Doing different things and making a difference

My lovely wife has the travel bug, and a long list of places that she would like to go to. Last week two holiday brochures came in the post. I was surprised as we hadn’t requested them and, like most folk thinking about holidays, we would simply browse the internet. Anyway, J started to look through them and we both became quite excited about some of the holidays on offer. She particularly liked the idea of exploring exotic destinations and spending 28 days in a sunshine-filled country during the cold winter months. I didn’t and told her so – ‘I agree, but it’s what many retired people do; they find somewhere hot and disappear over winter, leaving all their woes behind’ she said.

I carefully pointed out that she was still well and truly employed and that I couldn’t see her boss being really pleased about J taking a month off to go and explore the foothills of Kenya somewhere. ‘Apart from which’, I asked, ‘who would we get to look after the goats, chickens, cats, Dylan the dog and Billy the parrot?’ None of which appeared to be a problem as far as J was concerned. So, I also reminded J that I was working and sadly just couldn’t take a month off. She laughed and reminded me that I was meant to retire over four years ago. Which is true, but I choose to continue to work, albeit part time.

Over the last 10 years, I have been a Non-Executive Director in three different NHS acute Trusts. I’m currently a Chair of a large acute NHS Foundation Trust in Greater Manchester. The hospital is 65 miles away from my home and, as well as online meetings, involves an at least twice weekly 90-minute commute on some the most challenging motorways in England. But I love what I do, and the folk I work with, so spending three hours each day on the road doesn’t worry me. And as long as I remain healthy and well, I want to continue in the role for my full term, which means at least another three years. Then possibly I might retire.

Now I’m not alone in continuing to work after I should have retired. In the UK there are more than one million people over the age of 65, who continue to work. Last week the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) published a report last week that looked at how employment patterns have changed for folk in their 50s and 60s between 2002 and 2019. The IFS study notes that early retirement is increasingly becoming the preserve of the wealthy. Today, a greater number of people are having to work for longer, due to the increasing cost of living and a lack of financial security. These are people in their late 60s and early 70s. This is a change from 20 years ago. Back then, how much money you had accumulated was not the overriding factor for those in their 50s and 60s thinking of retiring early.

Interestingly, although the IFS study only looked at trends up to 2019, the pandemic appears to have reinforced this trend for many employment groups, particularly those in professions and caring occupations. There has been a significant increase of people in these groups taking early retirement. Being able to make this choice clearly must include consideration of an individual’s financial situation. However, it was quality of life that is reported to have been a stronger incentive. The pandemic appeared to perhaps prompt folk to think more deeply about what is important to them in life, the degree of stress they experienced at work and of course the opportunity to do something for themselves.

Sadly, the pandemic also had another impact for some people; people who had no choice but to leave the workforce due to health reasons. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) notes that the number of people becoming economically inactive due to health reasons is only likely to grow. This is a trend that will continue to challenge both individuals and already workforce-challenged organisations such as the NHS. People with long term and often complex health issues, who are unable to work and who perhaps must survive on benefits, are likely to experience further health problems.

In many healthcare organisations, workforce shortages are already having an adverse impact on the range, quality and safety of the services the rest of us need to have provided. Recruitment and retention have become two of the most serious challenges for the NHS to deal with. There are no easy solutions. For many of the health professions, there is a long training lead in time. Alternative and new entrants to the health care workforce provide some relief, as does greater use of technology and new ways of providing treatments and care. Virtual wards are growing in use and sophistication, but we are not there just yet and such approaches don’t work for all health problems. The recent medical industrial action has also revealed another problem around the training of doctors. Their education and training rely heavily on the guidance, support, and supervision of senior experienced doctors such as consultants. And these are increasingly a group of healthcare professionals who have chosen to retire early, taking their knowledge and experience with them.

Me, I don’t need to work for financial reasons, although both of us earning does help to fulfil our dreams and holiday bucket list. I do it, because I can, and most of all, I enjoy it. Last Friday we had our ‘Making a Difference Award’ evening. Over 300 colleagues came together to celebrate the great contributions they had all made over the last year. If it doesn’t sound too patronising, I have to say I felt so proud to be part of such a fabulous group of people. They give me a reason to get out of bed in the morning, and at my age, that has to be a good thing.