I wanna tell you a story by Euan MacLeod

Some may remember Max Bygraves and his signature catch phrase “I wanna tell you a story”

Storytelling has been around for years, we are storytellers by nature, we have used stories over the centuries to communicate verbally when people couldn’t read. The bards used storytelling in song form to pass on tales and exploits. Storytelling has been used to communicate important aspects of culture that can be passed from generation to generation.

Stories from great orators such as Martin Luther King have become embedded in the struggle for equality and created an impetus for social action.

Sometimes stories shock us, sometimes they inspire us, but always they connect with us at an emotional level and perhaps help us to see things from a different perspective.

Storytelling in Health and social care is not new – you may be familiar with “Sams Story” which has featured in several improvement programs within Dumfries and Galloway.

Storytelling in this context was used to help illustrate different ways of doing things which had a positive impact on patient experience. But we don’t know Sam as he didn’t represent a real person, he was an animation so perhaps we didn’t connect emotionally in the way we would if it was a real person. We deal with real people day in and day out we are asked to be compassionate in line with the CORE values of DG NHS.

Storytelling now involves seeing real people telling their story either through the medium of voice only in podcast or though video. The increasing use of digital technology and the increasing connectedness though social media presents opportunities to share and interact.

Storytelling can be a useful way of helping us to understand and make sense of data, patient experience and the impact of policies and procedures, and can help lead to improvements in patient care. The stories we tell convey something of the culture that we work in and can spread both positive and negative ideas.

Stories are soft and alongside the more tangible and hard evidence of the organisational values contained in those policies and procedures, providing a vehicle for transmitting what we feel and experience in those daily relationships as we go about our job of serving and caring. Providing health and social care is about more than simply living by the rules it might also be helping to understand those rules and developing new ones.

COVID has undoubtedly had an impact on how we do our jobs and has changed people’s perceptions in ways which may affect our work for months or even years.

How we think about risk and safety and delivering services has changed and will continue to change.

COVID has told its own story and continues to do so, the impact of COVID has affected people both physically and emotionally.

In this context it may be difficult to think about how we might improve services or patient experience as we struggle with the day-to-day work of just getting the job done. Telling stories about our own experiences, and of those to whom we provide care and support helps both ourselves and those we share those stories with.

I invite you to explore what that might look like and how we might find the space to think about the future in our own areas, being able to let go of some things whilst holding tightly onto other things.

COVID has the potential to prevent us moving forward, to bind us to the present and prevent us from seeing the future more positively.

Storytelling and how this affects our thinking are one way of helping us to share and have conversations.

As Strategic Planning and Commissioning Manager for Long Term Conditions my portfolio includes Cancer.

If I tell you that X % of people diagnosed with Cancer have a poor experience of how that was managed or the numbers of people diagnosed with Cancer seeking support you would have some sense of that as a fact, If I share a story about someone’s actual experience does that feel different, do you feel connected

A person involved in a storytelling project said this;

‘Share them far and wide and get as many people to see them as possible because I think the power of those stories is in the personal detail. It’s not just another cancer story or another story of a cancer journey. It’s a story about the person who experienced cancer.’

So I wanna tell you a story

Here are some stories

They are all about people with Cancer

I leave it to you to read/listen and see what happens

Genevieve’s story is about diagnosis day. Genevieve’s story – Home. She describes her story ‘Ordinary is more precious, more extraordinary than anything else in your life but only realised when you envisage it gone.’ Here is a link to Genevieve’s story Genevieve’s story: Home – YouTube

 Rubina’s story includes challenges of diagnosis and the importance of communicating. Rubina’s story – Searching for Humans. She describes her story ‘The importance of human connections: From feeling lost and unheard in my cancer experience to using my voice to support people affected by cancer.’ Rubina’s story: Searching for Humans – YouTube

 Michelle was part of a personalisation and choice workshop where she describes the positive relationships, she experienced throughout her cancer experience.

Michelle’s story – Collecting Sunflowers. Michelle describes her story ‘Collecting Sunflowers is about the incredible health and care professionals’ people that supported me on my cancer journey, and my personal journey towards learning to live and think differently and advocating for my care.’ Here is a link to Michelle’s story Collecting Sunflowers – YouTube

Euan MacLeod is a Strategic Planning and Commissioning Manager for NHS Dumfries and Galloway

Put it on a leaf and let it go by Karen Gray

If you had said to me years ago try guided meditation, initiate your soothe system, control your stress bucket,  try compassion focus therapy, and put it all on a leaf, I would have rolled my eyes as far as they could possibly go.  

