Welcome to my text and video blog site. Each week I post a blog and video exploring what ever happens to come into my head during the week. Oh.. and I live in a long house.
Latest Posts
- HappyI have spent the weekend being looked after by my young granddaughter (with lots of adults about too). She has observed my wife looking after me and has sussed out the detail completely. if I need to get up she brings me my stick and then holds my hand whilst she walks me around the… Read more: Happy
- Why listening and self-reflection matter in tackling racismAs a white middle aged man can I be anything but a racist? I think it’s an ‘in your head’ debate that many of us can never resolve. After all I’ve never had people shout offensive words at me as I walked down the street. The colour of my skin hasn’t ever impacted on any… Read more: Why listening and self-reflection matter in tackling racism
- Slipping into darknessI was reading a post on LinkedIn on Friday afternoon about the advance of rightwing ideology across the United Kingdom and the terror and fear that this ideology has for disabled people of colour. I was reminded of E. Amy Buller’s Book, first published in 1943, – Darkness over Germany a warning from History. Although… Read more: Slipping into darkness
- SurvivalI recenty came across two brilliant books about survival, the first about why certain people survive traumatic incidents and the second about how people survive survival. As in survival is about why certain people are more likely to survive being on a small, cramped life raft, whilst others just jump in and get eaten by… Read more: Survival
- VanityVanity I’ve come to the conclusion that the majority of organisational restructures are predominantly vanity projects driven by the ego of one person or a group of people wanting to impress people who have more power than them. So many of these vanity driven organisational restructures start with a fancy announcement about how everything is… Read more: Vanity
- Turning a blind eyeThere are so many things I could write about at the moment. If I had the energy I could probably write a blog every day of the week. However, would anybody have the will power to read my ramblings every day? I think that once a week is probably more than enough. Around the world,… Read more: Turning a blind eye
- InnovationI have worked with many organisations which both love innovation and hate innovation at the same time. I’ve often wondered if the only innovation that organisations are really interested in, is innovation that enables them to make cuts and save money under the pretence of improving healthcare treatment and social care care and support. When… Read more: Innovation
- RespectA dear friend of mine suggested respect as a subject for this week’s blog. It’s taking me a little bit longer than usual to write it, as it seems to have been a week of extreme pain only countered by morphine. Which means I probably slept more of the week than I realise, without feeling… Read more: Respect
- LoveThere are are a couple of wood pigeons that live in our garden. Every year they nest in a small ever green oak tree within sight of our patio doors. They wander up and down the garden, not in the slightest bit bothered by our two cats. They kiss and snuggle up together in the… Read more: Love
- WisdomI was about 22, working with a head of community education called Fred. We were trying to work out how to set up a local day support service for young people with a learning disability who lived nearby. We had no money and limited support from our respective employers. I can’t remember what I said,… Read more: Wisdom
- I want to make a complaint, but I’m scared.It’s a short blog this week as I am still recovering from some frankly very poor treatment that I received in hospital. I’m also putting a lot of time into putting together a formal complaint about the medical and nursing team on the ward to which I was admitted. I won’t go into details, but… Read more: I want to make a complaint, but I’m scared.
- Never assume people know what you knowTo cut a long story short, this week I’m stuck in hospital again after my bike got into an argument with a Tesla and it’s inattentive hit and run driver. No bones broken thankfully but it didn’t do my body much good. Unfortunately pain and a high temperature brought me back here after the accident,… Read more: Never assume people know what you know
- A doctor in your pocket it’s a great idea, but….Reading the NHS 10 year plan I have to applaud its vision and the drive for a digital doctor in everyone’s pocket. There is no disputing that it’s a good idea. However, what I can’t see in the 10 year plan is how the government intends to make sure that the digital doctor in your… Read more: A doctor in your pocket it’s a great idea, but….
- Being able to change your mind is a good thing.I’ve never understood why people think that changing your mind and doing a U-turn is a bad thing. To me particularly for somebody in a position of power, being able to change their mind and do a U-turn is a sign of confidence, self assurance and a lack of arrogance in their decision-making. It’s the… Read more: Being able to change your mind is a good thing.
- Move gracefully and create things Recently I’ve been reading a lot about the management and the leadership philosophy of social media companies and in particular the one who’s motto is ‘move fast and break things’. Moving fast and breaking things may be a good thing when an organisation is new and just starting out and needs to adapt quickly as… Read more: Move gracefully and create things
- AI – there’s money to be made from it for social care and health. About fifteen years ago, I was doing some work in the music industry when one afternoon, I was invited with people who were a lot more important people than me, to the London headquarters of one of the biggest social media companies in the world. They wanted to show us the amazing social media music… Read more: AI – there’s money to be made from it for social care and health.
- Why commissioning for well-being?When Phil Porter and I first suggested the development of a bespoke qualification for adult social care commissioners to the ADASS Workforce network, we weren’t 100% sure what it was that we were getting ourselves into. However, eleven years later and the core rationale behind why we wanted to develop the qualification has become a… Read more: Why commissioning for well-being?
