Like all things, this too, shall pass.

Last week turned out to be an interesting week in many ways. On Thursday I was part of a meeting facilitated by NHS Providers. It was a meeting for NHS Chief Executives and Chairs. The first part of the meeting involved addressing some challenging questions around race, and anti-racism. Amanda Pritchard (Chief Executive of NHS England) was part of the panel that explored what these questions might mean for Trust Boards and NHS organisations. She reflected on the NHS England journey in addressing race equality. You can find some of the questions here in the NHS Providers press statement. One take home message for me was the challenge: ‘What we tolerate we permit – what we permit we promote’. It was a thought that resonated with me, not just in the context of moving towards race equality but also in other areas where strong leadership is required and expected.

Over the past two years we have seen many examples of where such leadership has been flawed, not least of all with our political leaders and the so called ‘partygate’. Yes, just like Covid, it’s not gone away. Last Friday marked the second anniversary of the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring a worldwide pandemic. It’s been a hard two years for many, and sadly for some it still is. While many of us are beginning to look past the pandemic, and to find ways of safely living with Covid, the WHO warns that a new variant has been identified. The Deltacron variant has traits from both the Delta and Omicron variants. It is already starting to rapidly spread across Europe. It is one to keep an eye on but illustrates that Covid hasn’t gone away and we need to remain careful in keeping up the infection control practices we have all become so familiar with during the pandemic.

Another reason for doing just that has to be the steep rise in the number of Clostridioides difficile cases (or C. diff as we refer to it in our quality assurance meetings) since the start of 2022. It is a bacterium that causes an infection of the colon, giving rise to symptoms that can range from diarrhoea to death. In 2020, the last time the rates were published, 107 people in England died from C. diff related illnesses. Across the UK, rates have been falling since 2008. There doesn’t seem to be an agreed reason as to why the cases have started to rise. Possibly the increased antibiotic use during the pandemic might be a contributing factor, or maybe we have started to become less vigilant about keeping up with the covid precautions. Interestingly, the gel we have all been using helped protect us against covid, but it does nothing for preventing the spread of C. diff – but soap and water and regular handwashing does.

Of course, whilst C. diff and Covid are important, today is day 18 of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. My clogs are still Blue and Yellow as symbol of my support for the Ukrainian people. I keep the Ukrainian people in my thoughts and prayers each day. However, I was interested to read last week about Semyond Bagdasarov, a Russian historian and academic, who incredibly (and courageously) spoke on a prime time state run TV programme, criticising the invasion and war. He was also joined by Karen Shakhnazarov, a film maker who challenged the idea that what Russian troops were doing wasn’t a ‘special military operation’. Both of them now risk going to jail because of their criticism of the Kremlin’s actions. Such criticism contravenes a Russian law passed in the week before last regarding publishing ‘fake news’ about the war. Unlike Trump, the Russian parliament have defined what ‘fake news’ is – essentially any criticism of the war. Actually thinking about it, Trump did something similar – he defined ‘fake news’ as anything that criticised him. If found guilty, Bagdasarov and Shakhnazarov could both spend up to 15 years in a Russian prison. Not a good thought.

Bagdasarov reminded viewers of the disastrous invasion the Soviet Union mounted in Afghanistan in 1979. It was a war of attrition that lasted 10 years. The then leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, pulled out after realising there was no ‘victory’ to be had. Interestingly, Gorbachev's family were from Russian and Ukrainian descent. The ending of the Afghanistan war also heralded the end of the Soviet Union, and perhaps more importantly the end of the ‘Cold War’. He was best known for his policy of ‘glasnost’ (meaning openness), which led to much greater freedom of speech and expression. Now 92 years of age, Gorbachev has long been a fierce critic of Putin.

Reflecting on these memories and thoughts a number of things occurred to me. One, all these events have happened in my lifetime. I wondered to myself whether I had really paid any attention to the underlying issues involved. Secondly, the global response to the pandemic, and local responses made to prevent the harm that C. diff can cause, made me very grateful that we have science and good public health practice to help keep us all safe.

The third thought was a rather more reoccurring one: all things will pass. It is a notion that has many claims to its origins, from Jewish and/or Turkish folklore, to references in the Bible. Many famous people (and not so famous I guess) have used the phrase to describe something that will be true in good and bad times, or to note the perpetual oscillation between good and evil, or the bringing down of pride and the promotion of humility. It is a thought that can provide a helpful focus. When things feel hopeless, reminding oneself of the words, can bring hope.

I absolutely can’t imagine what it must be like for all those folk struggling and fighting against the invasion of Ukraine or those who have fled their homes for a now very uncertain future. However, I have to believe that this conflict, like all things, will pass. Across the globe, we must continue to act to stop this despicable attack on a nations freedom and democracy. It is heartening and encouraging to see world Governments of all complexions, major organisations and millions of ordinary folk everywhere, rising up and seriously responding to the challenges represented in that notion of what we tolerate we permit (and what we permit we promote). Peace not War!