Wild Card - Whose Shoes?

78. Samira Ben Omar - Training doctors to walk in people’s shoes

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0100

In this episode of Wild Card – Whose Shoes?, Gill Phillips is joined by Samira Ben Omar, newly appointed Professor of Inclusive Practice at St Mary’s School of Medicine.

Samira is helping to shape something genuinely exciting: a brand-new, socially accountable school of medicine, built around communities, inclusion, humility, curiosity and trust.

Rather than starting with programmes or project plans, Samira talks about starting with conversations — coffee mornings, community spaces, lived experience and the real messiness of people’s lives.

Together, Gill and Samira explore what it means to train future doctors and healthcare leaders who are more than “book smart”; people who can sit with discomfort, listen deeply, understand power, and recognise the huge resource that already exists in communities.

There are powerful stories in this conversation: parents navigating SEND systems, GPs learning from mining communities, the importance of faith and community spaces, the role of music therapy, and the challenge of measuring what people actually value.

A conversation full of goosebumps, lemon lightbulbs and a very big “watch this space”.

For anyone interested in the future of healthcare, co-production, community power, medical education and human-centred care - this one is not to be missed

Lemon lightbulbs from this episode 🍋💡🍋

💡 Communities are not an “extra” - they are the lifeblood of local action.
Samira makes the powerful point that community and faith spaces are where so much real support, trust, advocacy and practical action already happens.

💡 Future doctors need to be more than “book smart”.
Clinical excellence matters, but so do curiosity, humility, listening deeply, understanding communities, and being able to sit with messiness and discomfort.

💡 Trust takes time - but trustworthiness can start now.
Do what you say you will do, be known as a person, and honour reciprocal relationships.

💡 “I am your red book. I am your integrated neighbourhood team.”
Fatuma’s story is incredibly powerful: the parent as the holder of the whole memory, navigating everything for her child in a fragmented system.

💡 "People do more when they decide for themselves."
A beautifully simple line with huge implications for healthcare, co-production, leadership and communities.

💡 The system often responds to complexity with more complexity.
Samira reminds us that “simple is very difficult to do”.
Huge synergy here with Whose Shoes! The answer is not always another framework, strategy or project plan.

💡 Relationships require you to move beyond your role.
If Samira needs to make coffee at the Roehampton coffee morning because they’re short of volunteers, that matters. It says: I’m here as a human being, not just as a title.

💡 Communities can sustain clinicians too.
A really interesting twist: communities are not just people to be “helped”. They can be allies, advocates, bridges and sources of nourishment for doctors working in difficult systems.

💡 Human-centred care goes beyond person-centred care.
Person-centred care can sit within a clinical interaction. Human-centred care asks how we design whole systems around people, families, communities and real lives.

💡 Measure what people value - not just what the system asks for.
Samira’s commitment to co-designing an outcomes framework feels huge. Not just measuring activity, but working with communities to understand what really matters.

💡 Power needs to be noticed, not ignored.
This conversation keeps coming back to power: professional power, institutional power, community power, lived experience power - and the need to design spaces where those dynamics are acknowledged.

💡 The future doctor who learned from going down the mine, before the consulting room.
The story of the GP in Wales being sent down the mines on day one is unforgettable. You cannot treat people well if you have no feel for the lives they are living.

SO. Watch this space.
This is not just a set of nice ideas. St Mary’s School of Medicine is trying to build something different from the start - with communities, inclusion and social accountability as the golden thread.

SUCH an exciting conversation. Thank you and good luck, Samira!

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 (Spotify or Apple are easiest to leave a review - navigate via 3 dots) and comment on your favourite episodes.

Connect with me - Gill Phillips - on LinkedIn, especially if you are interested in our brand new #CYPWhoseShoes resources or our well-established #MatExp (maternity experience) work.

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

77. Turning 70: Sian Lockwood on Ageing, Purpose and OOPS

Sun, 17 May 2026 07:00:00 +0100

On the day before my 70th birthday (how did that happen?!), I wanted to mark the occasion by talking to someone who is making us all think differently about ageing.

My guest is Sian Lockwood - co-founder of WIGO (When I Get Old) and writer of the brilliant OOPS blog: Outspoken Older People Subverting.

We talk about what it really feels like to get older - from feeling 35 in your head (most of the time!) to navigating the realities of changing energy, friendships, family life and purpose.

There’s honesty, humour, a bit of ranting about ageism … and a strong sense that life is still very much for living.

A warm, wise and gently subversive conversation about growing older - and making it count.

🍋💡🍋 Lemon Lightbulbs from this episode

💡 You don’t stop needing purpose just because you get older.

💡 Ageing isn’t one thing — some days you’re 35, some days you’re 120.

💡 Being older can make you invisible — unless you choose not to be.

💡 Purpose doesn’t retire when you do.

💡 Don’t waste a minute of the time that’s left.

💡 Slowing down can help you notice more, not less.

💡 It’s not about pretending to be young — it’s about living fully as you are.

💡 Older people still want to contribute, not just be cared for.

💡 Sometimes the best thing for your wellbeing is to get up and do something for someone else.

LINKS

OOPS blog - Outspoken Older People Subverting

WIGO - When I Get Old campaign

Brian Dolan - End PJ paralysis

Episode 64. Dorothy Hall - age discrimination in the NHS

Episode 67. VE Day Special - Dulcie Matthews and Dorothy Hall - Hope, Resilience, and the Spirit of Coventry

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

76. Lindsey Douglas - From crisis to change: SEND, lived experience and the power of coproduction

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 07:00:00 +0100

In this powerful and deeply human conversation, Gill Phillips is joined by Lindsey Douglas – parent carer, advocate and DMI trainer at Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

Lindsey speaks with honesty and warmth about family life with her son Grayson, who is autistic, has a severe learning disability and complex needs, and about the journey from crisis and exhaustion to greater understanding, support and hope. She shares what it means to look beyond behaviour, to ask what sits underneath it, and to recognise behaviour as communication.

The episode explores the value of curiosity, the importance of understanding unmet need, and the difference genuine lived experience can make when it is welcomed into the workforce in meaningful ways rather than as a tick-box exercise.

Gill and Lindsey also reflect on the award-winning #CYPWhoseShoes work with Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, the development of new Whose Shoes? resources around supporting children and young people, and specifically those with SEND and neurodivergence, and how Staffordshire partners used these conversations to help shape their SEND strategy.

This is a rich conversation about co-production, trust, family life, young carers, practical support, and the power of bringing parent carers and professionals together in ways that build understanding rather than blame.

🍋💡🍋 Lemon Lightbulbs from this episode

💡 A child who seems like a “dream baby” may actually be missing early interaction and communication cues.

💡 Behaviour is not “bad behaviour” to be controlled. It is often communication of distress, pain or unmet need.

💡 Curiosity changes everything. Instead of asking “How do we stop this?”, ask “What is this telling us?”

💡 Diagnostic overshadowing is dangerous. Not everything is about neurodivergence; sometimes a child is simply in pain.

💡 Parent carers are often managing extreme risk at home without the training professionals receive.

💡 Lived experience can break down barriers fast, because trust grows when people feel truly understood.

💡 Co-production is not asking people to comment on a finished plan. It means shaping it together from the start.

💡 Whose Shoes? works because the cards create safer, less confrontational conversations about difficult issues.

💡 Supporting one child well means supporting the whole family, including siblings and young carers.

💡 Sometimes the bravest family decision is to choose peace over social expectations.

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

75. The many voices of the Myton Hospices - A Podcasthon special

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 07:00:00 +0000

What does hospice care really look like?

What if hospice care isn't about the end of life - but about helping people live well for as long as possible?

In this special Podcasthon episode of Wild Card – Whose Shoes?, Gill Phillips visits The Myton Hospices in Warwick and brings together the voices of staff, volunteers, families and community supporters who make the hospice what it is.

Podcasthon is a global initiative bringing together thousands of podcasts around the world for one week each year, all dedicating an episode to a charity they care about. The aim is simple: to use the power of podcasting to raise awareness, spark conversations and support organisations doing vital work in their communities.

Totally aligned to 'Whose Shoes?' values.

For Gill, choosing Myton was easy.

Gill's own mum died there in 2017, and the experience further shaped her understanding of what compassionate care really means.

In this episode you’ll hear from Olivia, a registered nurse and Community Engagement Manager, Julie, Senior Staff Nurse, Kay, a Telephone Support Volunteer and volunteer Receptionist, Anil, Head of Retail, Holly, Director of Marketing and Communications - and members of the wider community who support Myton in different ways.

Along the way, we discover how hospice care often begins much earlier than people expect. We hear about small moments that make a huge difference for families, from late-night conversations to Prosecco parties, beach days and even a virtual trip to the Grand Canyon.

This episode is about the whole community - we can all play a part.

Because The Myton Hospices isn’t just a place. It’s a network of human kindness.

And perhaps most importantly, it reminds us that hospice care is not only about dying well – but about living well for as long as possible.