- Frankly, there’s no votes in it.Whilst listening to some of the UK government’s arguments this week about why they should make changes to the UK’s two child limit on child benefits and make changes to older people’s eligibility for winter fuel payments, I was struck by a comment from one of the government’s senior leadership team. they seemed to be… Read more: Frankly, there’s no votes in it.
- Fluffy platitudes get us nowhereA couple of weeks ago I was in conversation with one of the team responsible for my care and treatment. Apart from having not quite got used to hearing them talk about how they were discussing me in the multidisciplinary team meeting that morning (there’s another blog there) I was surprised but also not surprised… Read more: Fluffy platitudes get us nowhere
- A tale of two rolesWhat does it take to be good at your job and what skills and knowledge and qualifications do you need to have for particular roles? When I was thinking about what to write about this week, I thought I’d look at two roles that are an essential part of the UK economy. Role One To… Read more: A tale of two roles
- It’s a numbers game where no one knows what the numbers are.I confess, maths has never been my strongest subject. I did pass my maths exams at school, but only because I was lucky to have a brilliant maths teacher who dragged the whole class through successfully. A survey by national numeracy in 2022 suggests that most people think they are good at maths but that… Read more: It’s a numbers game where no one knows what the numbers are.
- HumblingOver the past few weeks I’ve watched and listened to a number of video stories from all sorts of different people who are supported by social care and health organisations in the UK or who are working in social care organisations. Many of these voices are not the ones that we normally hear from on… Read more: Humbling
- Hate, fear and social care Early on in my social care career I proudly mentioned to someone I was chatting with, that I’d just moved from working in the national health service to working for my local council. When I told them that I now worked in social care, I was unprepared for the anger, hate and vitriol that was… Read more: Hate, fear and social care
- What we need is multiple tents I was once asked in a rather threatening way if I was ‘in the tent, or outside the tent?’ The inference being that if I wanted to be outside the tent then I would immediately be a pariah, an unworthy, a person who would never be allowed in a tent of any description ever again.… Read more: What we need is multiple tents
- How would you know if your quality of life was any good?My colleagues in health seem to have been asking this question for many years and come up with numerous different statistical models for balancing quality of life against the cost of maintaining life. It’s something I’ve always been interested in and lately, since I developed my own life limiting health condition, I have become not… Read more: How would you know if your quality of life was any good?
- The importance of rest.I’ve spent the last week amongst the trees at Woburn Center Parcs in Bedfordshire. Having two Center Parcs complexes equal distance from our home makes going there for a short break fairly easy, but before I carry on I need to highlight that this week’s column is not paid for by or affiliated to Center… Read more: The importance of rest.
- Be More DonnaHonestly, I do not have a Donna obsession. it’s purely coincidental that two different Donna’s have been a part of the inspiration for my writing for two weeks on the run. On Friday morning I was listening to Donna Ockenden’s Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio Four. Whilst I can’t say that I loved every… Read more: Be More Donna
- My first was Donna, my last was Carl.One of the most important relationships in my life after my family relationships have been with my administrators and back office teams. Without the support (and attention to my idiosyncrasies) that each of the people who supported me throughout my career gave me, I can honestly say that I would never have achieved as much… Read more: My first was Donna, my last was Carl.
- Restructuring is not painlessI have lost track of how many times in my career I have been restructured or have been at risk of being made redundant. I remember once having to have a redundancy interview sitting in my car whilst on holiday down in the south west, I kept my job but it was all slightly surreal.… Read more: Restructuring is not painless
- To AI or not to AI that is the question.I have an ambiguous relationship with artificial intelligence. I can’t make up my mind whether it’s the great leap forward, the next industrial revolution or a way for the tech bros to make a lot of money out of governments and people around the world at the people’s expense. I’ve had a go at using… Read more: To AI or not to AI that is the question.
- How to make a great deal.As we’ve witnessed in the past few days, it’s pretty obvious that some of us are better at deal making than others. it seems to me that the older people are, or the higher up the hierarchy they climb, the less they seem able to make great deals that everyone is able to sign up… Read more: How to make a great deal.
- Have you ever been bullied?It feels a bit uncomfortable to say this, but being bullied at work is something I’ve experienced a number of times. My earliest memory of being bullied at work was when a new manager instantly took a dislike to me, didn’t explain to me why and merrily proceeded behind my back, to tell the rest… Read more: Have you ever been bullied?
- Am I the BFG?It’s January 2013 and I am wandering around Paris on my own, in the dark, in the pouring rain. I’m speaking at a conference in the morning and I’m rehearsing what I’m going to say as I take in the sights. Even in the middle of winter Paris is a beautiful city. As I wandered… Read more: Am I the BFG?
