Why You? Why Me?

Two conferences down. One more to go.

I went to the International Conference for Integrated Care in Denmark in May. In June, I attended the NHSConfedExpo, where I was invited to contribute to a panel discussion, and in October, I will be at Best Practice.

Real talk time.

Whilst the NHSConfedExpo was EXCELLENT.

I was repeatedly asked by my peers why I was chosen to speak.

AND

Multiple people also informed me that a colleague said I looked like a prostitute.

Yes. Re-read the above sentences.

This is a true story.

I wanted to call this newsletter - Why You and being called a prostitute, but I thought it wouldn’t get past the NHS spam filter.

Why You?

My response to the Why You did hurt my feelings. I can’t lie.

I have never claimed to be THE PCN Management expert, but I do have PCN expertise. I go out of my way to share my lessons learnt for FREE, attracting thousands of visitors to our website each month. And over the past three years, we have supported over 22 PCNs in various capacities.

If this isn't good enough for you, then so be it.

Being asked Why You is an interesting question, which also led to conversations about the colour of my skin.

I listened; I remained composed but inside, I wished I had never been asked. I even asked the organisers, why did you ask me?

This was an important lesson for me.

1. Not everyone values what I have to say, and this is OK
2. I need to be tougher if I am going to continue to put myself on a public stage

Moving forward, the next time someone asks why I was chosen to contribute to something, I will simply say…. They value my opinion and leave it at that.

On to the prostitute comment (I never thought I would be writing about something like this!)

I initially thought, Wait, What? Whatever. I am not going to concern myself with ridiculous comments like that.

Then I was like….HOW DARE HE (lol), I am going to call him, and I did. I felt empowered, and I still do.

Having learnt from the Why You situation, I felt confident to speak up. Address it in the moment and move forward.

I’m sharing these stories because they are important.

• What we say is important
• How we treat each other is important
• When we say nothing… this is important
• How we perceive ourselves is important

Hopefully, next week, we can get back to the regular business of health care chat :)

For my Primary Care Network Colleagues

This blog aims to provide new Primary Care Network Managers and administrators with an introduction to?enhanced access,?which is a service requirement within the 2022/23?PCN DES. You will find a brief introduction to enhanced access;

• Finances
• Service criteria
• Timeframes we should be working to
• This blog will also present 4 key next steps to aid implementing the PCN enhanced access service.

If you are new to your network and unsure of what it's all about, this blog will introduce you to;

• What a primary care network is.
• How many PCNs there are in England.
• What services and activities a primary care network typically provides.
• What the leadership and management structure typically look’s like.
• The Fuller Stocktake Report.

The Business of Healthcare Podcast is Back!

Our new episode 197 How to Influence Change is out today!

Please help me in sharing the news! we are really excited to be back releasing new episodes and would love for you to download and share with me your thoughts.

click here to download today