While I’m not a great man, I know there was a great woman standing next to me

I had a fabulous Friday last week. It started well with the disposal of two old lawn mowers that had been cluttering up my shed. Here on the Flyde coast we seem to have a great system of recycling going on. All you need to do is place unwanted items on the grass verge outside the house, sit back and take bets on how long it takes for the items to disappear. It was less than 20 mins for the lawn mowers! The day took a slight dip on the journey into Manchester. Some readers of this blog may remember the one I wrote a couple of weeks that included a reference to a young lady who had threatened to jump off a motorway bridge and how the courts had dealt with her. Well last Friday, in the middle of the rush hour, the motorway was closed at the same bridge for the same reason. As we queued to be diverted off the motorway I couldn’t help wondering if this was the same young lady and if so, thought about the level of desperation she must be feeling to attempt once more to take her life in this way. 

It was a somewhat poignant moment in the day as I was on my way to attend the bi-monthly Greater Manchester Health and Care Board. This is a meeting I really enjoy going to. We get to hear of the transformation work going on across Greater Manchester (and beyond). Often the papers and presentations are made by those both involved in making things happen, and those benefiting from the changes: patients, community representatives and other health and care colleagues. This meeting was no different. There was an update on the Cancer Programme – with a healthy debate between the clinician Cancer Board member and a service user Board member discussing the balance of prevention, early detection, research and treatment. Last December, Manchester became the first of two Proton Therapy services in the UK to come on-line, which is particularly good news for children and young people where the long-term side effects of radiotherapy are of great concern.

Likewise, there was a presentation on the progress being made on the new approach to palliative and end of life care. Great progress had been made over the last year in delivering on the 12 commitments to those approaching, or within the last year of their life. 

The importance of innovation was discussed with a brilliant presentation from Ben Bridgewater, Chief Executive of Health Innovation Manchester, and it was good to see a really joined up approach being adopted by the four Universities of Manchester; each playing to their particular strengths in undertaking research used to underpin the transformational approaches to improving health care. Links with industry were growing and combined with the research focus, these were really making a difference in terms of discovery, development and deploying new solutions to improving the health and well being of folk. 

There was also an introduction to the role of the new North West Regional Office of NHS England / Improvement. It was an interesting presentation. Someone more cynical than myself might have thought that the NHS organisational and structural change wheel had come full circle. Those as old as me might even remember Regional Health Authorities and Strategic Health Authorities. That said, the new Regional Office Director, Bill McCarthy, is an immensely experienced leader with a fantastic record of achievement in both government, policy development, service delivery and beyond. If anyone can make a difference, I think it will be this man. 

His message was simple, but powerful, and captured in 2 aims and 5 priorities. The regional Office would: (1) promote and support greater coherence to a system that had become very fragmented; (2) support greater decentralisation of decision making, moving decision making closer to those communities where care is provided. These two aims may sound mutually exclusive, but I don’t think that was the case. He appeared to be saying rather than have central dictats that are universally applied, there should be room for local interpretation by those who understood the needs of their community.

His 5 priorities reinforced this approach: 1 Addressing the health status of individuals and communities, reducing inequalities and preventing poor health; 2 Promoting and maintaining greater commitment to the NHS Constitution standards (not adopting a target setting and monitoring perspective); 3 The safety and quality of the care provided is paramount – needs to be at the heart of all that we do; 4 Embracing long term planning (and re-imagining how we work together; re-inventing care services; embracing technology; re-establishing academic relationships); and 5 Developing more effective industry partnerships (and also partnerships across other areas of the public sector service). It was a refreshing view of a very turbulent health and care landscape. Achieving these changes would mean not letting egos get in the way of progress or worrying about perceptions of power gained or lost. 

The afternoon saw me back at the University to say goodbye to my former PA of nearly 10 years, Jennie Bacchus. We opened a couple of bottles of bubbles, and with many other colleagues, reminisced the afternoon away. Jennie had worked with various iterations of the School for some 35 years, and over that time she has touched many lives - those of our students, our colleagues and partners. She also touched mine, and for that I will be eternally grateful. Right from day one of my appointment as Dean, she supported me through the good and not so good times. Over the years we had many laughs but there were some sad times too. However, throughout it all she always had a smile and a cup of tea to share just at the right moment.  

I never had to worry about where I was going, who I was seeing or what I needed to have read in preparation, she provided me with every detail covered. Jennie tolerated my eccentricities and never once said anything about the chickens, pictures or anything else I brought into my office. She protected me from unwelcome callers, gave me the heads up on emerging issues and I can’t thank her enough for the loyalty and generosity she afforded me every day.  All of which helped me to help others, to be supportive and generous too; and to provide opportunities for others to flourish and grow. I like to think that together we truly made a difference to many, many people who became part of the past, present and future health and social care workforce. 

I know you still read this blog Jennie, so can I say a big THANK YOU and I hope you get to enjoy your well-earned retirement as much as I do.