Being Better, Together – Details, episodes & analysis

Paul Devlin is a member of NHSE Emergency Care Improvement Support team, and the co-founder of the NHS Kindness Network.  Paul spoke at our LFE5 conference last November on kindness, and we wanted to hear more from him.  In this conversation Paul talks about the “science” and “evidence” relating to the application of positive psychology to workplace culture and wellbeing.  He uses terms like “hyperdyadic spread” and “spontaneous trait transference”, which might sound like grand, academic concepts, but actually they point to underlying ideas which are highly intuitive and easy to practice.  Here is a link to the recording of Paul’s talk at LFE5 to open access (previously only available to delegates of the conference).  I highly recommend watching this presentation if you enjoyed Paul’s conversation.

https://youtu.be/kkmjTcv8OM4

Mr Mo Belal is a consultant urological surgeon at University Hospitals, Birmngham (UHB). In 2021, Mo had a cycling accident and sustained a spinal cord injury. He tells the story of the accident and what he has learned from it - both professionally and personally. Mo's positivity and optimism shines through in this conversation. He shares insights from his experiences as a patient which can help us all as healthcare professionals, as well as more general thoughts about how to approach the inevitable challenges of life.

Professor Lindsey Godwin is the Robert P. Stiller Chair of Management & the Academic Director of the Cooperrider Center for Appreciative Inquiry at Champlain College.  She describes herself as a professor, a practioner and a possibilitizer!  In this conversation we discuss the theoretical principles behind the practice and philosophy of Appreciative Inquiry.  Lindsey also offers her definition of Appreciate Inquiry, and busts the myth that it is all about the positive - indeed, it is best used as a methodology to face our challenges.  

Dr Dhruv Parekh is a consultant intensivist at University Hospitals Birmingham and a senior clinical lecturer at the University of Birmingham. 

In this conversation Dhruv reflects on the experience of working in one of the largest ICUs in Europe during the COVID19 pandemic.  We discuss how preparations were made; the initial energy and excitement; the shock and disbelief at the rapidity of onset;  the emotional impact of caring for a huge workload of sick patients, many of whom died;  thoughts on effective leadership in times of crisis;  the changes and innovations which worked well – including a novel approach to team working and task completion, and an award-winning family liaison service;  what can be achieved when everyone is pulling together;  staff experience and wellbeing.  We also briefly discuss Dhruv’s role in inspiring the LfE movement several years ago.

Frank Turner's music features heavily in our #LfE conference playlists.  We find his music inspiring and we were delighted that Frank agreed to record this conversation with us, and record a live version of his song, "Be More Kind" for our #LfE4 conference in October 2021.  In this conversation we discuss the origins of Frank's music, including how the writings of Clive James inspired the song, "Be More Kind".  We also discuss how optimism and hope are embedded in his music, and the role of music in healthcare and helping us deal with trauma.  The conversation was recorded in Frank's garden in the Summer of 2021, so there is some transient wind-noise in the audio (deep rumbling) and the occasional passing insect and aircraft! Some musical references from the conversation: Be More Kind - the live version I refer to in the conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_nbdq2ckOw Little Changes official video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjc9UJk2v6w Get it right: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlKy9LDUTrA The hymn of the medical oddity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZon7isGNsc Frank's choice of "theme tune": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5jI9I03q8E

Dr Hena Syed-Sabir is a clinical psychologist at Paediatric Intensive Care at Birmingham Children's Hospital.  In this conversation we discuss the growing recognition of the need for psychological support for healthcare staff and the concept of debriefing and its various applications in healthcare staff who have experienced trauma.  Hena explains the practicalities of debriefing, including the use of vitual debriefs, and the role of silence and spaces for listening.  We discuss the use of "naming" emotional experiences in debrief and in everyday professional conversations, and how this may help with processing emotions.  We reflect on the range of responses to trauma in our own practice, how this can manifest in changes in our own behaviours, the growing prevalence of moral distress, and secondary trauma associated with adverse safety events.

Hena's choice of theme tune: https://youtu.be/aENX1Sf3fgQ

Dr Will Flanary is an ophthalmologist and a comedian.  Over the last few years, Will's alter ego, "Dr Glaucomflecken" has taken social media by storm with a wealth of comedy sketches making light of a wide variety of situations in which we work in healthcare.  In this conversation, we discuss the origins of Dr Glaucomflecken; the impact of positive feedback on how we feel and how we perform; the role of laughter and comedy in healthcare; and what makes for appropriate humour in our work.

Below is a list of some of the references from the conversation:

Lady G's takeover for father's day:  https://twitter.com/DGlaucomflecken/status/1406689639566479360

Dr G's first descents fundraiser page: https://support.firstdescents.org/fundraiser/3183636

Dr G's comedy page: https://www.drgcomedy.com/

In this episode, we are joined in conversation by Dr Alex Gillespie.  Alex is a social psychologist at the London School of Economics.  We came across Alex's work when we read the paper he co-authored with Dr Tom Reader describing an analysis of compliment letters received by Hospitals in the NHS.  The concept of looking for insights from positive feedback is entirely on message with the LfE mission, and we were delighted when Alex agreed to talk with us about his work.  In this conversation we discuss the motivation behind the paper, the findings and implications of the study, the concept of gratitude, the interdependent nature of human society and much more.  An abridged recording of this conversation was played at the #LfE4 conference in October 2021.

This episode is a recording of our conversation with Dr Barney Scholefield.  Barney is a paediatric intensivist in Birmingham, and an academic at the university of Birmingham.  During the first COVID waves, Barney hosted a daily Zoom meeting for all staff in the department.  There was no explicit agenda - the meeting was a voluntary coming together of colleagues from across the whole department.  We shared information, worries, laughter, music and even photography.  It was informal peer support, and also a portal for timely news and important announcements.  It was the best meeting of every day, and one of the best things to come out of the pandemic.  In this interview, Barney explains how the meeting originated and how he implemented it.  Barney also wrote a blog post about the initiative on the LfE website.

(Recorded Sept 2021)

Dr Camilla Kingdon is a consultant neonatologist, and the current president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH).  In this interview we discuss Camilla's plans as RCPCH president; how to handle unprofessional behaviours and incivility; the concept of intelligent kindness; the negativity bias; Desmond Tutu and the concept of Ubuntu; compassionate leadership; wellbeing; and the importance of rediscovering and reconnecting with our original motivations to do the work we do.  An abridged recording of this conversation was played at the #LfE4 conference in October 2021.