As I sat having a socially distanced cup of tea with my 75-year-old dad a few weekends ago, we found ourselves talking about his best friend’s mum. I had known her as ‘nanna’ because she had spent a lot of time looking after my dad when he was younger, as his own mum was not […]
Our team at Public World partnered with Buurtzorg to found Buurtzorg Britain and Ireland for a reason: because we believe that the way in which Buurtzorg has transformed care at home in the Netherlands should inspire and inform a much better way of doing things in Britain than our current system can offer. We also believe […]
Sir Keir Starmer, MP, the leader of the British Labour Party, told its virtual conference this week: “Our care workers are heroes. But the social care system in Britain is a disgrace to a rich nation.” He went on to point out that Conservative governments of the last ten years have promised to fix it, adding: “Let’s […]
There is much to welcome in We Are the NHS: People Plan 2020/21 – Action for us all, published last week by NHS England, such as its commitment to flexible working, apprenticeships, adequate rest time and facilities for staff, and more. Even so, the report left me thinking that it might have heralded the kind of culture […]
You have to be quite a courageous person to talk about love in a meeting. You have to be a really really courageous leader to talk about love in a meeting with other leaders! I’ve tried to do it quite a few times in various situations and very rarely does it land well. People tend […]
Often, I hear my grandfather say that ‘it’s not like it was in my day’ as if that is a good thing. For me that conjures thoughts of world wars, rationing, coal mines, disease, tenements and a serious lack of technology. However, recently I have been aware of some traditions or services making a bit […]
Since we began supporting Buurtzorg-inspired change in British health and adult social care four years ago, many children’s social workers and managers have urged us to apply the same knowledge and experience to their sector. As a small social enterprise with no core funding – every penny we spend (apart from my own initial investment […]
Britain’s nurses should proudly celebrate their profession’s great achievements, England’s Chief Nursing Officer Ruth May said last night when she opened the Nursing Times workforce awards, which I had the privilege of attending as the publication’s guest. The hundreds present went on to do just that, cheering every mention of the scores of nominated local initiatives […]
What does ‘leadership’ mean as we shift from treating people as passive recipients of health and care services to building communities that support us all to live the best lives we can? That was the underlying theme – from my point of view, at least — of the highly stimulating Nesta conference on the Future of […]
May has been a month of perpetual motion for me, and as it comes to a close I realise it has brought growing evidence that my wonderful team and I are part of an unstoppable movement for change in the way we all support each other in our communities and at work. It is easy […]