The
other event I’m celebrating in this blog is being at Greater Manchester Mental
Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) for one whole year. I joined GMMH on the first
of January 2024. It was not where I thought I might spend 2024, but looking
back, I’m thinking what a great place to have spent the last 12 months. I last worked
at GMMH 40 years ago. Coming back in January last year absolutely felt like
coming home. For a moment or two at least.
In
many ways, 2024 was a very challenging year. As I mentioned in last week’s
blog, I was asked before Christmas what did I think had changed at GMMH in the
12 months since I had taken up the role of Chair. It was a great question and
really made me stop and think. To be trueful, the first six months felt very
strange. All the cues indicating an effective organisation with a healthy
culture were missing.
I
sometimes use the corporate office corridor as an example of what this felt
like for me. That is where the Executive Directors and I have our offices.
During those first six months, the corridor would, in the main, be deathly
quiet. All the office doors would be closed and there was very little movement
of people. It was silo working personified. Partly, this was a result of the
original Board having been almost entirely replaced by interim folk. All of
whom, undoubtedly, had the requisite skills and experience for their roles. Unfortunately,
there was little evidence of team working, trust, or a concerted willingness to
challenge some longstanding and endemic issues and move GMMH forward. I firmly
believe it is the Board that sets the tone for the culture of an organisation.
Fast
forward to 2025 and things feel very different. We now have a substantive
Board, and it is a Board that is made up of folk operating at a high level of
effectiveness, working together and absolutely unafraid to tackle those difficult
issues. I describe these folk as having ‘skin in the game’ - others might
describe it as a high degree of commitment and purposefulness.
That
corridor itself is also now so very different. Office doors are often open, I
hear laughter, banter, and there is much movement. Some of the offices now reveal
something about the people who use them, with plants, pictures and other
personal items aplenty to be seen. People are visible and it is wonderful to be
introduced to so many new faces of folk working across GMMH, visiting my Board
colleagues for meetings and so on.
Of
course, the difference in the corporate offices is not the most important
change I would describe as having occurred over the past 12 months. However, it
is indicative of a wider change in the organisational culture and level of
ambition to be found right across GMMH. It is something I observe every time I
visit a clinical service or one of our professional support departments.
Colleagues are increasingly willing to own many of the longstanding and emergent
issues and work together in finding solutions and new ways of working. The
safety and quality of care provides a solid bedrock for decision making. Service
user and carer voices are increasingly being heard and responded to. There is a
sense of pride when things are working well, and a determination to do better
when we don’t get things right
Whilst
there is a great deal more optimism and positivity to be observed, we have a
long way to go. It sometimes feels like every week brings a new issue or
problem to address. That said, I think one of the greatest differences now from
12 months ago is the leadership that is beginning to emerge across GMMH, from Board
to Ward. It is a transcendental leadership that people can believe in, trust
and draw upon on our journey of improvement. It is clear that for the whole of the
NHS, 2025 is going to be an incredibly challenging year. More so than any year
before. I’m glad to be working with folk who I think will be able to respond
creatively, positively and with energy to any, and all of these challenges. And
that is a huge difference from what I found at the beginning of January last
year.
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