tomorrow - Speaking HFMA South Central Annual Conference Modeling Care,Modeling Finance Building the Future

Hi 

With great thanks to Alison Jerome  South Central Skills Development Co-ordinator, HFMA and all the team for the kind Invite to speak at the Modeling Care,Modeling Finance Building the Future confdrece on January 21st 

I have had the great privilege last year to speak at other HFMA regional events and look very much forward to  attending,Learning,speaking and meeting everyone 

TOMMY 

Thanks for reading my blog, You can now view my 8 short flims here! http://tommy-on-tour-2011.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/my-mums-name-was-joan-this-is-our-story.html

Tuesday - two talks #Shropshire Shropshire Partners in Care and Princess Royal Hospital in Telford

Hi With Great thanks to Nicky Jacques Interim Chief Officer Shropshire Partners in Care (SPIC) Tracy Starling ward manager  Princess Royal Hospital in Telford and my great friend Jules Lewis  Specialist Nurse (End of Life Care Facilitator) SaTH passionate about improving End of Life Care foir the kind invite back to speak at two event in Shropshire 

The first talk will be to Care staff from across Care homes and Domiciliary Care agencies throughout Shropshire and Telford at Derby House for Nicky Followed by a talk for Tracy at a staff training day   Princess Royal Hospital  I had the great privilege to speak for Jules last year and was truly inspired  by the day and all I met  Looking forward to returning and meeting more of the people who work across Shropshire making a difference every day  Tommy 

Thanks for reading my blog, You can now view my 8 short flims here! http://tommy-on-tour-2011.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/my-mums-name-was-joan-this-is-our-story.html

First Talk 2016 - University Central Lancashire January 8th

Hi A Big thank you to Eve Potts @Eve_Potts  mental health nurse, senior lecturer uclan, MSc student, for the kind Invite back to speak to Students who attend the University on January 8th 
I had the great privilege to speak at the University back in October 2015 and I was truly inspired by all I  met,you can read read more about that visit and the wonderful pledge Here 
I am very excited and honored to be joined  by my great friend Paul Jebb @Pauljebb1 Exp of Care Professional Lead, NHS England. Hon Snr Lec UCLan.for this talk  The day will consist of a morning session on 'Making A Difference  10am - Mid-Day followed by a talk from Paul 1pm-3pm  on the work of NHs England and how students CAN take the pledges forward and have the support ,guidance and tools to do so. Ending with a Q&A session with Paul ,Eve the students and myself  looking forward to speaking with Paul,Eve and meeting more inspiring students attedning UCLAN  Tommy  Thanks for reading my blog, You can now view my 8 short flims here! http://tommy-on-tour-2011.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/my-mums-name-was-joan-this-is-our-story.html

3 talks Musgrove Park Hospital Taunton,Somerset 19th Jan

Make a Difference - Musgrove Park Hospital 

‘On Tuesday 19^th January I will have the great honor to  speak to staff  at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, Somerset at the kind invitation of Hayley Peters, Executive Director of Patient Care  and Phil Shelley, Hotel Services Manager .This kind invite came after meeting phil when speaking at the Hospital Caterers Association forum earlier this year.  

with great thanks to Andrea Bohun Dementia & Frailty Projects Support Officer AND The Dementia Team at Musgrove Park Hospital are making the arrangements for the day and looking forward to a really inspiring day’.

Its with great pleasure that MPH welcomes Tommy Whitelaw from Dementia Carer Voices  as part of their  ‘You Can Make a Difference’ to talk to us about his experiences as a carer for his mother; and to inspire us all to make a pledge to make a difference to our patients living with dementia.

Please put this date in your diary and encourage as many people to attend as possible. 

Talk 1	9.30 – 11.00
Talk 2	11.30 – 1.00
Talk 3	2.00 – 3.30
Community services stands	9.00 – 4.00

Thanks for reading my blog, You can now view my 8 short flims here! http://tommy-on-tour-2011.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/my-mums-name-was-joan-this-is-our-story.html

Looking back sometimes it feels too hard

Looking back sometimes it feels too hard

Looking back it is sometimes too painful to bare.
My dad was my hero, hardworking, a man of honour, brave, kind, and loyal. He was a Glasgow man, a welder and pipe fitter who lead a hard working life.  My wee mum the kindest and caring of person loved her family who was also hard working, the hardest working mum in the world and gave to all looking for nothing in return.

I remember I was working away when we got news that dad had Cancer and had nine months to live. That’s when I found out how brave my dad was, all he was concerned about was his wee Joan and children he was so brave and got us through it and absolutely I miss him.  I thought mum was going to die of a broken heart but he paved the way for mum to carry on as she had a family to care for, you see that’s what they done they worked hard and gave to all to others.