- The chicken or the egg?I could spend the whole day discussing with you whether or not the chicken or the egg came first, and we probably wouldn’t come to a conclusion that we could agree on. I genuinely think it’s one of those unsolvable conundrums. To me It feels a little bit like the tension between systems thinking and… Read more: The chicken or the egg?
- I have a confession to makeI am and I always have been a workaholic. This is probably because I’ve always been lucky enough to find employment which I was able to think of as a hobby rather than as work. That is why even though, technically, I’m semi retired, I’m still probably working almost as much as I was when… Read more: I have a confession to make
- The most important skill we rarely teach our social care workforceI have to confess that the knowledge and skills I’m writing about today are not ones that I possess. If you were to ask my family about this set of knowledge and skills and what my competency was, they would probably laugh or look at you with despair. The knowledge and skills I’m talking about… Read more: The most important skill we rarely teach our social care workforce
- Glass half empty or half full?The True Cost of Cheap Homecare I have always been a glass half full person and it drives my family mad from time to time. If I’m being completely honest I tend to go around thinking my glass is full rather than just half full which makes me wonder about all the issues we hear… Read more: Glass half empty or half full?
- Have you been watching The Traitors?Happy New Year! and welcome to the new series of The Traitors, the BBC show where contestants are divided into ‘Faithful’ and ‘Traitors,’ with the winner(s) being the last person or people standing (as long as all the Traitors have all been found). Two tribes at odds with each other, each trying to work out… Read more: Have you been watching The Traitors?
- Kicking the canHave you ever kicked the can? I have to be honest and say I’ve never been particularly good with my feet so every time I’ve ever tried to kick a can I’ve either missed the can or sent it off in completely the opposite direction to my intention. Sometimes I’ve even managed to kick it… Read more: Kicking the can
- Potholes versus the deserving poorI listened to a couple of podcasts recently exploring the history of the Foundling Hospital in London, England. The hospital was established in 1739 by Thomas Coram to care for babies at risk of abandonment. Now a museum, it’s an amazing journey through extreme poverty, art and music. One of many things that struck me… Read more: Potholes versus the deserving poor
- Kinder Times?Do you remember the Monty Python sketch about four Yorkshire men and how each one of them seemed determined to out do the others whilst they reminisced about their childhoods? I guess one of the things we could do in social care is to reminisce about what things used to be like as we were… Read more: Kinder Times?
- Be less VogonThe Vogons (from the hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy) are a race of interplanetary demolition experts. The problem with them is that they will do nothing without the correct protocol or the right paper work in place…. In one scene, our key protagonist (Arthur Dent) and his friends escape the clutches of the Vogon’s and… Read more: Be less Vogon
- All that glitters doesn’t have to be gold.I’m moving on from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy to the Pink Panther movies this week. My grandchildren and I have watched all of them at least six times over the last couple of months. We love the way that Clouseau manages to turn utter stupidity into a winning art form. For example, who… Read more: All that glitters doesn’t have to be gold.
- When I was littleOne of my childhood dreams was to get to ride in an ambulance. It took me until I was 60 until I achieved this dream. If dream is the right way to describe it.. After preparing last weeks blog for publication at 2pm on Monday I climbed into bed on Tuesday night with a little… Read more: When I was little
- So long and thanks for all the fishI intended to publish a blog this week about international diplomacy. I know that might sound like a strange thing for someone who spent most of their career working in social care and health to write about, however I’ll come back to that next week. I felt that with all of the discussion going on… Read more: So long and thanks for all the fish
- When did we stop trusting people?I once had a friend who used to mark their partners cooking out of ten. I’m not quite sure how the rating scale worked – but I hasten to add that their partnership didn’t last long. Which leads me to on to the whole industry of performance targets and measures in social care and health… Read more: When did we stop trusting people?
- Power is a funny old thingPower is a funny old thing. We all have different ideas about power – how much we have, how much we want, how much we don’t want and how much we perceive power in others. There’s power that comes with our role, our knowledge and experience. Power that is given to us by others and… Read more: Power is a funny old thing
- It might seem oddDeath – now that might seem like an odd follow on from last weeks blog about asset based approaches and neighbourhoods. However, going back over the thirty or so projects that we commissioned following on from ‘Only Footstep Away,’ I’d sort of forgotten that a number of them focused on looking at how to support… Read more: It might seem odd
- Only a Footstep AwayAsset based approaches – I have to be honest, I’ve never been completely sure what this means in the context of neighbourhoods and people living in those neighbourhoods. I guess my skepticism around the use of the words asset-based approaches comes from my first and short-lived career working in a bank. One of the things … Read more: Only a Footstep Away
- Just a line on a spreadsheet.When the majority of people don’t get beyond a pass in their basic maths education and do very little further learning on numbers it should be of no surprise that most people struggle with finances. Recently I was in conversation with a number of people (working in small (micro) voluntary sector organisations) about the impact… Read more: Just a line on a spreadsheet.