🍋💡🍋Lemon Lightbulbs

💡 Hospice care often starts much earlier than people expect – early support can transform people’s experience

💡 Supporting carers helps patients too – helping someone become a daughter or husband again, not just a carer

💡 A hospice isn’t defined by medical tasks – it’s the human moments people remember forever

💡 Creativity makes a difference: motorbikes, beach days and even virtual visits to the Grand Canyon.

💡 Volunteers are often the first friendly voice people hear – and sometimes the one they recognise instantly.

💡 Community support comes in many forms: shops, events, legacies, and organisations finding their own ways to help.

💡 Hospice care is truly holistic – caring for the whole person and the people around them.

💡 Many families say: “We wish we’d known about hospice support sooner.”

💡 When care is compassionate and personal, it can shape not only a good death – but a good bereavement.

LINKS

Welcome to The Myton Hospices

If you enjoy this episode, please share it as part of Podcasthon, helping more people discover the crucial work of hospices.

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

74. Mike Nicholson: Progressive Masculinity (and why boys do want to talk)

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 07:00:00 +0000

Wild Card - Whose Shoes? Podcast | Mike Nicholson: Progressive Masculinity (and why boys do want to talk)

What if the real issue isn’t that boys don’t talk - but that we rarely create spaces where they feel safe enough to?

In this episode, I’m joined by Mike Nicholson, former English teacher and founder of Progressive Masculinity. I first heard Mike speak at an education conference in Wolverhampton organised by Sarah Milne, and his session stayed with me long afterwards - especially the powerful “mask” exercise exploring how young men feel they must appear versus how they really feel.

Drawing on nearly two decades in the classroom, Mike shares what he saw: thoughtful, capable boys quietly limiting themselves to fit narrow expectations of masculinity - and what changed when they were simply given permission to talk.

We explore:

Why the idea that boys don’t talk is a myth
The impact of safe, non-judgemental spaces
Early intervention and “upstream” prevention
Online rabbit holes and algorithm-driven risks
Helping boys decide what kind of men they want to become
A values-led approach to confidence, identity and belonging

There are strong echoes here of my #CYPWhoseShoes work - listening deeply, understanding different perspectives, and recognising that real change is often felt before it can ever be measured.

🎧 If you have boys or young men in your life - as parents, teachers, grandparents or colleagues - this conversation is well worth a listen.

🍋💡🍋 Lemon Lightbulbs from this episode

Boys don’t avoid talking - they avoid judgement.
The gap between the “outside mask” and inside feelings is often huge.
Prevention starts with belonging, not behaviour management.
Algorithms can take curiosity to harmful places faster than adults realise.
Listening with young people changes everything.
Some of the most important outcomes can’t be captured on a spreadsheet.
If we remove unhealthy spaces, we must create healthier ones.
Values help young people navigate peer pressure.
Supporting boys and empowering girls are not opposing goals.
There isn’t one way to be a man - only the freedom to become yourself.

Links

Progressive Masculinity

Whose Shoes?

Our #CYPWhoseShoes project

Men and boys' champions

#WhoseShoes #WildCardWhoseShoes #CYPWhoseShoes #Belonging #Education #MentalHealth #EarlyIntervention

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

73. Create the conditions - then let the magic happen. In conversation with Ruth Germaine

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 07:00:00 +0000

🎙️ This episode was recorded jointly with the So, Who Cares Anyway? podcast, hosted by Ruth Germaine.

In this warm, wide-ranging episode, I’m chatting to fellow podcaster and Darzi alumna Ruth Germaine to explore what it really takes to tackle healthcare’s “wicked problems” through coproduction.

A powerful invitation to think differently.

Drawing on our shared roots in the Darzi Fellowship network, we reflect on why lived experience, curiosity and relationship-building matter far more than tick-boxes and tidy solutions.

I share my journey from social care and local government, through cancer, to creating Whose Shoes?® - a deceptively simple, colourful board-game approach that opens up honest conversations between people, professionals and those in positions of power. Along the way, we explore the power of poetry, the beach-ball metaphor, and why Whose Shoes scenarios are so open-ended – the discussion will be the one YOU need to have.

Our conversation ranges from maternity services in Buckinghamshire to SEND roadshows and a neonatal unit in Liverpool, illustrating how ‘planting seeds’ can lead to outcomes no one could predict at the start.

We also reflect on the challenge of evidencing impact, the limits of KPIs, and a Whose Shoes hallmark: the pledge - small or bold actions, taken from the heart. #NoHierarchyJustPeople

This is an episode about creativity, courage, and the quiet magic that happens when people feel truly heard.

🍋💡 🍋 Lemon Lightbulbs

Co-production isn’t a method - it’s a mindset
If people don’t genuinely feel valued and listened to, no tool will save you.
The answers are in the room
Real change starts with free-flowing conversations, not a prescriptive agenda
You can promise something will happen - just not what
That uncertainty isn’t a flaw; it’s the essence of true co-production
People see through tick-box listening instantly
You can’t fake curiosity or shortcut trust
Creativity creates capacity - even when time is tight
Fun, colour and poetry don’t distract from serious work; they unlock it
Ripples to ... IMPACT!
A conversation can lead — unexpectedly — to things as big as a new neonatal unit
Just because it's countable, doesn't mean it's what matters most
What matters most (trust, insight, confidence, connection) rarely fits a KPI
The best change work draws people in
When it’s real, people text friends: “Get down here — this is different.”
Pledges work because they’re personal
Small actions “from the heart” beat grand strategies
Learning happens with people, not to them
Networks for learning together generally beat programmes and courses

LINKS

So, Who Cares Anyway? Podcast by Ruth Germaine

It takes a Village - Buckinghamshire maternity Whose Shoes? event

Whose Shoes? comes to Nottingham

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

72. Maff Potts - Camerados and Public Living Rooms - A Christmas Cracker!

Sun, 21 Dec 2025 07:00:00 +0000

🎄🎧 A bit of a Christmas cracker (with maverick music included)

A conversation full of humanity.

In this Wild Card – Whose Shoes episode, Gill Phillips chats with Maff Potts, founder of the Camarados movement and creator of Public Living Rooms - simple, welcoming spaces where people can put their feet up, enjoy no-agenda company, and look out for each other.

No labels. No tick boxes. No “fixing”. Just people.

Maff brings stories (and piano!) from his journey: from working in homelessness, to advising government, and very intentionally returning to grassroots connection, where real change happens. Together we explore why kindness, laughter, and belonging aren’t “nice extras” - they’re essential.

🍋💡🍋 Lemon lightbulbs

🍋 “Where would you put the KPI for this?” The case for humanity, music and improvisation over metrics.

🍋 Public Living Rooms = connection + purpose (without needing a “service” or a diagnosis).

🍋 Permission to be a bit rubbish - and why failure/iteration can be a superpower (England vs Silicon Valley!).

🍋 A powerful example of language changing everything: when “Put your feet up” became “It’s time to talk #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek”… footfall dropped from 1000 people to 40.

🍋 The “how” matters: how we welcome, speak, listen, and create environments that help people feel human.

If you’ve ever felt weary of spreadsheets, assessments, and VIP top tables … this episode is for you. #NoHierarchyJustPeople

🫖 Want to start a Public Living Room? Find out more at camarados.org (and you might just receive a beautiful permission-giving box to get you going). #JFDI

Happy Christmas everyone!

Links:

Home - Camerados

“It takes a village”

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

71. Amelia Wilkinson - living (and parenting) with Type 1 diabetes

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 07:00:00 +0000

Amelia Wilkinson: Living (and parenting) with Type 1 diabetes - beyond the data

Published on 14 November (World Diabetes Day), this conversation lifts the lid on what most of us miss about Type 1 diabetes - the mental load, the masking, and the trauma that doesn’t show up on a glucose graph.

Podcast host Gill Phillips talks with Amelia Wilkinson, diagnosed at 10 and now a mum, about growing up through school exclusions and assumptions.

Topics include why behaviour is communication, navigating a high-risk pregnancy, and the power - and limits - of technology.

Amelia calls for two big shifts: train the adults around children with Type 1 (teachers, carers, clinicians) to spot the emotional toll

AND separate Type 1 and Type 2 awareness, so misconceptions stop harming care.

🍋💡🍋 Lemon lightbulbs

🍋 Type 1 ≠ Type 2: why the confusion hurts

🍋 Grief for a ‘former self’ and the hidden mental health toll

🍋 School stories: control, freedom-seeking, and being labelled ‘naughty’

🍋 Pregnancy with Type 1: what it really took for Amelia to have her daughter

🍋 Masking, peer support, and life beyond the data

🍋 Don’t make assumptions – ask how the person is doing, including mental health

🍋 Train the grown-ups!

🍋 Separate the awareness days!

If you work with children and families- or love someone with Type 1 - this one’s for you.