I loved my parents equally, so why is it when I think of dad although missed dearly I can think of greater times but when I think of my wee mum it often feels like torture. I mentioned earlier how I thought mum would die from a broken heart, what is cruller that or not remembering the reason your heart was broken.  Caring for my mum was the greatest and toughest challenge I have ever faced.  When caring for mum we both felt so helpless there was never time to think only time to try and survive in many ways and as a result Dementia broke my heart in a way that I may never recover.

My wee mum was being challenged every day in her dignity, awareness, inclusion and the cruelest trick of all her memory of the man she loved, why where we allowed to become so alone and helpless.
My wee mum deserved better, better than I was able to give and that’s what this campaign is about giving people the best advice, guidance and support so they don’t sit like I do tonight still feeling the pain that was part of our lives on so many days.  If we change the journey we change the memory.
Dementia does not define my mum as she was magnificent in every way but it broke my heart and dementia does not change the fact that I was the luckiest boy in the world to be Thomas and Joan Whitelaw’s son.
The thing about my wee mum is she would have taken all the dementia and bought it if she thought it would help others.  How remarkable to be like that and that’s what I intend to do in any small way I can to make it better for others in memory of a remarkable mum.

Thank you for making a difference 2015!

                               

 As 2015 draws to an end, the entire team would like to say Thank You. It has been the most incredible YEAR  meeting so many people in person, Twitter, and Facebook. We’d like to end this year with a thank you from our Hearts 

Our 'Make A Difference’ Campaign and Tour started back in 2014 with 187 talks and continued over 2015 with 205 more. 
reaching 42,000 people in person at the talks. This has led to 7,500 people, hospitals, Universities, colleges, and organisations pledging to make a difference for people living with dementia, families and carers.

Many journeys have been made along the way by train, bus, and foot. There have been early starts and late nights, but every single journey has been worth it, the many days and nights traveling home with a smile in my heart, thankful for the people I have met, the care I have witnessed, and the desire and commitment to make a difference every day for others.

There are too many to mention in person, and all the great initiatives  I’ve seen along the way- but the thing that stands out is people, over and above  polices and strategies. It is people who change lives. I am lucky to work with amazing people, Irene, Ian, Laura, Ashleigh and all the team at the ALLIANCE, and feel so lucky to work with them and to have met so many people over the years.

Thank you for all you do to make a difference for others and thank you for making a difference to my life. 

Thank you 2015, looking forward to meeting more incredible people over 2016. 

Tommy

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from  Tommy, Irene, Laura, and Ashleigh  

You can read the personal pledges made to date at the link HERE 

                                

You can read case studies on how people are fulfilling pledge HERE 

                               

                               Full version of Make a difference with the staff NHSAAA 

                    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year                   

Help is also available during the festive period. Please don’t be afraid to seek support as this can be a lonely time. You can find information of where to access help here and from Alzheimer Scotland

Thanks for reading my blog, You can now view my 8 short flims here! http://tommy-on-tour-2011.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/my-mums-name-was-joan-this-is-our-story.html

Health and Human Rights Festival Declaration, Mar '16

              

A DECLARATION ABOUT DECLARATION, ON WORLD HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

DECLARATION is a brand new festival exploring health and human rights, announced today, 10th December, on World Human Rights Day. 

It will take place in Glasgow from 3-6 March, 2016.

The festival will be a mixture of conversation, provocations, performances, and film screenings, and will feature leading writers, performers, campaigners and thinkers from across Scotland and beyond.

Entry to all events will be FREE.

Declaration is programmed by the team behind the Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival.

It is the result of a partnership between NHS Health Scotland, the Mental Health Foundation, the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE) and University of Strathclyde.

The full programme will be launched early in 2016.

Cath Denholm, Director of Strategy, NHS Health Scotland said:

“NHS Health Scotland is very happy to support this festival.  The right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health for all lies at the heart of what the NHS stands for. We look forward to taking an active role in the festival next March.”

Lee Knifton, Head of Mental Health Foundation in Scotland said: 

“We are very pleased to be working in partnership with NHS Health Scotland, The Alliance and the University of Strathclyde to develop an exciting new festival which will explore the notion of health and human rights with the wider public and partners, creating new ideas and energy in this vital area.”

Ian Welsh OBE, ALLIANCE Chief Executive said: 

“Declaration is an exciting new festival that will highlight the importance of how human rights are an everyday concern for people who live with long term conditions and unpaid carers across Scotland.   Making human rights accessible and placing them in situations and contexts we can all recognise strengthens our understanding of what can be done to make sure people claim their right to live well.”  

