A slow, but a positive journey towards improvement

Last week was an interesting week, for sure. On Monday, I had arranged to visit our Low Secure Forensic services, as I hadn’t been there for a while. The Lowry Unit, as it is known, provides a lovely environment, particularly the outdoor spaces which have fabulous murals on the walls. The two wards were brightly lit with natural sunshine, and were beautifully decorated. The atmosphere was one of calmness, yet there was lots of activity going on. The whole place felt warm and welcoming. I was hosted by Hayley, one of our Matrons. She was a great host and was happy to both let me see anything I wanted and arrange for me to talk to her colleagues.  If culture is set from the top, then Hayley showed how it could be done well.

She was justifiably proud to have started her career as a healthcare assistant, and had over the years worked herself up into her current position. She remembered me from her nurse training at the University of Salford, and told me I had signed her certificate when she graduated. I was kind of proud too that she had done so well. A couple of other colleagues also remembered me from their nurse training days. Sadly, I couldn’t say the same was true, but it was good to hear, that in a small way, I had been able to make a difference.

On Tuesday, Jane and I bought a canal narrowboat. It is the second time in my life that I have done so; a first for Jane. Just to be clear, we are not going to live on it, but will use it to enjoy the plentiful canals up here in the north west of England. Well, that’s today’s decision anyway…  …who knows? My Summer cold, which had started on the Tuesday, had abated yesterday, so I spent the day on our boat, as I started to take it up to our permanent mooring. It was fun. The weather was kind, and I had great company too. It’s a start of the next chapter of Jane and I making memories together.

Wednesday was a washout. My cold was full blown and so it was a Lemsip and life admin catch up day. Whilst it is important to keep on top of life admin, it’s not my favourite way to spend my time for sure. Every day is precious, and I would rather have been in our garden or walking on the beach.

Thursday was a full-on day. I started very early to avoid the traffic, which meant I found myself sitting in a car park in downtown Ashton reading my current book at 6.45am. I was there to take part in the interviews for a new Chair at Pennine Care Foundation Trust, an organisation with whom we have pledged to work more closely and collaboratively with in the future. I wasn’t due to report in until 8.45am, and by the time I walked through the doors, I was desperate for the loo. Thankfully this was a resolvable problem, and I was well looked after.

My part in the selection process was completed by midday and I whizzed back up the motorways to join in with our first ‘All Colleagues Forum’ at the Trust. For the second time in the week, I felt a sense of pride. Some 500 colleagues joined the call and my Executive Director colleagues took us through our revised organisational, people, and care strategies. There was an update on the return of Oliver Shanley, who back in 2023 undertook an independent review into the issues raised by the undercover Panorama programme into poor care and abuse in our forensic services. He is coming back to see how much progress has been made on our recovery journey. And there is some great improvements to show him and his team. There was also a chance to alert colleagues to our Star Awards celebration in October, a night that is always enjoyable.

Later on Thursday, I joined a national call hosted by the Chair of the new (interim) NHS England. A thousand people from across England joined the call. It was an opportunity to consider some of the ambitions set out in the NHS 10 Year Plan, which had been published earlier in the day. This is not the blog to explore the plan, I will do soon, but it was great to finally receive the 168-page document and see the aspirations it contained.

Friday was a day to be out and about. Which is what we did. As I was out and about, I reflected on my Monday visit to the Lowry Unit. I realised what a milestone that was in being able to reopen the service up for new admissions, something the team there have done successfully since late last year. As a Trust, we have moved forward in terms of improving the safety and quality of care we provide, and even if at times it might feel akin to the maximum 4 mph of a canal boat speed, we are moving forward. And that also makes me proud of all my colleagues who have made this possible. A big THANK YOU to you all.