Wild Card - Whose Shoes‪?‬ Gill Phillips @WhoseShoes

I first met Angela Catley  in the very early days of Whose Shoes?, so back in about 2009, when she did a very lively and slightly bonkers presentation at a conference. 

I remember how Angela used her slides as just a very rough guide, while telling wonderful stories, and occasionally flicking on from one slide to the next as she went. I found it refreshing!
It was full of energy, and she spoke common sense which really resonated with me. She  despaired about bureaucracy and talked about HR type functions as the ‘Stuff department’ - often stuff getting in the way of organisations, and particularly good small providers, trying to get on and run a quality service.


You can feel the synergy to my #WhoseShoes work!


Angela was working for Community Catalysts, enabling everyday people to develop brilliant, quirky, creative, life-enhancing solutions to their own challenges. I loved it!


Fast forward … in this episode, we talk about the ‘When I Get Old’ campaign.


We link up with other social movements that celebrate and support people’s strengths rather than their weaknesses, and focus on what matters to people.


How we can all get the best out of systems to live – and carry on living – our best lives?
Even when we get old.


Many of us have banged  the drum for our parents, trying to get the best for them. But we can only pick from available choices, and often we know that this is NOT what they wanted.

Have YOU got a clear plan as to what you would like to happen … or are you going ‘La, la, la, la …. Ooooh heck!
 
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Be curious and furious - Furiosity! (shoutout to Mark Adam Smith!) There are SO many splendid, creative people - connect with them!Discover your shared passions - have conversations!Ageing - plan ahead - we can switch from ‘Us’ to ‘Them’ in secondsCare Land. Stuff. … keep it real for real peopleCollaborate - join up with like-minded movements. #StrongerTogetherHead in the sand leads to … La, La,La, La,La ….. oooooh heck!Life is a lottery. We can’t all be David Attenborough in the ageing stakesWill the options you would choose even exist?Crisis … is never a good time to make decisions Creativity can help unlock imaginative solutionsThe power of the self-funding pound. Own your paying power!Get involved in the #WhenIGetOld campaign!Personal choice is specific - not just wine or beerThink differently - chat to your friends to see what emergesSome great solutions are potentially right there - in your community!Don’t let services - eg befriending services - get in the way of friendshipRelationships matter! Cultivate them and defend them … with furiosity!Some links you will enjoy:
Join the #WhenIGetOld campaign !

Angela's 'Ta ra' blog when she left Community Catalysts

A pioneer of #WhenIGetOld type thinking : the late, great Dorothy Runnicles



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I tweet as @WhoseShoes and @WildCardWS and am on Instagram as @WildCardWS.

Please recommend 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' to others who enjoy hearing passionate people talk about their experiences of improving health care.

Today, I invite you to meet Dr Matt Hill – I hope you enjoy the warmth and wisdom he brings to this  podcast series as much as I do!
I heard Matt speaking at the online NNAP conference, the National Neonatal Audit Programme, which showcased best practice in neonatal care. 
Matt is the Clinical Adviser on Safety Culture for NHS England and was one of the keynote speakers.
He was talking about creating the conditions for a perinatal team to flourish – but it became clear to me that what he said would help ANY healthcare team to flourish.
There were so many practical examples of what makes a good team, and how is leads to well-being and a positive safety culture. 
There was an emphasis on collaboration, inclusion, empathy and relationships. 
There is huge synergy with our ‘Whose Shoes’ work, particularly around our core principle that you have to create the conditions for meaningful conversations, coproduction and teamwork! 

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Health care in its broadest sense is about people - people caring for each other. Be curious about people; nurture and invest in them; share personal storiesLook for those moments of human interactionCreate space to get to know people as human beings and build trust among colleaguesLearn about and recognise the value and unique contribution each individual bringsKindness and compassion helps good team dynamics, and improves culture and safetyCreate a welcoming environment for new staff membersIntroduce yourself as a person, rather than solely by job title, to foster a more inclusive and connected environmentFlattening the hierarchy in workplace conversations makes it easier for junior members to share their thoughts and feelings with more senior colleaguesRecognise and value diverse perspectives in healthcare, rather than prioritising a narrow viewUnderstand patient experiences and preferences - ask what matters to each person to provide effective careSmall gestures matter, such as using people’s preferred names, in building trust and psychological safetyPeople may have different interpretations of the same words or actionsEstablishing positive relationships improves care outcomes, especially for the most vulnerable peopleFocus on doing things differently, rather than just measuring what we do!If you have enjoyed this episode, you'll also love:

Episode 32. Dr. Bob Klaber - kindness matters!



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If you enjoy my podcast and find these conversations useful
please share your thoughts by leaving a review (Apple is easiest to leave a review) and comment on your favourite episodes.