Links

Type 1 Diabetes: The Comic Book Stories (courtesy of FAB Fab NHS Stuff)

World Diabetes Day

Overview of Whose Shoes

Wild Card - Whose Shoes podcast with Aurora Thompson

💛 #WorldDiabetesDay #Type1Diabetes #NoHierarchyJustPeople #WhoseShoes #WildCard

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

70. Aurora Thompson - the power of hope

Sun, 05 Oct 2025 07:00:00 +0100

In this powerful episode of Wild Card -Whose Shoes?, Gill Phillips talks with Aurora Thompson - a remarkable young woman whose story of trauma, survival, and resilience will stop you in your tracks.

Aurora shares her lived experience of abuse,, bullying, mental health crises, and being sectioned as a teenager.

She talks about her diagnosis with autism and what difference it has made.

But at the heart of her journey is a message of hope: a force she breaks down into four vital elements — connection, love, opportunity, and purpose.

🍋 All behaviour is communication - don’t judge, listen.

🍋 How is it okay to restrain but not hug?

🍋 The cost (emotional and financial) of crisis care versus the value of early intervention

🍋 The role of “golden people” — those rare professionals who bring honesty, humour, and humanity

🍋 From despair to purpose: how a photo of a therapy dog sparked hope, and how participation work with Barnardo’s became a lifeline

🍋 “Aim for the stars and you might just land near the moon” - Aurora’s call to dream big.

We also explore diagnostic overshadowing, the importance of holistic care, and why systems must stop lazily labelling children as “complex” and start seeing them as whole people.

Aurora is now studying philosophy, working with young people, and speaking out with passion and clarity to help change the system for those who come after her. Her voice is brave, authentic, and unforgettable.

🎧 Listen in for a story that is painful, inspiring, and ultimately hopeful - and perhaps take away your own lemon lightbulb or two. 🍋💡🍋

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

69. Curiosity, Connection and Creativity in the NHS: An Intentional Coffee with Dr Ben Allen

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 07:00:00 +0100

🎙️ Wild Card – Whose Shoes? with Gill Phillips
Episode: An #IntentionalCoffee with Dr Ben Allen

In this episode, Gill Phillips speaks for the very first time with Dr Ben Allen - transformative GP, former ICB leader, and curious explorer of how the NHS can work better for staff, patients, and communities.

Ben and Gill have connected through LinkedIn where Ben describes himself as: "GP, NHS leader, convener and innovator. Releasing potential, creating joyful and effective teams. Supporting large scale improvement."

On the podcast, Ben shares his bold decision to step away from a formal leadership role to pursue a two-year “personal learning experiment” - visiting teams, shadowing people across the NHS and beyond, and testing new ways of connecting, leading, and learning.

✨ Ben and Gill dive into:

Building trust and psychological safety in teams.
Why creativity (perhaps a RAP or a ball of wool!) can shift culture.
The power of connections and ripples in complex systems.
How social media can be more than noise - a space for learning, challenge, and collaboration.
The hope found in unlocking the untapped potential of human beings.

It’s a rich, hopeful, and energising conversation about leadership, curiosity, and finding new ways to make change happen.

🍋💡🍋 Lemon lightbulbs

🍋 “Make everything work harder” – capture, share, and amplify learning so others can benefit.

🍋 Psychological safety is built when we stretch people’s vulnerability just enough – trust grows through human connection.

🍋 Creativity in healthcare (a poem, a musical, a ball of wool!) can feel radical because our systems are so rigid – yet these moments are what people remember.

🍋 Impact in complex systems is messy and hard to measure – but ripples matter.

🍋 Relationships are as vital as evidence; systems are only as strong as their connections.

🍋 Social media isn’t just a hobby – it’s an underused engine for ideas, learning, and collaboration.

🍋 Hope comes from recognising untapped potential in people and organisations – not just from more money or resources.

🍋 Stepping out of your comfort zone to explore and learn can bring rich rewards.

Useful links

Find out more about #CYPWhoseShoes:
'Whose News?' Edition 14

BRAND NEW - The #CYPWhoseShoes story so far, told with a ball of string!

Ben's Youtube channel

#MatExp the Musical

Listen to the episodes around #UniversalHealthcare (Episodes 56-62) - explore further some of the issues and people mentioned in this conversation:

56. Becky Malby – Universal Healthcare
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1838805/15239449

57. Tom Holliday - Children get less
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1838805/15363315

58. George Winder – Don’t medicalise poverty
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1838805/15461390

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

68. “Every Life Matters” – an extraordinary conversation with Benedicte Symcox

Sun, 29 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0100

🎙 “You’re amazing!” But what if hearing that doesn’t feel amazing at all?

In this powerful and deeply moving episode, Gill Phillips meets awesome Benedicte Symcox – parent carer, founder of Tugboat SEND Navigation, and passionate advocate for children and adults with complex needs.

Benedicte’s story is breathtaking. From the moment they met at Yvonne Newbold’s wedding (!), Gill and Benedicte struck up an instant connection – and this podcast brings it to life. With wisdom, humour, brutal honesty, and astonishing lived experience, Benedicte takes us on a journey through parenting three very different children – each with their own profound challenges and triumphs.

🎧 Expect to hear:

The rollercoaster of navigating health, education, and social care systems
Teenage mental health, neurodiversity, and diagnostic overshadowing
Raw conversations about suicide, resilience, and “extreme parenting”
How Benedicte’s lived experience powers her work supporting other families through Tugboat
Why kindness, curiosity and valuing every life are non-negotiables in a broken system

This episode goes live in #CoProductionWeek - the week that #MPFTWhoseShoes, the extraordinary Whose Shoes journey to better support children and families, is showcased in Staffordshire.

With her signature wit and passion, Benedicte reminds us why real voices matter.

This is one for the ninja parents, the professionals trying to do better, and anyone who wants to understand what truly matters.

🍋💡🍋 Lemon lightbulbs

🍋 Every life matters – regardless of age, ability, or achievements.

🍋 Stay curious, be kind

🍋 No one’s coming to save you – a tough truth from Yvonne Newbold that hits hard but empowers families to take action

🍋 Value doesn't come from capability – our culture must stop measuring people’s worth by what they can do or produce

🍋 You can't fix what you don't truly see – honest, raw stories like Benedicte’s open eyes and hearts

🍋 Children with complex needs are not always ‘inspirational’—they’re human.
They get stroppy, funny, scared, brilliant... just like any child

🍋 Diagnostic overshadowing destroys lives – assuming one label explains everything leads to devastating gaps in support

🍋 We need to talk about suicide – actually talk about it – no euphemisms, no sidestepping. Say the word. Save lives.

🍋 Professionals are often also parent carers : dual perspective

🍋 Honesty matters more than heroics – saying “this is hard” is more powerful than pretending to cope

🍋 Sometimes kindness means saying uncomfortable things

🍋 Honest conversations are vital – especially around 'taboo' topics : sex, disability, parenting, mental health

🍋 Parenting doesn’t come with guarantees – ‘success’ can mean just surviving another day

🍋 Systems should support families, not punish them – blaming parents, gatekeeping support, and making people fight for help is not acceptable.

🍋 Hope lives in connection – whether through a podcast, a wedding, or a kindness conversation, real change starts with human stories

Links

Tugboat SEND Navigation – Steering you through SEND waters

Please visit the episodes with Cath Crock, Bob Klaber and Steven Russell

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

67. VE Day Special - Dulcie Matthews and Dorothy Hall - Hope, Resilience, and the Spirit of Coventry

Mon, 05 May 2025 23:00:00 +0100

🎙 Episode 67: Dulcie Matthews and Dorothy Hall – Hope, Resilience, and the Spirit of Coventry

This very special VE Day episode of Wild Card – Whose Shoes? is a real treat. 🕊️

Join me, Gill Phillips, as I welcome two extraordinary women: Dorothy Hall, familiar to listeners from Episode 64, and her equally inspirational friend Dulcie Matthews, aged 88.

Dulcie grew up in wartime Coventry, and shares her moving memories of a city scarred by bombs but brimming with resilience. Her evocative memoir From Paradise to Eden brings the 1940s vividly to life — and today, she brings that world to us through her words, wit, and warmth. 🌸

In a beautifully candid conversation, Dulcie and Dorothy reflect on ageing, creativity, and retaining a sense of identity and purpose when society would often rather render older people invisible.

✨ From Dulcie’s lockdown poems and fairy tales for her great-granddaughter to their joyful adventures searching for "fairy doors," this episode is packed with wisdom, hope, and humour.

We talk about social prescribing, the healing power of music and nature, grief and resilience — and dreaming up a bold new vision for compassionate care in later life.

🍋💡🍋 Lemon lightbulbs

🍋 You are still you
Despite how society treats older people, identity, creativity, and inner fire do not fade with age

🍋 Stay curious and always say yes
Dulcie has stayed open to life’s opportunities, even through deep grief and loss

🍋 Creativity is an escape — and a lifeline
Nature, writing, fairy stories, and music offer not just escape, but deep healing.