Neil Quinn, Co-Director of the Centre for Health Policy at the University of Strathclyde’s International Public Policy Institute, said:

“We are delighted to be a lead partner in Declaration, which will deliver a stimulating programme of events focused on health and human rights. We are excited about the learning that will emerge from the festival and the potential for it shaping public policy in Scotland.”   

Further information:

Follow us on Twitter at @declarationfest

Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/declarationfest

Check out our website

                                

Guest Post -Joining the dots through wonderful people working in health and social care around the world

Hi 

with great thanks to my friend  Claire Kilpatrick @claireekt for this months Guest post 

Joining the dots through wonderful people working in health and social care around the world,I am very honored  to share on my blog 

Working in healthcare is amazing. Over time you meet so many wonderful people. Don't get me wrong, you won't hit it off with everyone, but when I stop and think about it, I feel that a career in healthcare is actually all about wonderful people.

As a nurse I realised my strengths, and weaknesses, early on! The type of care I could provide was suited to particular settings (ICU) and then for me it was always about moving on, making a difference at different levels, influencing away from the bedside. I remain in awe of people who provide hands on care every day to patients and other service users.

Since 2008 I have worked with the World Health Organisation (WHO) on aspects of global patient safety http://www.who.int/patientsafety/en/  

Since 2012 this has been as a consultant under the auspices of the registered company my colleague Jules Storr and I set up, @S3Global

When people ask me what I actually do though it can be hard to explain...

When Tommy and I connected through Twitter it was for a different, personal reason, not about what I did for a job. It was because as a carer I was reaching out for some help and support and didn't know where to look, despite knowing the health and social care system so well! Tommy and I met a few times in 2015 and the words of wisdom imparted have changed how I see the world; vital if you are to cope as a carer. For me this was another example of meeting a wonderful person because I happened to work in health, and because I happened spend a lot of time on Twitter!

Anyway when Tommy finally asked me ‘what do you actually do, can you write a blog about it?’, I wanted to try to explain it in a way that connected our different worlds, connected all the wonderful work that goes on around the world every day. I, like many others I am sure, believe that what I do can makes the lives of all those being cared for, and for carers, ‘feel better’ and most importantly safer.

To quote from a recent @S3Global blog https://s3global.wordpress.com/author/kshealthcareltd/ written by my business partner Jules, ''…debates on quality of healthcare usually, at some point or other, inevitably drift towards the topic of the prevention and control of healthcare associated infections (HAI).” “Integrating {infection prevention and control} IPC as an holistic component of efforts to strengthen the entire health system is logical…”

I have spent these last years being privileged to talk to civil servants, policy makers, academics, managers and frontline workers to tell them how important infection prevention and specifically 'safe hands' are when providing care, and to explain that hand hygiene is a key indicator of overall quality of care in any health system. Not only do I truly believe this but this has been noted in the literature http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1657884

The fact that achieving improvements in IPC, including hand hygiene at the point of care, means understanding behaviour change, psychology, human factors http://www.health.org.uk/publication/integrating-human-factors-infection-prevention-and-control means we can understand so much about the overall behaviours of health workers which is invaluable learning for any aspect of health and social care and for achieving quality universal health coverage in every country http://www.who.int/servicedeliverysafety/en/

‘A day in working my life’ - might include: - shaping the future of global IPC for WHO http://www.who.int/gpsc/ipc/en/ - writing various evidence-based documents and communications, for aspects of IPC including hand hygiene and injection safety http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/44102/1/9789241597906_eng.pdf http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/ebola/hand-hygiene/en/ http://www.who.int/injection_safety/en/ - listening to colleagues and the challenges they are experiencing so that strategies can be adapted and presented in context, this includes for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), hand hygiene in a range of settings and in support of the antimicrobial resistance agenda http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/en/ http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/78060/1/9789241503372_eng.pdf?ua=1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOKeFv5VvY4&app=desktop - discussing and preseenting the best strategies to ensure documents aren’t just pieces of paper on a web site but are used in practice http://www.who.int/gpsc/5may/tools/en/   http://www.who.int/gpsc/susp/en/ - connecting people to ensure they can learn from each other and share country experiences and ideas for capacity building for example through Webber teleclasses and Private Organisations for Patient Safety http://www.webbertraining.com/schedulep1.php http://www.who.int/gpsc/pops/en/ - campaigning to create and maintain social movements and sustainable improvements for patients, health workers and carers http://www.who.int/entity/gpsc/5may/en/ http://www.who.int/gpsc/ccsc_ten-years/en/

Working now as I do in global health means that I continue to meet wonderful people. My closest colleagues are English (given I am Scottish!), Italian, Iranian, American, Japanese, Romanian, Belgian, Canadian, Pakistani, from Oman. But I also get to talk to people from so many other countries every day.