I tweet as @WhoseShoes and @WildCardWS and am on Instagram as @WildCardWS.

Please recommend 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' to others who enjoy hearing passionate people talk about their experiences of improving health care.

Hey, it’s great to be back! 🍋🍋🍋
So, for all those who enjoy the ‘Wild Card - Whose Shoes?’ podcast, welcome to Season 2!  
It has been lovely to hear from so many of you, saying that you are missing the podcast and asking when it is coming back. Well, here it is! 


At the beginning of last year, 2023, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. And not for the first time.  


Being quite a private person, but also quite out there, in terms of Whose Shoes events, social media, hosting a podcast and so on, I found it hard to know how to handle that. As you may imagine.  


I was trying to manage my illness and treatment alongside deadlines from my ‘real’ work, so when I reached episode 50 I decided that made a very neat if rather long, Season 1!  
But I have been raring to go with Season 2 and wondered how best to re-launch.


I found the perfect podcast guest – and today is the perfect day to post our conversation – 4 February 2024, World Cancer Day!


Sam Jackman is an inspirational woman - a multi-award winning entrepreneur and a disruptor. Sam offers a breath of fresh air (literally!) to women who have had a mastectomy due to breast cancer. She is rocking the world of conventional prostheses through her innovative Boost products. 

Boost products are 100% inspired and designed by women for women.
We need to make sure that women hear about them! 


It is an extraordinary story 
the lived experience of Sam’s Mum finding a huge gap in the market - and doing something about it!courageous entrepreneurshiprocking the world of conventional solutionsputting women firstAnd all from the deepest reaches of rural Cornwall.


Sam is highly entertaining. We are joined briefly by Blue, Sam’s emotional therapy dog!


It is a story with a difference, making a difference and I am very proud to support ‘We Wear Boost’ innovations, who have made a BIG difference to me personally. Thank you, Sam!

Key link
Breast Forms | Lightweight Breast Forms UK | We Wear Boost
Daughter creates design after mum's mastectomy - BBC News

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If you want something amazing to happen, you may have to do it yourself!Don't listen to the naysayersWe need to bridge the 'us and them' divide  between clinicians and patientsCo-design with the people using the product will NOT failBe inspired. Achieving this from Cornwall was NOT easy!Men in suits are not the experts on breast forms and nipples! ;-)



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If you enjoy my podcast and find these conversations useful
please share your thoughts by leaving a review (Apple is easiest to leave a review) and comment on your favourite episodes.

I tweet as @WhoseShoes and @WildCardWS and am on Instagram as @WildCardWS.

Please recommend 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' to others who enjoy hearing passionate people talk about their experiences of improving health care.

A blaze of ‘lemon lightbulbs’ today talking to Kate Pound, a fabulous nurse focusing on ‘JUST DO IT’ actions that make a big difference.  
Kate grew up in a hostel for fishermen and that rich and varied experience gave her a deep understanding of people and the imagination to find alternative ways of reaching the so-called ‘hard to reach’. She is a great storyteller and you will pick up LOTS of practical tips. 
Kate is a trustee of the Fishermen’s Mission and we would love you to learn more about them – and appreciate fishermen beyond the occasional Fish and Chips supper!
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 Dentistry on the harbour and other fishy stories – using IMAGINATION to reach peopleGrowing up in ‘different’ circumstances can build empathy and the will to address health inequalitiesDon’t make assumptions about people and what they enjoy – we’re all human and uniqueHarness the power and resources of community to make health care accessibleCovid vaccinations for rough sleepers and others not registered with a GPThe 'Just Do It' form - not letting bureaucracy get in the way! Shoutout to Tim Guyler!Hospital porters are your eyes and ears - which ward would they NOT want to be on, as a patient?Keeping people warm before surgery improves recovery timesPatients speak honestly when they feel SAFE and healthcare professionals LISTENIt is about RELATIONSHIPSBring your whole self to work – staff enjoy using their skills and  talentsSmiling builds trust and the ability to speak upPatient safety and patient experience go togetherThings ARE changing. NHS listening more to people with lived experienceShoutout to Nottingham University Hospitals and their excellent 'Whose Shoes' work around home birthA coproduction Guinness World Record? 
Youngest person at a Whose Shoes workshop: 4 days old; eldest: 101 years'Stay kind, be curious' - shoutout to Newbold Hope, Episode 13'Parallel' - 'Start together, finish whenever' - let's make ALL events accessibleFind new ways to ensure people feel involved ... then the magic happens.Everyone needs a 'Project of Joy' at work The 'Jar of Joy' - shoutout to Liz O'RiordanMaking a difference to NHS staff wellbeing will help keep them in the NHSLet's bring these more human elements in right from the start - student nurses!What are YOU passionate about?
Some links
1.       Home - Fishermen's Mission (fishermensmission.org.uk)
2.       SeaFit - Fishermen's Mission (fishermensmission.org.uk)
3.       Parallel Lifestyle
4.       Jar of Joy
5.       Enjoy earlier episodes about health inequalities – eg Dr Farzana Hussain


We LOVE it when you leave a review!
If you enjoy my podcast and find these conversations useful
please share your thoughts by leaving a review (Apple is easiest to leave a review) and comment on your favourite episodes.