🍋 Invisible no more
Calling out the way healthcare systems often marginalize older people — and fighting to be seen and heard.

🍋 Rediscover your roots
Dulcie rekindling her love for Coventry reminds us that reconnecting with our past can offer hope for the future

🍋 The world changes — and we adapt
From wartime Coventry to lockdown Britain, Dulcie’s reflections show resilience as a constant thread through life

🍋 Music unlocks memory, joy, and connection
The powerful role of music in both healthcare and daily life — lifting spirits and bridging generations

🍋 Imagination is ageless
Whether it's fairy tales or reimagining community care, creativity thrives at every age, so support people to use their skills and feel they can contribute

🍋 Challenge stereotypes by living fully
Wearing jeans, playing piano, creating stories — refusing to be boxed in by other people’s ideas of ‘old age.’

🍋 Reimagine care: people first, not conditions
A visionary idea: flexible, creative care communities inspired by the hospice model but open to all

_______________________________________________________

Dorothy's key message? "Be more imaginative about how care is offered "

Dulcie’s key message? "Stay curious. Always say yes!"

____________________________________________________

This is a celebration of courage, creativity, and connection — the spirit that saw Coventry rise again after WWII, and the same spirit that Dulcie and Dorothy embody today ❤️

🌟 A heartfelt thank you to Dulcie and Dorothy for sharing their stories so openly. A perfect listen to inspire you this VE Day.

Links

Episode 64. Dorothy Hall - age discrimination in the NHS

Episode 40. Prof. Cath Crock - music in health care - our first international podcast guest!

Episode 22. 'Symphony of Us' - please disturb

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

66. Dr Guddi Singh - Radically reimagining health care

Sun, 06 Apr 2025 07:00:00 +0100

In this electric, soul-stirring conversation, Dr Guddi Singh joins me to explore what it truly means to radically reimagine health. From the frontline realities of paediatrics to the bold edges of creative health and social justice, Guddi brings her full, vibrant self â€” and invites us all to do the same.

We talk about what’s broken in our health system, why simply fixing sickness isn’t enough, and how real health is built in homes and communities, not hospitals.

We shine a light on creative co-production, interdisciplinary approaches, and the untapped power of arts, storytelling and relationships to transform healthcare.

Guddi describes herself as a closet creative and lifelong learner, and youâ€™ll hear exactly why â€” from training citizen scientists to founding WHAM (Wellbeing and Health Action Movement) and leading the Powering Up project.

This episode is bursting with energy, honesty, hope¦ and a few well-placed mic drops.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

🍋 Health is not built in hospitals – it’s built in our homes and communities

🍋 A child cannot be healthy if the context they live in is sick - we have to treat the context – hunger, poverty, poor housing – not just the symptoms

🍋 “I’m a closet creative trapped in the body of a doctor” : Guddi’s mission blends creativity, academia, activism, and medicine to drive meaningful change

🍋 The system doesn’t work for patients — and it doesn’t really work for staff

🍋 There’s no KPI for what actually matters — to patients or professionals

🍋 Maybe the most powerful KPI is: Will you remember this? Did it change you?

🍋 Human connection doesn’t fit in a spreadsheet – but it’s what makes the work meaningful.

🍋 Fixing health inequalities starts with ordinary clinicians and patients, and creative approaches

🍋 Powering Up isn’t a project – it’s a movement

🍋 It’s hard to lie to kids - Powering up unearthed the real issues

🍋 The system may be blind, but our stories can open its eyes

🍋 Dance saved my life. Why isn’t creative health part of the NHS mainstream?

🍋 We’re lighting up little patches of the world. What if we joined the dots?

🍋 We’re not alone — it’s time to bring our lemon lightbulbs together

Links:

BBC Radio 4 - Three Ages of Child

Wellbeing and Health Action Movement (WHAM)

Powering Up Project

National Centre for Creative Health

Episode 54: Dr Mary Salama - connecting across boundaries

Episode 57 : Dr Tom Holliday - children get less

Join the Movement

This is more than a conversation It’s a call to action. Whether you’re a clinician, creative, policymaker or passionate citizen, this episode will leave you asking:

What’s my role in radically reimagining health?

#coproduction

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

65. Nicola Enoch – It’s World Down Syndrome Day! It’s the global Podcasthon!

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 07:00:00 +0000

This special episode of Wild Card – Whose Shoes? is part of The World Podcastathon, a global celebration of podcasts that spark conversation, challenge perspectives, and inspire change.

I’m thrilled to welcome the incredible Nicola Enoch, founder and CEO of Down Syndrome UK, a powerhouse advocate who is transforming perceptions, challenging outdated maternity care practices, and empowering families. Nicola’s journey is extraordinary—one that began with fear and stigma when she learned her son, Tom, might have Down syndrome, and evolved into a mission to support parents, shift mindsets, and tackle inequalities head-on.

We explore the power of language in maternity care, the importance of early development, and how health inequalities continue to impact people with learning disabilities. Nicola also shares how her organization is training healthcare professionals and educators to see the person first and break down barriers that still exist today.

This conversation is raw, real, and packed with lemon lightbulb moments—insights that challenge us all to think differently.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

🍋 Words shape experiences – Describing Down syndrome as a “risk” or “abnormality” impacts how parents feel about their child. Language matters.

🍋 Breaking bad news? Or sharing unexpected news? – How healthcare professionals frame a diagnosis makes all the difference.

🍋 Assume competence – Expecting less from a child with Down syndrome limits their potential. High expectations open doors.

🍋 Health inequalities are real – Diagnostic overshadowing leads to preventable health issues. Parents must advocate fiercely.

🍋 Community is everything – Peer support groups are lifelines. No parent should feel alone.

This is a must-listen for anyone passionate about maternity care, inclusion, and human stories that challenge stereotypes.

🎧 Listen now and join the conversation!

Links:

We hope you will donate to this important charity - here is how you can find out more!

#WildCardWhoseShoes #WorldPodcastathon #DownSyndromeAwareness #ChangingTheNarrative #CoProduction

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

64. Dorothy Hall - age discrimination in the NHS

Sun, 16 Feb 2025 07:00:00 +0000

In this powerful episode, Gill Phillips chats with her long-time friend Dorothy Hall, a former social worker and fierce advocate for fairness. They explore the realities of ageism in healthcare.

At 82 and a half, Dorothy brings a wealth of lived experience—as a professional, a family carer, and now as someone navigating the NHS as an older person.

She highlights the stark contrast between systems that dismiss patients based on age and those that embrace co-production and shared decision-making.

Dorothy shares two shocking yet inspiring stories:

How she was abruptly denied essential treatment for a genetic condition upon turning 80—without warning, discussion, or a clear clinical rationale
Her journey to access an innovative light therapy treatment for macular degeneration, which remains largely unknown and unavailable on the NHS despite its life-changing potential

Instead of accepting the system’s failings, Dorothy took matters into her own hands—seeking a second opinion, finding more compassionate healthcare providers, and ultimately reclaiming control over her own care.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

🍋 Co-production doesn’t stop at 80 - see the person

🍋 Healthcare should be about needs, not numbers – age alone should never determine whether someone gets treatment

🍋 Patients shouldn’t have to be experts in NICE guidelines or fight for info

🍋 Don’t push people into complaints—listen first – most patients don’t want a fight, they just want fair treatment

🍋 The complaints process takes a huge toll on people

🍋 Empathy transforms healthcare

🍋 Joint decision-making rocks!

🍋 Short-term cuts create long-term costs – and unnecessary suffering

🍋 Rigid NHS systems fail real people – bureaucratic barriers, arbitrary cut-offs, and poor communication leave people helpless

🍋 Being 'outside the system' can be a nightmare

🍋 Seek a second opinion

🍋 Vision loss is life-changing - NHS should embrace this proven, non-invasive macular degeneration preventative treatment

🍋 It’s not just about vision - age-related sight loss affects independence, mobility and mental health

🍋 Patient advocacy is powerful – knowing your rights, pushing back, and seeking alternatives can change everything

🍋 Honest communication matters!!!

Links:

Encouraging results from light therapy study for dry age-related macular degeneration - study published by the Macular Society

#WIGO - When I Get Old campaign - Gill Phillips chats with Angela Catley

✨ A must-listen episode for anyone passionate about health inequalities, patient advocacy, and how we can build a healthcare system that truly listens to people—at every stage of life. 🎧

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

63: 🎉 Celebrating 10 Years of #MatExp! 🎉

Sun, 22 Dec 2024 07:00:00 +0000

🎙️ Wild Card - Whose Shoes? Podcast 🎙️
🎉 Episode 63: Celebrating 10 Years of #MatExp! 🎉

Join us for a festive and heartfelt episode as we celebrate a decade of the groundbreaking #MatExp campaign, born from the Whose Shoes? co-production movement!

This special Christmas edition revisits the vibrant energy of our 10-year anniversary event held on October 17th, 2024, blending highlights from the session with moving testimonials, joyful moments, and powerful reflections.

