THE sad death of TV personality Caroline Flack this week has sparked huge debate about values and behaviours in our society.
The major thing I take from this, apart from the tragic death of a successful young woman, is the need for every single one of us to just make sure we are kind to one another. As a society we seem to be growing more cynical and the loudest voices out there seem to be the most negative ones. People seem so quick to jump on mistakes and thrive in sharing their unfiltered and often unfounded opinions.
Some people end up being vilified for those mistakes on a national scale with little thought of their feelings and that is just wrong.
There is no doubt in my mind that we need to remember the importance of kindness.
Bringing this closer to home this is why we, as a board, are so committed to our Just Culture and Compassionate Leadership programme. We have spoken about the need for cultural change in the organisation and if I can stress anything it is the need to put kindness first.
We all mess up some times and it is rarely deliberate and there are times when we all need support and words of encouragement so when someone is feeling low, please be kind to each other.
In a world where we can be anything, be kind.
Long Service awards
IN terms of kindness I made a special mention of this at the Long Service and Staff Achievement awards this week.
It was fantastic to meet so many people who have made such a commitment to the NHS over so many years. There are few careers out there that play such a big role in people’s lives. It is a big responsibility and everyone who works for the NHS for a long period of time deserves great praise for all they have done day in day out to help others.
We have seen a lot of talk about kindness this week and the need to look after each other and it is important that we look after our colleagues by rewarding and recognising good work and showing compassion and empathy when things don’t go to plan.
Staff Survey
THIS week saw the results of the national NHS staff survey published.
More than 3,100 staff, (47%) reply to the survey which was our best ever return and I would like to thank each and every person who completed the survey for their feedback because you have given us a real insight into the organisation, letting us know what we do well and where we need to improve. I want to assure you that your feedback will be used. We have a number of key themes that we are working on and making changes that will benefit everyone.
One thing I also want to stress is that if you have ideas that will help us my door is always open. Please feel free to get in touch with me or any member of the senior team at any time and give us your thoughts.