I also have lots of wonderful and inspiring health-related connections on Twitter, including Tommy.

Author: Claire Kilpatrick @claireekt is Director @S3Global - providing consultancy to the World Health Organisation

#evidence #behaviourchange #ptsafety #infectionprevention #UHC #globalhealth #implementation #communication

Thanks for reading my blog, You can now view my 8 short flims here! http://tommy-on-tour-2011.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/my-mums-name-was-joan-this-is-our-story.html

GUEST BLOG Christy Ringrose, - The Heart OF The Matter ( songs For Caring )

                         

Christy Ringrose, a student at the University of the West of Scotland and some of her classmates have taken inspiration from the Dementia Carer Voices Campaign and produced an album of songs from the pledges made to the campaign so far. Christy shares her blog now with the Academy. Since the moment I met Tommy Whitelaw from Dementia Carer Voices on the train, I felt like he genuinely cared about ME, and was interested in who I am. This is caring. It makes you feel special and valued. Everyone should feel like this, whether they are losing themselves in an illness, or using all of their time caring for others.



One way of caring for people is to listen to them. This is why Tommy encouraged people around Scotland to write to him about their experiences of knowing or caring for someone with dementia. Tommy wanted us to make these letters sing through our songs.

The day we read the letters, a world of feelings and stories was strewn across a table. There were statements, bold and true: “I feel lost”. There were prayers “Sweet Jesus get me through another day”, and words of encouragement to Tommy “mate, you’re doing great”*. Letters from sons, daughters, mothers, sisters, neighbors and care-workers. Each letter powerful because it was written because someone passionately cares about someone else.

How can a multitude of voices be compressed into a song? One way is to find out something that ties all the letters together. Tommy himself said that they are all “love letters”; love letters written in a time of difficulty. The struggles that come with dementia, bring feelings of sadness, perhaps even anger and irritation – but amongst this despair, love persists in being heard.

How can we ensure that our songs express these feelings? We can ensure that the feelings themselves are involved at every stage of the creative process: From the crafting of lyrics and melody, to the practicalities of recording and performing, it is important to come back to the heart of the matter, without which no song would exist.

When we care about someone, we put them first. Similarly, if we care about something, we put that something before everything else.

For example, when someone suggested to me during a recording session that I add computer crafted violins to my song, “Romeo and Juliette”, I thought that this is not an option because only a musician who knew the story behind the score
would be able to echo the fear of losing someone, or the sweetness of wanting to be with someone you love.
In this way, songwriting is constant collaboration with the subject matter. The songwriter can quite easily forget this, especially in thinking about how to entertain their listeners, or even how to make money or popularity from the song. What I enjoyed about this collaborative songwriting process, was that the material was so strong, so beautiful, that I felt it taking precedence. It was more important to find that balance between desperation and love, than to find a skillful melody.
Hopefully this shift of priorities will inevitably result in good quality you can listen to one of the songs and interview with the songwriters from STV News at Ten Here 

http://player.stv.tv/episode/36bx/stv-glasgow-news-bulletins/

Thanks for reading my blog, You can now view my 8 short flims here! http://tommy-on-tour-2011.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/my-mums-name-was-joan-this-is-our-story.html

Dementia Carer Voices December Newsletter is Available to read here

Thank you for the great Kindness and support over the last year, wishing you all a Merry Christmas  and Happy New year 
Please see our final Newsletter for 2015 at the link here  http://www.alliance-scotland.org.uk/download/library/lib_5672bced0b1aa/    

Thanks for reading my blog, You can now view my 8 short flims here! http://tommy-on-tour-2011.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/my-mums-name-was-joan-this-is-our-story.html

today Speaking NHS Leadership Academy Leeds

Hi 

With great thanks to Lisa Oldfield Programme Co-ordinator  NHS Leadership Academy and Chris Lake for the kind invite to speak at  the Aspiring Chief Executive programme which is a new programme  NHS Leadership Academy are launching in December 

I am so very honored to be invited to speak and then facilitate  a workshop on  'Making a Difference'  The session will be delivered at the NHS Leadership Academy  

You can learn more about NHS Leadership Academy at the link here Web: www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk  or follow the great work they do on twitter Twitter: @nhsleadership

The NHS Leadership Academy's purpose is to develop outstanding leadership in health, in order to improve people's health and their experience of the NHS

Thanks for reading my blog, You can now view my 8 short flims here! http://tommy-on-tour-2011.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/my-mums-name-was-joan-this-is-our-story.html