🍋💡🍋 Why listen?

The Evidence Base: Hear live testimonials and stories that showcase the real impact #MatExp has had on maternity care, as shared by parents, healthcare professionals, and changemakers during the celebration.
Moments to Remember: From lithotomy challenges and Mexican waves to the iconic #MatExp the Musical, we relive the creativity, courage, and co-production that have defined this journey.
Hope for the Future: Reflect on the challenges facing maternity services today and the enduring hope for change, inspired by our community's dedication and innovation.
Interactive Fun: Experience the joy of reconnection through breakout room anecdotes, graphic visuals, musical interludes - and even a live rap!

🍼 Special shoutouts to the incredible #MatExp community who’ve co-created resources, challenged traditional hierachies, and sparked “lemon lightbulb moments” that continue to improve maternity experiences worldwide.

🎄 Whether you’re a Whose Shoes “addict” or discovering us for the first time, this episode is an inspiring celebration of what’s been achieved—and what’s still to come. Together, let’s keep the #MatExp banner flying high!

✨ Listen now and feel the festive spirit of co-production in action! ✨

Links to some resources mentioned in the podcast:
🍋 Celebrating 10 Years of #MatExp - highly visual. Watch on Youtube!
🍋 Whose Shoes comes to Brighton - song and dance and CAKE!
🍋 The Robin Hood midwives in Sherwood Forest
🍋 #FabObs Flo's TED talk
🍋 Nottingham Whose Shoes event
🍋 The new neonatal unit being built at Alder Hey
🍋 Jo Minford and Mary Salama #IntentionalCoffee
🍋 Young parents - Birmingham Families - Whose Shoes event
🍋 #MatExp the Musical
🍋 Fab NHS Stuff - #MatExp collection
🍋 Whose News? - our #MPFTWhoseShoes project - children and families

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

62. Dr. George Winder Pt2 - how universal healthcare works in practice

Sun, 24 Nov 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Bonus episode!
Dr. George Winder and I pick up from our impactful “Don’t Medicalise Poverty” conversation (Episode 58, Universal Healthcare mini-series).

George’s work is refreshing. It goes beyond prescriptions and appointments.
It makes healthcare about relationships, community and plain common sense.
More human and a lot more doable!

We dive into stories that show the true power of social connection – from walking groups that tackle loneliness to blood pressure checks held away from GP practice walls. George opens up about the realities of community-based health: the greatest successes come from local ownership and the simple yet profound impact of listening to people

We explore the "why" behind the data, the risks of inactivity, the courage it takes to start where you are, gradually building networks and trust

The stories show that healthcare is a team effort – a team that includes everyone.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

🍋 Walking for Wellbeing – A simple walk, a friendly coffee, and a bit of music can do wonders
The best healthcare can start with bringing people together, not with prescriptions
🍋 Loneliness as a Health Crisis – Research shows that meaningful social interactions can be as important as vaccinations
Community activities like “move to music” and chair-based yoga aren't just exercise; they’re lifelines
🍋 Scaling vs. Staying Local – Not everything is meant for mass production.
True community-based health relies on local ownership, where the community shapes what they need most
🍋 The Power of Passion – Real change happens when people lead with passion. A retired teacher running a children’s reading group from a car park during Covid19 is a reminder that enthusiasm can surmount setbacks!
🍋 Inactivity Is a Risk – George nails it with “inactivity can be as dangerous as activity.” When fear of risk paralyzes action, community needs get sidelined.
Vital support can be lost.
🍋 Meeting People Where They Are – Health isn’t always in the clinic.
By bringing blood pressure checks to community spaces, George’s team is reaching those who might never go to a GP
🍋 The Pitfall of Opt-in Systems – bureaucracy often leaves behind people in vulnerable situations. This isn’t just an inconvenience; it can mean missing critical care
🍋 The elephant in the room - honesty re NHS Resources and prioritisation can help people understand the real cost and impact of services
🍋 Trust in the Team – Multidisciplinary work means no organisational walls. George’s weekly team check-ins are open and flexible, with colleagues calling in from the real world – creating a 'team hug' that’s both supportive and effective
🍋 Healthcare needs kindness and connection at its core
George’s 'team hug' and Gill’s kindness conversations remind us that sometimes simply listening and showing empathy can transform BOTH patient and practitioner experiences

Links
George Winder – Don’t medicalise poverty
Altogether Better
Bob Klaber - kindness matters
Alvanley Family Centre

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

61. Becky Malby - Universal Healthcare Round Up

Sun, 10 Nov 2024 07:00:00 +0000

In this final episode of our mini-series on universal healthcare, in collaboration with LSBU and the Universal Healthcare Network, we bring it full circle with Prof. Becky Malby, who commissioned this enlightening journey.

Over recent episodes, we've delved into stories from remarkable guests who are making universal healthcare real in their communities – from children’s services to outreach for those experiencing homelessness. Together, they’ve shown us the power of curiosity, collaboration, and plain humanity in health care.

Becky reflects on their stories and challenges us with a bold question:
If they can do it, why can’t everyone?

Why aren’t these inspiring, people-centered approaches the norm?

It’s a call to reimagine healthcare beyond the appointment system and break down walls that hinder access for the most vulnerable.

We discuss everything from the need for team support in complex care, to the irreplaceable role of storytelling, which has shone brightly throughout the series.

This episode is an inspiring wrap-up and a rallying cry to make healthcare universal in every sense.

Whether you’re in healthcare, policy, or simply curious about a fairer system, this series has laid out the path forward – and it’s one we’ll need to walk together. Thank you for joining us in this exploration.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

🍋 The Outliers' Challenge – If these guys can create truly universal healthcare, why isn’t everyone doing it?
Stop treating these stories as “exceptions”, start making them the norm.

🍋 Beyond the Appointment Factory – The NHS is more than an endless round of appointments.
Bring care to people; don't just wait for them to show up.

🍋 Break Down the Barriers – A phone call to get an appointment can be Everest for those without easy access or trust in the system.
Meet people where they are: in a clinic, on the street, or anywhere that works

🍋 Curiosity Is the Key – The best hcps aren’t the “know-it-alls”
Join the magic, curious people who keep asking, “Who else could help?” and “What’s the full picture here?”

🍋 Teamwork - it’s lighter with friends.
From school nurses to team huddles, complex care works better (and is way more fun) when you have support

🍋 Stories Over Stats – what are the stories behind the data?
George helped V get to China - shows the human impact in a way data never could

🍋 Start somewhere
Don’t overthink. Just start. Get moving. Small actions can spark big changes

🍋 Reignite the creative Pandemic Spirit – Remember the “VacciTaxies” bringing care to where people needed it?
Let's ditch the bureaucracy & reignite our drive to make healthcare accessible.

🍋 Universal healthcare is possible - it’s up to all of us to carry this momentum forward

Links:
EPISODES 56-61 in this series!
Universal HealthCare National Inquiry
Gill's Universal Healthcare work with MPFT

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

60. Bill Graham - universal healthcare in action

Sun, 27 Oct 2024 07:00:00 +0000

We are nearing the end of our mini series of podcasts about universal healthcare, in collaboration with London South Bank University and the Universal Healthcare Network.

With the NHS experiencing overwhelming demand, we need radical transformation with more power and resources within communities.

So today, Bill Graham, who is a Community Coordinator with Modality Partnership, focuses on community-based solutions!

Bill talks about the need for primary care to engage with communities and gives examples of how this works in practice, e.g maximising COVID-19 vaccine uptake among Asian populations and increasing childhood vaccination rates.

Bill highlights the success of community-led initiatives, such as health checks at sports events and baby days in shopping centres.

Bill also mentions the multi-generational home visiting project and digital outreach initiatives to enhance patient engagement. He calls for more investment in community solutions and stresses the importance of practical, asset-based approaches in healthcare.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

🍋 Magic happens when primary care breaks out of the day-to-day cycle and starts to do things differently … High Street health!

🍋 Engage with local communities - they have a vital role to play in helping people look after their health

🍋 Get out and about, build relationships with your community and find out what is important to them

🍋 This episode has lots of practical examples of how to make healthcare more accessible by taking it out to where people are

🍋 Be culturally curious and find out what works for different populations

🍋 Shift power and be imaginative with resources

🍋 Be proactive – if people are not coming forward for health checks, try multi-generational home visiting?

🍋 Support family carers too - often the unsung heroes of health care

🍋 Turn theory and data into ACTION to address health inequalities

🍋 Volunteers can help people access health-related technology and start to close the digital divide

🍋 Don’t overthink things – start somewhere!

Some links :
Universal HealthCare National Inquiry
Easy Read Executive Summary
10 Leaps Forward - Innovation in the pandemic
Noreen Bukhari - supporting women from ‘BAME’ communities
Gill's Universal Healthcare work with MPFT

#coproduction #communities #funding #equity #healthinequalities #storytelling #passion #QI

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

59. Kim Shutler – VCSE’s vital role in transforming health care

Sun, 29 Sep 2024 07:00:00 +0100

And so we continue our mini series of podcasts on universal healthcare, in collaboration with London South Bank University and the Universal Healthcare Network!

