This week’s leadership blog comes from Dr James Thomas

Hello, my name is James.

Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do, excellence, then, is not an act but a habit”. Kindness should be a habit - something we repeatedly do.

Let’s reflect…

When was someone last kind to you and when were you last kind to someone else?

How did it make you feel?  I bet you have more examples than you expected. 

The pandemic has made us consider what really matters to us all.  Many say it has been a “wakeup call” for mankind and we continue to see many acts of kindness day in and day out.  I am proud that before the pandemic began our Partnership launched the “looking out for our neighbours” campaign to remind us all about making positive differences to the lives of our neighbours’ through simple acts of kindness. 

This epitomises to me the kindness we see and hear about every day, the best of our communities and the power of our Partnership. Because as a Partnership, we recognise that acts of kindness are a big part of our culture and at the heart of all we do.  When there is a ‘kindness culture’ then kindness becomes easier.

One definition of kindness is “the behaviours that are intended to bring benefits to others”.  You may say we have an intuitive sense to be kind.  When someone is kind to you, or you express kindness to another, it fosters a sense of wellbeing. I’m sure we have all felt that “warm glow” when we have been kind to another person …. it’s a great feeling.  Compassion is different. Kindness tends to be a more personal thing, an act we deliver for someone else. Compassion is more systemic and does not always depend on the situation.

So as society changes with the pandemic, as members of organisations and as a health and care system, we need to retain our focus on kindness and strive to adopt it as a habit rather than an act.

With so many leadership priorities, can kindness be one of them?  I have seen our Partnership leaders and colleagues lead with kindness despite the difficult times they are facing and even when difficult decisions must be made. It’s therefore clear to me, we can do both. 

Leading with kindness develops a ripple effect, enabling and motivating others to be kind and creating a culture of kindness.  This culture of kindness motivates us all and develops loyalty to one another, our communities, organisations, and the system. 

Our Partnership’s way of working, including our mission, values and behaviours, are helping us move from a competitive environment to a more collaborative approach. It has enabled us to understand other peoples’ views, to recognise our differences whilst enabling us to navigate between so we can deliver on our ambitions, such as reducing health inequalities, managing unwarranted variation in care, using our collective resources wisely and securing the wider benefits of good health and care for all. 

As a Partnership we see diversity as our strength. One that should be both celebrated and enhanced. As leaders, it’s important we empower others to also celebrate diversity, whilst using kindness to look importantly at what we all have in common.

Kindness is contagious. We know the more we experience acts of kindness, the more we want to pay it forward - “one act leads to another”.  Kindness also means looking after yourself, it’s not selfish. So please ensure you are kind to yourself as ignoring this can lead to real burnout and added pressure.

Recently my local primary care network was delivering the COVID-19 and flu vaccinations in the snow to local people who are housebound.  When giving the Pfizer vaccine you must stay with the patient in their home for 15 minutes after administrating it to check they are ok. To pass the time one of our GPs decided to sing to her patient whilst she waited with them. Not only did this pass the time, but it brought joy and kindness to the patient who doesn’t have a lot of visitors. No medical degree was needed for that (but maybe a good singing voice!)

Last week I was speaking with a patient who had seen our advanced nurse practitioner a few days before and as a result had some tests and was now seeing me. She asked me the name of the nurse and I duly gave it to her. She then said, “I want to write and thank her for seeing me last week and arranging these tests, if it wasn’t for her... we would never have picked up this condition and I am so grateful she did, and I want to thank her”.  I thanked the patient and said that was a lovely gesture. I know how important receiving a note of thanks is to me, it can make all the difference to my day. I was delighted to pass this acknowledgement of kindness onto my colleague.  I am sure you all have similar examples.

I am very aware of the pressures across all our system partners and communities as we enter the festive period with the uncertainty of a new Omicron variant.  We see the worries and concerns that can sometimes manifest in frustrations, blame or even anger. It is vitally important we hold on to the kindness we also want to be and see. 

Despite these pressures, we are still here to help those we serve and one another, and as with other parts of our health and care system, general practice has continued to remain open throughout the pandemic and will continue to be so. We are working hard to give people the vaccine to ensure we keep people safe, whilst living with the virus, alongside working hard to prevent ill health and keep people well. 

Yes, we are working differently, and I know that has meant change, for both patients and staff.  This change has helped to ensure we care for more people than we did pre-COVID, in a safe and timely manner.  As a health and care partnership we are working together to be more than the sum of our parts to enable us to deliver the best possible care for everyone. Let’s ensure that as we work together to manage these challenges those acts of kindness are remembered. They not only make us feel good but help to motivate and strengthen our Partnership’s kindness culture. For me that’s the best gift we can give one another at this time of year.

Have a wonderful weekend and stay safe, thank you for your continued resilience and kindness.

James