Steve Fouch

Elderly care and the NHS reforms

Steve Fouch is CMF Head of Communications. He has worked in community nursing, HIV & AIDS and palliative care. He serves on the International Board of Nurses Christian Fellowship International.
The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of CMF.

A report today says compassion and dignity are as vital as academic and professional qualifications in providing care for the elderly.  The point is, both are needed – without one we have care that does not always address the need to increase independence and safety, and without the other we treat people as problems and not as human beings.  It is a reflection of our society’s misplaced values that we have had to state what should be so obvious – but we are a society that increasingly seems to devalue the elderly and the disabled.

Meanwhile, the proposed NHS shake-up continues to make the headlines.

In the midst of finding £20 billion savings by 2015, coping with an ageing population and increasing costs for new treatments, the NHS is also facing the most fundamental redesign in its history.  Is this one challenge too many for an increasingly stressed and demoralised workforce? Or is it a vital change that could help secure the long term viability of our national healthcare system?

On the 10th of March and under the title ‘Change or Improvement: The NHS, my practice and me’, the East Anglian CMF is organising an important one day symposium in one of the most crucial topics facing Christians in Healthcare today.

The pressures to ‘do better’ in all aspects of life and work seem to increase year by year. From the NHS mantra of ‘doing more with less,’ to our personal ambitions for a ‘better life,’ the pressure is on and disappointments are commonplace.

·         Will suggested changes, whether the NHS reforms or more local clinical redesign, lead to any improvement?

·         How can we deal with the emotions caused by change whether imposed or desired?

Dr Tim Lyttle, a CMF member and well known as an initiator of positive change in medical practice, has come to recognise the need we have personally, and within our organisations, to understand the context and impact of change. Speaking from recent personal and NHS experience, Tim will use the book of Esther to seek to increase our confidence not just to survive but to thrive in the current NHS environment. Along the way he will try to help us gain a greater understanding of the proposed NHS reforms.

Complementing these practical views, Cambridge ethicist Dr Josh Hordern, will explore how the gospel helps us understand the experience of working in the NHS.

·         How can we demonstrate the reconciliation which Christ has worked in our lives?

·         How will the gospel help us survive and run the race with perseverance?

Do not miss this timely opportunity to hear and discuss these crucial topics. Registration and programme details are still available at http://www.cmf.org.uk/doctors/events/east-anglian-day-conference-2012/

Posted by Steve Fouch
CMF Head of Allied Professions Ministries
and
Dr Pablo Fernandez
CMF Head of Graduate Ministries

 

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