Kim Shutler shares insights on the role of the voluntary sector in healthcare, with a focus on community-based solutions.

With the NHS experiencing overwhelming demand, we need radical transformation with more power and resources within communities.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋
🍋 Let’s maximise voluntary sector potential in health care

🍋 Create the conditions for VCSEs to thrive and transform healthcare by shifting power and resources closer to communities.

🍋 Old system HAS bitten back post-pandemic, due to governance structures and statutory provisions – but we KNOW we can do things more imaginatively!

🍋 Success comes from relationships, passionate individuals, a local knowledge

🍋 We need a bottom-up approach to healthcare transformation

🍋 Value and build trust with communities and local organisations

🍋 Collaborate across boundaries to maximise innovation and resources

🍋 Make decisions WITH people to avoid unintended consequences

🍋 Use imaginative, inclusive ideas like participatory budgeting

🍋 Enable small organisations to focus on work, rather than bidding for work

🍋 Cut the jargon and hoops to jump through!

🍋 Open doors - find out what local voluntary organisations are doing and find opportunities to collaborate

🍋 VCSEs should approach local practices and primary care networks to explore partnership opportunities

🍋 Primary care can run clinics and health checks in voluntary sector buildings to engage communities

🍋 Different localities require unique solutions, but key principles save you re-inventing the wheel

🍋 Decision-making power shift can be uncomfortable for those used to traditional distribution of money

🍋 Social prescribing is important to address social needs and reduce medicalisation

🍋 Social prescribing is great … but not if there are lots of travel agents and no holidays!!

🍋 Practice-based peer support workers with lived experience of mental health problems can provide community-based support, funded by the GP practice

🍋 Invest in communities and hand over power to drive change

🍋 Start small. Start somewhere!

Links:
Becky Malby – Universal Healthcare - podcast
Universal HealthCare National Inquiry
Easy Read Executive Summary
10 Leaps Forward - Innovation in the pandemic
Gill's Universal Healthcare work with MPFT

The Art of the possible Gill's poem inspired by the conversation with Kim Shutler

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

58. Dr. George Winder - Don’t medicalise poverty

Sun, 08 Sep 2024 07:00:00 +0100

🎙️ Wildcard Whose Shoes? - “Don’t Medicalise Poverty” with Dr. George Winder, GP in Leeds

In this powerful episode of ‘Wildcard - Whose Shoes?’, host Gill Phillips sits down with Dr. George Winder, a passionate GP from Leeds, to explore a critical issue in healthcare: the medicalisation of poverty. George shares eye-opening stories from his work, revealing how social injustice and poverty affect health and well-being—and why simply prescribing medication isn’t the answer.

Gill and George discuss real-life examples of how local care partnerships and community support networks are making a difference in Leeds. From housing and domestic violence to food hunger, George shares his team’s innovative approaches to tackling the root causes of illness. Listen in to learn how co-produced solutions and third-sector collaboration are transforming lives—like “V,” who went from being dependent on medication to becoming a community leader.

If you’re passionate about social justice, healthcare reform, or community well-being, this conversation will inspire and challenge you.

Tune in and take a walk in someone else’s shoes! 🎧

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋
🍋The NHS is medicalising poverty - we need to address the root causes of health inequalities - the wider determinants of health
🍋 George shares practical examples of how we can work together to create a healthcare system that truly supports those in need
🍋 Use asset-based approaches
🍋 Focus on addressing need
🍋 Go out to where people are, rather than expecting them to come to you
🍋 Storytelling is very powerful in this
🍋 Co-produced solutions and third-sector collaboration are transforming lives
🍋 More resources would mean more people could be helped

Links to earlier episodes in this Universal Healthcare series:
Becky Malby - What is universal healthcare and why does it matter?
Tom Holliday - Children get less

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

57. Tom Holliday - Children get less

Sun, 04 Aug 2024 07:00:00 +0100

Here is the first episode of this special mini podcast series, in collaboration with London South Bank University and the Universal Healthcare Network.

(You will remember that Episode 56 with Professor Becky Malby was our first ‘bookend’ to introduce this series and tell you why Universal Healthcare is important)

Dr Tom Holliday is my first guest to dive in and share examples of how universal healthcare works in practice, breaking down traditional barriers to deliver more personalised care in a more equitable and human way.

Tom, as well as being a great friend of mine, is a very forward thinking consultant paediatrician. He is also now leading the Darzi Fellowship programme, with which I work closely every year with Whose Shoes.

Children Get Less. Not here! We have put them FIRST!

After all, they are our future.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋
🍋 Follow this series to learn ALL about Universal Healthcare - and why it matters!
🍋Children are often pushed to the back – so we’re putting them first!
🍋 Good healthcare should come to where families are, not expect people to visit lots of separate buildings and specialists
🍋 Integrated care is jargon. Best practice care is what we must aim for
🍋 It is about providing the holistic care a child needs.
🍋When you are passed on from service to service, important information gets lost through the gaps.
🍋 It’s all about relationships! Across care boundaries!
🍋 If you swap GPs, you shouldn’t have to start again with a new CAMHS referral!
🍋 The NHS incentivises and measures activity; it should focus on meeting need
🍋 if you meet need, the overall level of need goes down
🍋 Third sector organisations need sustainable funding to plan longer term
🍋 If you can tackle issues via primary care, people don’t need to come to hospital
🍋 Complex problems can be resolved through good multidisciplinary working
🍋 If you don’t know the answer, phone a friend!
🍋 Physical health and mental health are interconnected
🍋 Children get less - especially mental health provision
🍋 CYP mental health services might talk in terms of a waiting list
🍋 Families, waiting for mental health support, talk in terms of “this isn’t a wait, it’s a life on hold!” 😢
🍋 Prevention and early intervention make all the difference
🍋 It’s not rocket science. It’s actually quite easy!
🍋 The patient is the expert in their own condition and how it feels
🍋 It’s all about teamwork and learning from others – nobody is doing this work alone!

Links:
Universal HealthCare National Inquiry
Easy Read Executive Summary
10 Leaps Forward - Innovation in the pandemic
Bob Klaber - kindness matters
Gill's Universal Healthcare work with MPFT

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

56. Becky Malby - Universal Healthcare National Inquiry

Sun, 07 Jul 2024 07:00:00 +0100

Becky Malby - (Bookend 1)

I was delighted when Professor Becky Malby asked me to host a special series of podcasts in collaboration with London South Bank University and the Universal Healthcare network.

We are keen to tell you more about the Universal HealthCare National Inquiry report, why universal healthcare is so important and to introduce you to some of the movers and shakers who are making it happen in different parts of the country.

To start (and later finish) the series, we are recording a couple of ‘bookends’, chatting to the inimitable Becky herself to find out more.

Becky Malby is a well-known mover and shaker in the world of health care, and I've been proud to work closely with her over the last 10 years or more as an associate of the London South Bank University Health Innovation Lab, and specifically working with each cohort of Darzi fellows using the Whose Shoes? approach to coproduction and helping future healthcare leaders understand more about working with people and finding out what's important to them.

I've always been a bit blown away by the work that Becky does, the common sense approach to working out what sits behind problems in healthcare systems, of finding radical and innovative ways to create the best care for people across boundaries.

There is BIG synergy between the goals and values of universal healthcare and Whose Shoes?, for example, the report stresses the importance of seeing things from different perspectives, flattening the hierarchy and bringing people together to have open, honest conversations, to make change across the system. Start small and most importantly, start somewhere. #JFDI #NoHierarchyJustPeople

There is also big synergy with the aims of my podcast in terms of seeking out exciting people who are developing innovative healthcare solutions, and sharing them widely. So it's a win win, and we're all excited to be doing this.

So over coming episodes, I'm going to be talking to (at least! – it is having a bit of a snowball effect already!) four more special guests who will give us practical examples of universal health care in action and the difference it's making in their communities.

So what is universal health care?

Why does it matter?

Are we in danger of medicalising poverty?

What can we do to make things fairer?

Find out by listening to Becky Malby here!

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋
🍋 Follow this series to learn ALL about Universal Healthcare - and why it matters!

Links:
Universal HealthCare National Inquiry
Easy Read Executive Summary
10 Leaps Forward - Innovation in the pandemic
Noreen Bukhari - supporting women from ‘BAME’ communities
Gill's Universal Healthcare work with MPFT

#coproduction #communities #funding #equity #healthinequalities #storytelling #passion #QI

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

55. Steven Russell - children in care deserve better

Sun, 16 Jun 2024 07:00:00 +0100

When I originally set up the Wild Card - Whose Shoes podcast series, I wanted to provide a way of amplifying the voices of people who inspire me and who are making a difference. Steven Russell simply had to be a guest because his story is so important.

