A day spent well, brings a happy sleep

Wow last week was a busy one, but immensely varied and interesting. Tuesday was the first of several long workdays. Much of the day was spent at my Trust headquarters, a day that also included my annual appraisal. Thankfully it appears folk felt the last year had gone well, and we were making great progress with our recovery plan. It was good to hear the feedback and reflect on both where we had come from and where we were headed.

That evening, I joined colleagues from the Jewish Action for Mental Health group. I had been invited last March to meet with them to discuss how we might work more closely together. There are large Jewish communities across the areas in which we provide mental health services, so it makes perfect sense. I really enjoyed that initial meeting and pledged to work more closely with them. I provided them with an introduction to colleagues at the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board.

Last week’s meeting was different. It was the premiere showing of a film that explored the notion of suicidality in orthodox Jewish communities. Last year I had been able to go and observe the film being made. It was a different day out for sure. Last Tuesday I had been invited to be part of a panel to discuss suicide (and as it turned out), other more general questions about mental health services. The film was excellent. I was thankful it had subtitles, as some of the words and names used were beyond my understanding and/or awareness.

The panel was a chance to explore how individuals, families and communities might recognise and respond to someone contemplating ending their life through suicide. The World Health Organisation notes that 720,000 people globally end their life through suicide. In England alone, 17 people a day die through suicide. It is the third biggest cause of death among people aged 15-29, particularly males. The welcome I received and networking opportunities over the course of the evening made the very late ending of the day worthwhile.

Wednesday was another long day. It was Day One of this year’s NHS Confederation annual conference. Fortunately, it was held in Manchester, so I was able to do a couple of hours work in the office before catching the tram into Manchester city centre. I got there about 10am and was absolutely stunned by the sheer number of delegates. Now several colleagues were also in attendance, but over the whole day I only saw two other colleagues from our Trust. Jane’s youngest was also there, and it was complete serendipity that I bumped into her. She appeared to be really enjoying the experience.   

Whilst it was crowded, it was a great opportunity to network, and I was able to catch up with some longstanding friends and colleagues from around the UK. The standout presentation for me was from the NHS England Chief Executive, Sir Jim. His was the most popular session by far, and the audience filled the large auditorium, and an almost as big conference hall too! His was a perfectly paced presentation that touched upon a number of existential issues facing the UK and the NHS, but always with pragmatism and an inclusive tone.

I had seen Sir Jim just eight days earlier at a meeting of North West NHS System Leaders in downtown Bolton. I didn’t know he was going to be speaking there until the day of the meeting. In my blog the previous Sunday, I had been talking about the announcement of the so-called mental health emergency units. I ended the blog by saying that if I could have a conversation with Sir Jim, I would talk to him about investing in community and neighbourhood services. Two days later there he was so my opportunity arose. As I told the meeting, it was like a dream come true – which made my colleagues laugh.  I was pleased to be able to ask him a question which last week he built upon in his presentation, referencing the Bolton meeting.

However, what made the day a long one was my attending the evening drinks and canape reception. There was plenty of food and wine, and great company too. However, my hotel was a good 30 mins tram ride away, and when I got there, I still had an hour’s work to catch up on. But like my evening with the Jewish Action for Mental Health colleagues, I did go to sleep once again thinking it had been a worthwhile way to spend a day.