There seems to be a growing attitude that the Francis Report will not result in any great change. No doubt there will be a few worthy policies generated—although the amount of linked documentation is as likely to distract and irritate as it is to inspire more attentive caring. But any hope that it will be […]
Reading the Francis Report for many of us is like looking in a mirror. The mirror is at an angle, magnifying the perversities in the picture, but it is all recognisable. We see our NHS reflected back at us, the NHS in England in the early years of the 21st Century. As the weeks since […]
One word that keeps being used in response to the Francis report into failings at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust is “shame.” Interestingly, it seems to be used more than “guilt” and most certainly more than “remorse.” This is worrying because shame is particularly hard to process, an emotion that typically lurks around in individuals and organisations, […]
The Francis Inquiry report rightly focuses on the need to transform the healthcare culture. It has made it clear that fault lines run throughout the NHS, from top to bottom, and that the inhumanity exposed at Mid Staffordshire is not restricted to that locality. The huge number of recommendations in the report (290) is presumably […]
An important aspect of my job as a clinical director was acting as a buffer between the ever increasing number of new policy initiatives gathering in the system at large and the clinical staff I managed. I took the view that front line staff do work that is demanding—intellectually and emotionally—and need to be distracted […]
Why do good staff become bad? This seems a particularly pertinent question for those of us interested in healthcare in the aftermath of Mid Staffordshire, Winterbourne View, and the repeated and deeply depressing glugs of distasteful information coming through about our callousness towards the elderly. There is certainly no evidence that healthcare staff are more […]
I recently attended a symposium at the Tavistock Clinic entitled Cultures of Care: Cruelty and Kindness. As the Tavistock is a psychoanalytic institution, there was a lot of focus on understanding the problem and the discussion was complex and challenging with the shameful examples of Mid-Staffordshire, Winterbourne View and the Care Quality Commission’s report on […]
How many of us feel the culture in the NHS brings out the best in us? Judging from the majority of staff surveys, not many. I happen to think this matters enormously. Staff really are the greatest asset to any organisation, especially an organisation where caring is a fundamental part of the task. Creating the […]
At this year’s London Psychiatric Trainee conference, I listened to Penelope Campling speak eloquently about the importance of compassion in the delivery of healthcare. In her book Intelligent Kindness, she argues that when we fail to promote connectedness between staff, and kinship with patients, we fail to address the “key dimension of what makes people […]
“You saved my life, doctor. I can’t thank you enough.” Letter from Tom 2011 “Our mother is dead … because of you.” Bereaved daughter. Poplar coroner’s court 2010 “What is the drug you use with patients all the time?” “The doctor is the drug.” M Balint 1952 [1] Professional identity is particularly strong in doctors […]