Stories: the good, the bad and the ugly
07 September 2023
Sarah reflects on the power of stories and her own stories that led her to the Point of Care Foundation.
Topics
The world survives on stories – it’s what makes us human. They create connections through common purpose and help communities share their histories. Hearing stories can facilitate greater shared understanding and meaning.
Stories can be a force for good and they can also have a shadow side.
Rapport, trust and empathy can be nurtured through storytelling – but it comes with a risk of misuse for spreading rumours and untruths.
Since joining the Point of Care Foundation earlier this year, I have been reflecting on my own story and the many stories I have been a part of throughout my career. As I complete my initial 6 months here in my first charity role, I wanted to share some stories from my past that led me here.
I somewhat fell into a career in the NHS some 30 years ago. I had several happy years in my clinical roles before moving into education and, latterly, leadership and organisational development. During this time, I was part of some amazing teams, was led by some inspiring people but also experienced some of the very worst management.
The thing I loved most about these roles were the people – my peers, fellow staff, patients and their families – and I had a real fascination with how we all communicated with each other. The myths that abound across professions between clinicians and their patients, managers and their staff, often felt as if we were on the same stage but reading lines from different plays.
My stories
Two stories (one very early in my career and one in my first deputy director role) caused me to question the culture and narrative of being part of the health and care system.
The first occurred while I was a very junior member of the pharmacy team. I was on a ward delivering some discharge medications and I saw a lady who appeared a little distressed. I asked her what the matter was and if there was anything I could do to help. She explained she was recovering from a stroke, had residual paralysis in her right hand and wanted to paint her fingernails as her son was visiting for the first time, but she couldn’t manage it. So, with her permission, I popped myself on the bed beside her and 10 minutes later I had painted her nails. Her face transformed into a smile, and I left feeling good that I had been able to help her day. I was later reported by the Nursing team and severely reprimanded by my then manager.
My second story relates to a time the Trust I was working for was due to have its first CQC visit. I was asked to present to the Board on the status of the compliance with statutory training: the numbers were not good. I was asked if I could portray them differently to paint the Trust in a better light. I challenged this and suggested we instead show how we understood the data, had identified the causes and were working with teams to improve the situation. This request was ignored – I was asked to lie – and I resigned.
Why do I mention these stories?
Both stories remind me that the human element of care was ignored and that, as a member of staff, I was affected by both. I felt sad and angry that people had lost sight of what really matters to people.
Fast forward to the present day and my role as Head of Staff Experience Programmes at the Point of Care Foundation gives me a unique insight into the current stories relating to the health and care services: the good, the bad and the ugly.
The stories in the press of demotivated workforce, vacancies, strike action are all real, powerful and emotive. Related to this, the NHS staff survey talks of high levels of stress-related absences and demonstrates the impact of stress on general staff well-being.
I would like to add a foil to this: through our Communities of Practice across almost 270 Schwartz Round sites in the UK and Ireland, we hear of people feeling valued and heard. We hear of senior clinicians saying, ‘I feel safe to say I don’t feel OK, I was heard not hounded.’ We hear of staff being treated as people first and that normalising our emotions at work is – not just fine – but to be welcomed, applauded, and sustained.
Creating safe, reflective spaces through Schwartz Rounds is a simple and powerful intervention that we know will have an impact on your staff feeling valued. And valued staff are more capable of delivering compassionate care.
If you’re interested in creating your own positive staff experience stories, please contact our amazingly talented team here.