Steven tells his own story of growing up as a child in care, the emotional trauma and insecurity that can result, but showing huge resilience and strength, surviving the system.

Everyone who works with children or has children in their lives needs to hear it – such an eye-opener about trust, relationships, language, assumptions and so much more.

Steven is now inspiring children and young people in similar circumstances to believe that they can be anything they want to be, and role modelling this in such a powerful way.

Steven’s own childhood story is so powerful we focused on that and will record Part 2 to tell you more about this work. You can find out more in the links – Elements - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! #DripByDrip #DayByDay

Huge synergy with the #MPFTWhoseShoes project we are doing with the Children and Families’ team of Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust, using Whose Shoes to explore different aspects of their service and how it can be improved. Our forthcoming module, to be launched on 15 July, explores the topic of helping children in care have happy, successful lives.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

You have to find your own path; no-one can do it for you
Commit your goals to paper; make it real
Start small and build - drip by drip, day by day
We all need someone to believe in us
Looking back at a turbulent childhood through adult eyes brings new understanding
You can't force trust - you have to grow relationships
Care records need to be written with sensitivity for the grown-up child to read one day
Loads of different adults telling you different things is confusing and traumatic
Learning about your past while still navigating the care system can be overwhelming
The organismic self - the itch inside you that makes you YOU, desite everything
Nature versus nurture - fascinating!
Living in care made Steven super adaptable
Stories resonate because all human beings connect!

Links:

Elements - Steven's brilliant work!
I'm just a teacher
Steven's video about his Mum
Gill's podcast episode with Rachel Tomlinson, a progressive headteacher

We would love you to share your learning in the comments or by leaving a review.

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

54. Mary Salama - connecting across boundaries

Sun, 05 May 2024 07:00:00 +0100

I’m so excited to be talking to my good friend Mary Salama, a wonderful consultant paediatrician in Birmingham.

Mary is one of my absolute faves - a lovely, warm person, who makes extraordinary things happen, rather than just talking about what needs to change.

And to do that for children and young people, has to be the very best thing!

Driven by frustration and a deep understanding of the need to improve healthcare systems, Mary focuses on human factors and connecting across boundaries.

Mary is leading the way with coproduction and empowering young people, including enabling them to present community research to clinicians at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Clinical Health.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

Be curious and furious about bringing real action
Children with clinically complex needs need to go home rather than staying in hospital, if non-medical factors are holding them back – find a way to make it happen
Listen deeply, learning the language and drivers people are using
The Canal and Powering Up projects are EXCELLENT examples of coproduction - enabling young people to share their ideas about the future of health care
Coproduction must be authentic, starting with relationship building and creating the conditions for people to feel safe to discuss difficult topics
Learning from Excellence is powerful
Networking leads to meaningful connections and potential solutions to share challenges
Witnessing positive connections can give people hope and inspire ripples and action, way beyond the original conversations
Use all platforms to amplify the best ideas within the NHS and save people from re-inventing the wheel
Break out of tribal silos!
Use creativity to make your voice heard - pink hats, lemons or whatever it takes! #JFDI and don’t forget to have fun!
Lyse Edwards talks about a Harry Potter version of Whose Shoes; Mary talks of a Mary Poppins toolkit!
Hold an #IntentionalCoffee with someone who inspires you ☕☕️

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

53. Angela Catley - When I Get Old

Sun, 07 Apr 2024 07:00:00 +0100

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!

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

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 seconds
Care Land. Stuff. … keep it real for real people
Collaborate - join up with like-minded movements. #StrongerTogether
Head 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 stakes
Will the options you would choose even exist?
Crisis … is never a good time to make decisions
Creativity can help unlock imaginative solutions
The power of the self-funding pound. Own your paying power!
Get involved in the #WhenIGetOld campaign!
Personal choice is specific - not just wine or beer
Think differently - chat to your friends to see what emerges
Some great solutions are potentially right there - in your community!
Don’t let services - eg befriending services - get in the way of friendship
Relationships 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

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

52. Dr. Matt Hill - creating the conditions for healthcare teams to flourish

Sun, 03 Mar 2024 06:00:00 +0000

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!

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

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 stories
Look for those moments of human interaction
Create space to get to know people as human beings and build trust among colleagues
Learn about and recognise the value and unique contribution each individual brings
Kindness and compassion helps good team dynamics, and improves culture and safety
Create a welcoming environment for new staff members
Introduce yourself as a person, rather than solely by job title, to foster a more inclusive and connected environment
Flattening the hierarchy in workplace conversations makes it easier for junior members to share their thoughts and feelings with more senior colleagues
Recognise and value diverse perspectives in healthcare, rather than prioritising a narrow view
Understand patient experiences and preferences - ask what matters to each person to provide effective care
Small gestures matter, such as using people’s preferred names, in building trust and psychological safety
People may have different interpretations of the same words or actions
Establishing positive relationships improves care outcomes, especially for the most vulnerable people
Focus 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!

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

51. Sam Jackman - co-founder of Boost Innovations

Sun, 04 Feb 2024 07:00:00 +0000

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 entrepreneurship
rocking the world of conventional solutions
putting women first

And 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

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

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

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

50. Kate Pound - nobody is 'hard to reach'

Sun, 28 May 2023 07:00:00 +0100

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!

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

Dentistry on the harbour and other fishy stories – using IMAGINATION to reach people
Growing up in ‘different’ circumstances can build empathy and the will to address health inequalities
Don’t make assumptions about people and what they enjoy – we’re all human and unique
Harness the power and resources of community to make health care accessible
Covid vaccinations for rough sleepers and others not registered with a GP
The '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 times
Patients speak honestly when they feel SAFE and healthcare professionals LISTEN
It is about RELATIONSHIPS
Bring your whole self to work – staff enjoy using their skills and talents
Smiling builds trust and the ability to speak up
Patient safety and patient experience go together
Things ARE changing. NHS listening more to people with lived experience
Shoutout to Nottingham University Hospitals and their excellent 'Whose Shoes' work around home birth
A 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 accessible
Find 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'Riordan
Making a difference to NHS staff wellbeing will help keep them in the NHS
Let'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

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

49. Behind the scenes of our 'Whose Shoes' work with children and families

Sun, 30 Apr 2023 07:00:00 +0100

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 loop
MPFT 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

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋
I still need to squeeze the lemons for this episode

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

48. Pippa Kelly - dementia campaigner extraordinaire!

Sun, 02 Apr 2023 07:00:00 +0100

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!

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

‘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 there
Great 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 family
Speaking out honestly about how you feel helps others
Resentment. 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 audience
We have to be authentic – none of us is immune to getting emotional, even if we have told our stories many times
Huge, 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 both
Cynicism about the power of storytelling is dispelled when NHS leaders start telling THEIR stories
NHS 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 inequalities
You 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'

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

47. The power of storytelling - it's liberating!

Sun, 12 Mar 2023 07:00:00 +0000

People ask me about the Whose Shoes story?

🍋 How did I come to produce a board game?

🍋 What inspired it?

🍋 Has it changed much over the years?

Well, on 2 Feb, Kristin Johnstad from Minneapolis, invited me to tell my story at a Liberating Structures Q Community group, using 'Shift and Share' - hopping between breakout rooms, telling the same story to different groups.
It was fun getting the reaction and questions from an international audience.

It led to a whole month of storytelling adventures.
I thought I'd share the highlights and key learning here on the podcast.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

Adapt your story to your audience - what will THEY will take from it?
It is a privilege to share your story. Be curious about others too
Liberating Structures bring out creativity!
The Whose Shoes story ... What inspired me? What does it achieve?
Beyond the buzzwords – let’s get real
Are you ready to LISTEN to people? As equals. #NoHierarchyJustPeople
Value people - every step of the way. No tick boxes
Integrated care … the holy grail
Trust takes a LONG time to build - and an instant to destroy
Whose Shoes does not paper over the cracks – be authentic
Engage hearts and minds!
Have fun. Be human
You can't control the oucomes; you shouldn't control the outcomes
Connect and share stories. Use networks, Fab NHS Stuff
Find the magic people, not the 'meetings people'!
Use storytelling tools like SWAY
If you want to engage people, don’t just tell them a story; show them!
SHOW and TELL!

Most relevant previous episodes
All of them - my podcast is all about sharing stories!
But specifically:
22. 'Symphony of Us' - please disturb
24. Tribute to Mum, @Gills_Mum - 100th birthday!
26. My acceptance speech for CBE, Lemon Class 2020, award
28. Janina Vigurs - Storyteller - *Embrace the Ridiculous*
36. Keep calm and carry on (personal reflections on the death of the Queen)

Other links and resources:
The Obs Pod - Magic Mates
How to meet your child's difficult behavior with compassion - Yvonne Newbold's TEDxNHS talk
Birth should be special - Florence Wilcock's TEDxNHS talk

My top tips and lemon lightbulbs, with help from Miles Sibley, Patient Experience Library!

