The self-indulgent one: my end of year post

We have reached the end of 2023. It’s the time where I become a little self-indulgent and think about the past 12 months. What a year it’s been. Sadly, my mother is still in hospital. She lives with dementia and has become gradually frailer, as each week passes. Apart from a dreadful five days, when she was discharged home, my mother has now been in hospital since the end of May. Finally, last week, we heard from the social workers involved with her care that there is a possibility of a residential care home place. Hopefully, my mother will now be assessed early in the new year. She will be discharged to assess her needs and I guess we will have to take things from there.

The last seven months have taken their toll on my father, who is 93 years old and not in the greatest of health. He is not alone. There are still too many people on long waiting lists for diagnostic tests and treatment. Despite the enormous efforts made by colleagues to tackle the backlog, NHS waiting lists remain stubbornly high. Demand for healthcare, often seen through the lens of emergency departments, continues to grow. 2023 was also a year of industrial action by many health professions. The industrial action continues, and will continue to add to the problems facing NHS and social care organisations in 2024.

Some of these problems have become very personal. There has been a rise in what has been described as ‘moral distress’. This is where a colleague’s sense of self is negatively impacted, both psychologically and emotionally. Sadly, this is often a result of folk feeling the care they provide is not where it could be, or because the issues causing people to have health problems are beyond their help; for example, the cost-of-living crisis, fuel poverty, poor housing and so on. All of which are factors that impact on a person’s health and wellbeing. These are challenges that are unlikely to go away in the short term and it remains important that we remain vigilant in caring for those that care for others.

I also faced some challenges during the year. Thankfully, many of these were ‘good’ challenges to encounter. During the year, I happily tagged along while J continued crossing things off her ‘to do’ and ‘places to see’ bucket list. We went to one of her favourite cities, Venice, the first time for me, and despite my dislike of being on water, we had a fabulous time. Later in the year, we flew to Peru and hiked the famous Inca Trail visiting Machu Picchu. 

Of course, being there, I partook of the national drink, Pisco Sour. It is easy to drink and I was probably guilty of drinking too many glasses of the stuff. What I forgot was that it included crushed ice and egg whites in its making. Within three or four days of being in Peru, I had developed a debilitating case of ‘traveller’s diarrhoea’ that defied even regular doses of Loperamide. Looking out for the nearest loo became almost as important as looking out at the wonderful scenery.

So, when we went to India and Nepal towards the end of the year, ice cubes, raw egg whites, and salad stuff were steadfastly avoided. In contrast to Peru, the food in both countries was a vegetarian’s delight. The choice was astonishing and the tastes out of this world. The drink of choice was ice-cold Gurka Beer, wonderful in the heat. Thankfully there was no repeat of the traveller’s diarrhoea. Although I was just too young to go to Kathmandu during the hippie era, it was just as I imagined it to be. And the flight (run by the amusingly-named Yeti Airways) over the Himalayas and around Mount Everest was a dream-come-true for me.

Two of the dreams I had hoped to realise during the year remain yet to be achieved. The first was my hope and prayers for peace in Ukraine. Sadly, on day 676 of the conflict, I’m still wearing my one yellow and one blue clog in support of the Ukrainian people. 

On a much more trivial level, I had wanted to walk from Fleetwood to Preston in one go and to do so along the Lancashire coastal path, as far as it was possible to do so. It is a 27-mile walk. I have done the entire walk, but only in sections (Fleetwood to Lytham, and Lytham to Preston) but ran out of time to do the entire walk in one go. That said I have walked 2,390 #NHS1000miles since 1st Jan 2023. #NHS1000miles is a way of giving a gift back to the NHS. Anyone can join in this initiative, and if you are interested in finding out more details, see here.

It was also a year of learning too. I discovered two new ideas to ponder upon - ‘chatter checkouts’ and ‘wilful blindness’. I had my first experience of ‘steel signing’ – signing my name and writing a message on one of the steel RSJs in our new Urgent and Emergency Care department. I learnt the meaning of deep sorrow, when two of the most influential men in my life died very unexpectedly. RIP Martin Johnson and Andrew Foster. Likewise, during the year, several of my friends and colleagues have received potentially life-shortening diagnoses. I keep them in my prayers. I also learnt that I could be caught out by the unexpected. Last May I stood as a ‘paper candidate’ in the local elections. Imagine my surprise when I was elected. I can now add Councillor to my CV. Likewise, and with great sadness for me, today is my last day as Chair of Stockport NHS FT. Tomorrow I start as Chair of Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS FT. This was an equally unexpected surprise and not on my horizon at all. But, I’m up for the challenge and feel privileged to have been afforded this opportunity. I’m looking forward to getting down to work and meeting my new colleagues in the New Year.

Last but not least, I could not end the year without mentioning the recent Blackpool Tower fire that wasn’t a fire. If you missed the story, you can read it here. There was no fire, but despite this, what was fascinating were the number of people out on the street who claimed they could smell smoke. A classic case of ‘group think’, and something for us all to try and avoid in 2024. And as we get ready to welcome in the New Year, my dearest hope for everyone, is that the next 12 months are filled with kindness and bring much happiness to all.