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A movement has an emotional heart

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Is the NHS a philosophy, a movement or just an organisation? It has a philosophy – healthcare based on need rather than ability to pay, and certainly it has organisations, but does it have an emotional heart, the characteristic of a movement according to Seth Godin? Seth, author of the bestselling marketing books of the last decade, asserts that movements rather than organisations are more likely to cause widespread change.

For those of us who are tiring of organisation change in the NHS, whether years of going round in circles or just this current one, can I invite you to ponder our “NHS movement”. What is the emotional heart of the NHS and is widespread change actually needed?

Recently my sister asked me to sponsor her to raise money for a NHS burns unit. What, you want me to give money to the NHS as well as paying taxes? Strange maybe, but a friend who may well have died had it not been for our NHS has engaged dozens of friends, including my sister, with an organisation that she is now emotionally connected with. I believe we need to engage similar emotions and motivation within all our organisations, both NHS and supporting charities etc, in order to stretch limited NHS resources further. Let me outline three examples of how I believe the NHS reforms can be used to deliver change.

1. Health and Wellbeing Boards believed by many to have the potential to “bring together a range of other public services that could otherwise become scattered and fragmented” are now being given a formal role in authorising clinical commissioning groups. Doctors with a vision for their local communities, should consider opportunities for supporting these Boards.

1.2. GPs and specialists, working together, should seek to develop “patient participation” in primary care to match the enthusiasm that communities have to support their local hospital or hospice. “Moving beyond Them and Us”, published by the National Association for Patient Participation recounts many encouraging stories of patient groups encouraged to take more responsibly for their own health.

3. Faith based organisations as part of the voluntary and community sector, will so long as the reforms are not changed too much(!), be able to tender to provide services, support and inform commissioning services and partner with other organisations to tackle health inequalities. For further details on opportunities for this sector The King’s Fund and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations have recently published a report on the voluntary sector in health and social care.

I encourage all readers, especially those disillusioned by organisations, to keep going as we create and develop a NHS movement for the good of those who need it most.

Posted by Tim Lyttle

Tim is a GP with special interest in urgent care and substance misuse, a director of Hope Citadel Healthcare Community Interest Company, and a Heath Foundation Fellow.

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