I also saw occupational health almost as a negative. And just something you got referred to if you had a lot of sickness absence.

I thought I had resilience, coping strategies, and stress management.  
I prepared for the worst, so if it happened, which in nursing and more specifically critical care, it did quite frequently,  I was prepared. 

I also put myself under pressure by thinking everything was my responsibility to fix  organise and control. 

However it has taken the last two years for me to realise that I didn’t really have any tools to specifically manage any of these issues.  I just put it all away in a box never to be opened.

I also realised that I am very critical of myself. Which I thought was a good way to ensure I always do the best I possibly can. 

Everyone has found the last two years tough for many reasons.
 And I am not about to write why my experience is worse or not as bad than anyone else’s .

Resilience is a funny thing.
I thought I had loads of it. Dealing with multiple expected, unexpected deaths, critically ill patients, staff needing support, patients and relatives needing support, managers needing numbers, equipment failures, audits, inspections, aggression and abuse,  the list is endless.. 

Never did I think I’d be the member of staff needing support, help or guidance from staff support or occupational health. 

But…things change, Pandemics happen, and it sounds ridiculous that it has taken a pandemic for me to reflect on my outlook and my coping statatgies. Or as it turns out the lack of…

Increase in pressures at work, some put on by me, some put on by circumstances regarding the pandemic, unfortunately took its toll. 

But we are nurses, we can cope, it’s all fine!!!!! In reality, we are all delicate, we all need a little or a lot of support at some points in our career. 

Two things I will never forget, firstly the day I broke. 
Something I would normally not even entertain of giving a second thought happened, and that was it. 
Panic, tears, shaking, palpitations,  couldn’t breath, nurse down!!! 
Annoyingly this happened at the start of a nightshift. 
I got through my set of nights, then days off came, and that was it. Nurse down and out!!

Secondly and this sounds awful, but during the first wave I recall when a patient asked me for a drink of water. 
I was so busy, and in my head I thought, I really don’t have time to do that. But I got the water and carried on. 
If I think meetings and computers and phones ringing, audits, huddles are more important than getting a glass of water for someone then something has gone sadly wrong. Although I do appreciate they are all important too. This thought still keeps me focussed on what’s important. 

I spoke with my line manager after this first event, a referral to occ health and Staff support was made and that was one of the fundamental and life changing (sounds dramatic, but it truly was) interventions to happen to me. 

I said earlier I always saw occ health as a bad word, something that was looming in the background if you needed absence management. I  Never really had any dealings with them other than for flu jags or mask fit testing, or if a staff members current sickness episodes requires a referral to be made to occupational health . 

During the pandaemic first wave- I used my peloton cycling classes as stress release, motivation and coping mechanisms- I cried many times during these classes- reaching my goals- powering to the top of the hill with what’s important to you waiting at the top.I remember seeing Mr G at the top of the hill and if I got up without slowing down I would keep him safe. Sounds daft I know.! I wasn’t a fan of the crying, but I read this happens sometimes. 

This was no longer enough, however, so I got an urgent appointment with staff support. Thanks to Jim lemon, Laura, and occupational health. 

Jim came up to critical care every Tuesday- he made himself visible so getting support was easy.
At the time I used to joke saying That’s not for me, let’s not open that can of worms , smile and wave, keep calm and carry on. 
How wrong could I have been.. 

Lisa from staff support phoned me for my first appointment. 
I can’t even remember what I said if I said much at all. I cried a lot, She was so helpful and sent me videos, links and documents to look at and made a follow up appointment. 

Information overload slightly,
But a few concepts stuck in my mind some of which was soothe fight and drive systems
Mindfulness and compassion focus therapy 

I listened to a 5 minute video YouTube by Kirstin Neff on the three components of self compassion  
And an even shorter video on mindfulness 
And that was enough to make me stop and really start my journey to recovery. 

