How effective communications can save lives

Recently I have had to spend much time at an NHS hospital where a close relative is very poorly. 


During my hours there, partly spent talking to consultants, doctors and nurses of every rank, and partly spent sitting by the bed watching what goes on, I have come to two conclusions about communications.


Firstly, with each different department and ward my relative was on, contact details were at least eight years out of date. This matters because if they had to get in touch with next of kin urgently either to update or to take instruction, they couldn't. It also matters because if the contact details are out of date, what else is? Maybe the patient information, maybe the medication information - it doesn't exactly instil confidence. Worse still, having told each department or ward the right information, it wasn't passed on either to Central Records to put it right, or to the next department or ward - so I have to keep remembering to check.


Secondly, in certain units there is little communication about patients between staff during shift changes. On one occasion I gave some important, useful and perhaps crucial information. During a subsequent phone call I asked what had been done, to be told: "People are only supposed to be on this unit for one or two days so there's never much of a shift briefing". How outrageous is that? The unit in question is for serious medical problems - won't they get more serious (possibly life-threatening) if staff don't know what's really going on? 


Let me make one thing very clear, dear readers, the care given by doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants is second to none. I'm highlighting a need for more effective, joined-up communications - from the top down, cross-departmentally and from grass roots up.


Is it likely to happen in the NHS? Am I hopeful? What do you think?


And don't get me started on the topic of charging for car parks in hospitals!

Note to self : work/life balance means just that!

It seems an age since I had any time off. I've been working like a demon. Long days and short nights. Weekends. 


It's the Easter break coming up and I have four days on the trot to fill in. I started to plan which projects I could fit into the days to maximum effect without the distraction of multitudinous emails and phone calls. Then I had a revelation: it's meant to be holiday time for a reason. 


And as this thought permeated through my brain, I felt a release. I gave myself permission to relax and take time out. 


I've always been a great advocate of effective time management balanced with periods of relaxation and rejuvenation, to other people including my clients. I know I should be practising what I preach and actually normally I do - but somewhere along the line, I've become so busy with deadlines and workloads there just hasn't been enough time for me.


So today I have made a decision. I am taking this afternoon off (I still need to close off those impending deadlines this morning) and starting my Easter break early. My clients, I'm sure, will appreciate they need me bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on Tuesday morning, ready to start all over again. A revelation indeed!


Now ... just what needs doing around the house over the weekend; what jobs shall I start first?!! Oh dear, here I go again!