done. But if it’s about a longer term
relationship, frankly I would rather wait for the person I know, the person I
trust. Yes , even if it’s for cancer treatment. Let's
not pretend all waiting is equal, let's allow a flexibility that instead offers
safe and relationship based care. Make the headlines about the real concerns
for health and social care in the future. All of us need compassion, trust and
empathy an everyday reality in health and social care. Let's campaign for that-for
all in that sacred relationship. They all deserve better and we all have a part
to play in that.
Reasons
to be heartful.
The
commitment that I have seen in the last few weeks to make person centred health
and care a reality has been inspiring. Let's keep the inspiration flowing. And there
is a burgeoning romance in this household. Cara is smitten by Buster the chocolate
lab who lives around the corner. It seems mutual (if not exactly exclusive- but
hey!) so happy days all round. Kissing Cara is her new name and their antics
guarantee a smile!
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