My GP was amazing , he listened, gave advice, which I listened too, which is normally very unusual for a nurse to take advice from a medic!!, asked what I felt I needed and we came up with a plan. Mind website- propanolol – we threw in some sertraline with one box of diazepam to just for once get rid of the tightness in my neck and chest.  And a follow up phone appointment the flowing week. 
I was adamant I was not getting signed off sick from work. However a few days later it became clear there was no way I was in any fit state to go near work never mind take charge of a critical care ward.. 

Then I had a phone appotment with Vicky McQueen from Occupational health. 

Again these first conversations were a blur. Crying, anxiety, chest tightness palpitations more crying, I was full of anger from the initial back breaking straw incident, now I just smile about it, But after numerous appointment with all three, and yes my diary  was full with them, things began to improve. 

I had to engage in all the self help concepts – it was like training your brain to think differently. 

I found this hard at first, my attention span was limited,but small videos, diagrams of simple concepts were the key. 

It’s ok not to be ok. Be kind to yourself – speak to yourself how you would speak to a friend who was struggling – put it on a leaf and let it go- guided sleep meditations took me to beaches,  forests, lake side cottages and the cosmos… 

Messages from colleagues, friends family all helped, my golf acquaintance forced me to go out and play golf just to  get me out doors, peloton gave me exercise- and meditation classes, and i stayed away from Malbec. 

I continued appointments With Vicky and slowly I improved and we came up with a plan of how to get back to work. 
Vicky is one of the nicest people to talk to. She puts you at ease, sounds genuinely interested in your well-being. Has an amazing ability to pick up the right things to try and work through depending on what progress you make. 

She truly was my saviour. And I cannot thank her enough. 
When things are tough, I hear her sensible advice, and I get through them.

My line manager Ritchie was also very supportive and kept in contact regularly. 

My perseverance and hard work with all my ‘homework’ paid off and finally I was ready for work again. 

My second shift back I had a wobble. But Lisa,my colleague,  helped me through, she got Jim Lemon to come and see me. We had a chat about work now and again reiterated that’s it’s ok to feel anxious. He gave me different ways to think about being in that environment again, which helped and I finished my shift. I told myself I did amazing today. 

After that I was fine. 
I use the tools I learned/mastered in all aspects of life now, and I can honestly say my outlook is different, my coping strategies just feel normal day to day practises. 
I don’t stress about things I would normally have
I accept when I have difficult days, and I am kind to myself when I need to be. 

Two other key things happened this year. We now have a family pet, Inbee, a fox red Labrador, who I have to admit I did not want, but Mr G really did so I agreed. however when we went to see the puppies it was like a scene from bridesmaids , I could have opened the boot of our car put the puppies and taken the lot home… 

Now, I’m pretty sure I love Inbee more than my children,  not quite as much as my golf clubs, but nothing goes above those lovelies.

Secondly, my boss Laura, and a good friend were asking “are you sure you are not menopausal”!!! How Rude I thought, How right they were though. The HRT patches were applied- menopause pyjamas were purchased and all is good. But that subject deserves its own  blog. 

So that’s my story. 
I am just so thankful that help is available to us, however I truly believe if i engaged in some of these concepts almost as mandatory , perhaps I could have saved a lot of worry for my family, and  less or hopefully no periods of abscence. 

NHS staff have mandatory training for health and safety, moving and handling to protect our backs, aggression and violence to protect us and our colleagues from injury
Blood sugar training so we open a packet the correct way. 
But what about our heads? 
Stress in the workplace atm seems like it’s own epidemic. 
It took me to break to seek help. And I’m passionate that it possibly could have been avoided. 

There are things offered by DGRI but it’s how you get staff to engage. 
Make it simple , make it mandatory? Not for everyone I admit, but I was one of those people. Ask anyone. And look at me now. I have had a few comments at work recently , saying who are you and what have you done with karen G .

Vicky asked me if I wouldn’t mind sharing my story. 
I just know that me going from the stressed out,  cynical, eye rolling,  let’s just avoid any form of deep and meaningful conversations to the, stronger resiliant accepting person I am today is truly amazing 
And I am proud of myself for taking these positive steps. 
I would never have said that previously … 

Be kind to yourself 
And put it on a leaf and let it go. 

https://youtu.be/5CzEf0RB9DI

Karen Gray is a Charge Nurse on CCU at DGRI