I tweet as @WhoseShoes and @WildCardWS and am on Instagram as @WildCardWS.

Please recommend 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' to others who enjoy hearing passionate people talk about their experiences of improving health care.

 Building on the theme of storytelling and creativity.

How do we get people to come along to our events?
What is Whose Shoes anyway?

Today I am talking to Lyse Edwards and Rachel Crook from the Children and Families team at Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust as we prepare for our forthcoming Whose Shoes events in May - looking to make care more holistic for children and families and to improve perinatal mental health.

We talk about some of the more creative methods we are using to draw people in and ensure this is TRUE coproduction.

 Links:
Whose News - our monthly newsletter to keep everyone in the loopMPFT podcast Yvonne Newbold’s TEDxNHS Talk  Yvonne Newbold’s podcast (episode 13)Rachel Crook's podcast (episode 34)  Film clip of MatExp the Musical Liberating Structures 
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I still need to squeeze the lemons for this episode 


We LOVE it when you leave a review!
If you enjoy my podcast and find these conversations useful
please share your thoughts by leaving a review (Apple is easiest to leave a review) and comment on your favourite episodes.

I tweet as @WhoseShoes and @WildCardWS and am on Instagram as @WildCardWS.

Please recommend 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' to others who enjoy hearing passionate people talk about their experiences of improving health care.

Continuing the recent storytelling theme, and in solidarity with the #StartWithPeople event run by the Public Participation team of NHS England this week ...

For the first time in the series, I'm picking up threads from our #dementiachallengers work, and where better to start than talking to my friend Pippa Kelly, award-winning, blogger, journalist, dementia campaigner, author and public speaker!

Storytelling … and creating ripples ... BIG RIPPLES!!🍋🍋🍋

Enjoy!

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‘Wild Card – Whose Shoes’ podcast series is helping great people have a voice We don’t necessarily set out to become influential campaigners – our personal stories lead us thereGreat hashtags support storytelling to bring about change … think #HelloMyNameIs, #dementiachallengers, #MatExp!Personal stories help others feel they are not alone and help to build communities. Bolder together!Telling personal stories is hard. The emotion is bubbling under the surface and we are vulnerable Caring for others happens against a backdrop of your whole life and affects the whole familySpeaking out honestly about how you feel helps othersResentment. Do others feel like that? Well, yes, sometimes they do!Stories resonate. "Oh, my God, thank you for saying that!"Support people who generously share their lived experience – don’t have them as a token, tick-box on YOUR agenda!Acknowledge and plan for the fact that stories may trigger difficult memories for the storyteller and the audienceWe have to be authentic – none of us is immune to getting emotional, even if we have told our stories many timesHuge, unpredictable ‘ripples’ happen when we share stories – some great examples here!Personalised care and dehumanising care are two sides of the same coin – learn from bothCynicism about the power of storytelling is dispelled when NHS leaders start telling THEIR storiesNHS language can be confusing  - what do people do that don't have a relative who's a NHS consultant to explain everything?!There always needs to be a human connection, a relationship between the cared and the cared for The ‘battle’ for NHS continuing healthcare is a nightmare –a system that perpetuates health inequalitiesYou know your story has ‘landed’ when you see everyone nodding. Powerful stories grab people emotionally … 'by the short and curlies'! Don’t let your systems become dehumanised ... "The living before the deceased";  'Certificate of Existence'?! Storytelling works! When data and talk about pathways failed … £3 million of public funding was secured by starting with the stories Poweful ripples happen and stories interweave when people connect and share As always, @Gills_Mum was influential!Anna Geyer’s graphic records capture the commonalities and threads between different areas of health care: people, vulnerability, wanting to be heard, to be listened to, to be taken seriously, to be valued. 
 Links:
Pippa Kelly’s podcast: Well I know now
Pippa's book - 'Invisible ink'
We LOVE it when you leave a review!
If you enjoy my podcast and find these conversations useful
please share your thoughts by leaving a review (Apple is easiest to leave a review) and comment on your favourite episodes.

I tweet as @WhoseShoes and @WildCardWS and am on Instagram as @WildCardWS.

Please recommend 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' to others who enjoy hearing passionate people talk about their experiences of improving health care.