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

46. Rosie Murphy - addressing health inequalities in maternity

Sun, 19 Feb 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Rosie Murphy is a midwife doing fantastic work around health inequalities, including the coproduction workshop we co-led in Croydon.

Our conversation builds on Episode 45 with Noreen Bukhari. I hope Rosie and Noreen will connect and exchange notes on their excellent work in Coventry and Croydon, supporting women from black and ethnic minority communities.

I met and became friends with Rosie through her prestigious Darzi fellowship – Rosie's work was rated as exceptional.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

Racism is not just about shouting expletives - it is complex
We all have unconscious bias
There is unwillingness to acknowledge systemic racism
UK institutions are largely built around the needs and understandings of white middle class men
We need to be culturally aware to understand what matters to people
Whose Shoes uses imaginative ways to listen to ALL voices
Trust, being listened to, being taken seriously MATTER
Education, socio-economic status, ethnicity, body, size affect how likely to be taken seriously
There is mistrust and distrust of the NHS/ maternity services among some groups
Maternity services are difficult to navigate!
The NHS doesn’t need to fix all problems itself
Use informal communication channels that people trust - hairdressers!
Social deprivation has many impacts – services need to flex more
White allyship includes owning our own biases
Call people in, not call them out
Lived and learned experience - work TOGETHER for safety of mother and baby
Women who've had a negative experience find it harder to speak out next time
HEARD campaign, Croydon – Health, Equity And Racial Disparity
Find simple ways to show women they are being taken seriously
Creative ways for people to feedback
Croydon BME Forum / Asian Resource Centre reach people in imaginative ways - eg community healthcare drop-in session
Share the learning eg infographics, blogs, Steller Stories , Sway reports
Connect and learn from others

Links and resources

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

45. Noreen Bukhari - supporting women from ‘BAME’ communities

Sun, 29 Jan 2023 06:00:00 +0000

Health inequalities are in the news at the moment, with NHS organisations setting out to understand and address them, with a strong focus on the needs of people from different cultural backgrounds.

But where do third sector (community) groups fit in?

How do you build trust with women and families from Black and ethnic minority communities and design services that are flexible enough to meet people’s needs?

It is not a quick fix.

They seem to be doing something right in Coventry but it is a formula that has been built over many years and involves a holistic, integrated approach.

Today I am talking to Noreen Buckari, who tells us about the work of FWT, a community-led organisation helping women fulfil their dreams and contribute fully in life and work. The work thrives because of close relationships with maternity and other statutory services in Coventry, working together to support families, and specifically now as we emerge from the pandemic.

When I tweeted saying I was looking forward to talking to Noreen, there was an outpouring of love. Noreen is making such a difference to women, and particularly those from Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities, and I’m proud to have her on the podcast.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

Collaboration is key - statutory and community services working TOGETHER
‘MAMTA’ means ‘motherly love’ in South Asian languages!
Women from ‘BAME’ community have individual needs - there is no ‘one size fits all’
Building a holistic service, based on trust, flexibility and relationships takes many years - not a tick box!
Good support is not just health - but the social determinants of health: housing, debt management, parent education +++
New parents (and staff!) have had a tough time during Covid. The damage can run deep
Invest in small, specialised organisations; recognise the value they bring
Empower people to help themselves
Listen to women - the impact of our Whose Shoes work in Coventry!
Creativity - Coventry, City of Culture!
The Symphony of Us – there is more that connects us, than divides us
Anna Geyer’s visual recordings help the ongoing impact of Whose Shoes events
Small, flexible community-based organisations are excellent value for money
Do something specific and do it well
Integration relies on all the pieces in a jigsaw, don’t take away pieces of the puzzle!
If it works, keep funding it! Innovation is needed when things are not working
Don’t mess with people’s lives, to fulfil the needs of your short-term projects!
Sustainability is key – empower people to support themselves

Links

FWT - a centre for women

Whose Shoes - latest workshop in Coventry

Warwick Uni film - link coming soon

Whose Shoes in Croydon re the needs of ‘BAME’ women using maternity care https://youtu.be/rlfwwT0dvUg

Meet Gaynor Armstrong, Head of Midwifery in Coventry

Symphony of Us
City of Culture carnival

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

44. Happy New Year! Where do we go from here?

Sun, 08 Jan 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Happy New Year - and thank you for listening!

For pretty much the first time ever, I’m starting the New Year with a plan. Or at least I thought I was. But, in the words of John Lennon, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” so perhaps planning is overrated. Whose Shoes has had a pretty crazy, organic development up until now, so I’m sure it will continue to find its own course. We’ll see.

So, in this podcast, I look ahead to some of the Whose Shoes work we have planned for 2023. It will serve to put a marker in the sand as to where things are at; key projects and opportunities, and then perhaps compare at the end of the year, what actually happened.

Look out in particular for our projects around:

· Family Integrated Care in neonatal units

· Integrating services for children and young people.

· Exploring health inequalities, particularly around maternity care and how they affect women and families in black and ethnic minority communities.

I also talk about my article in Patient Experience News this month.

I share thoughts such as:

“If you want to engage people, you have to be engaging.”
Keep it simple.
Listen to people and trust them.

Radical? You decide.

The podcast is enabling me to talk to amazing people who are making a difference in health care. I keep discovering more of them.
Coming soon: I will be talking to some fabulous new guests about health inequalities.

Here’s to 2023, and to paraphrase my friend, Helen Calvert:
"Let’s squeeze every bit of joy and opportunity from it”.

Lemon light bulbs 🍋🍋🍋

🍋 Keep podcasting and connecting people in 2023!

Links and resources:

Gill Phillips’ article in Patient Experience News, Jan 2023: COMING SOON!
Our. Fab Collection: https://fabnhsstuff.net/fab-collections/matexp
Our #FICare project: https://q.health.org.uk/idea/2022/no-more-theoretical-mummy/
Padlet contains links to ‘Whose News’ newsletter: Whose Shoes - overview (padlet.com)
'BAME' community workshop in Croydon: https://youtu.be/rlfwwT0dvUg
Liberating Structures

References to other episodes

12. Terri Porrett - Fab NHS Stuff
13. Yvonne Newbold - Newbold Hope
16. Anna Geyer - visual recording
18. Nadia Leake and Rachel Collum - #FICare
25. Miles Sibley - Patient Experience News
34. Rachel Crook - caring for little ones, as a mum and a nurse!
43. #WildObs Christmas Special

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

43. #WildObs Part 2 - Christmas Special, 2022

Sun, 18 Dec 2022 04:00:00 +0000

As we hit the festive season, join me and my 'magic mate', Florence Wilcock, as we reflect on 2022 and have a little fun.

Florence is a consultant obstetrician, a great friend and my co-founder of #MatExp. We chat about some of our key advent-ures in 2022, building on the #WildObs podcast we recorded at the end of 2021.

Florence hosts the informative and engaging The Obs Pod podcast, talking about all things maternity from the perspective of a person-centred obstetrician. It has something for everyone.

We are looking forward to 2023, particularly working on the new digital Family Integrated Care project, helping neonatal teams understand the experience of parents with a baby on a neonatal unit. This #QExchange project builds directly on ‘Nobody’s Patient’, which Florence masterminded.

It is wonderful to have people like Florence, Lyse Edwards and Mary Salama on board who really get the Whose Shoes approach and will bring creativity and humanity to ensure that it is a really engaging facilitation tool. Watch this space.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋🍋🍋

Take time to reflect on what has been achieved before tackling the next challenge
Have fun! Your childhood only expires if you let it
Lemon lightbulbs and poetry aid coproduction
If you want to share good stuff online, you need a single click!
Ripples build over time – don’t get despondent if things seem slow
The Fête du Citron in Menton is awesome! Go if you can!
#IntentionalCoffee helps build networks
'End of year' spending sprees may not get the best outcomes
Ripples continue from Rosie Murphy's innovative ‘BAME’ Whose Shoes work in Croydon
... and from our pan-London events around maternity triage and ‘handover’
The ‘black maternity experience’ report MATTERS
Miles Sibley is one to watch! 😊 –Uncorking the bottle around evidence
Outdoors is great for maternal mental health events!
Be creative – find a way to do something that at first seems impossible
Support paramedics to be confident in responding to maternity and neonatal emergencies
The power of a blank sheet of paper!
Being present at your grandson’s birth is VERY special!
Look out for FAB Ted NHS talks by Florence Wilcock, Yvonne Newbold and more
We'll always remember being together in Oxford when the Queen died
The ripples continue from our Oxford event – including mutual learning with Kingston
Our podcasts are creating strong connections around the world
Lots to learn about inequalities and difference by talking to passionate people in other countries
Read Benjamin Black's book ‘Belly Woman’
Thank you for our our Mama Academy Awards!
You can do something quite small - and it can amplify and become huge
To embrace innovation and collaboration, funding models must be more innovative
Rudolf was elf-taught!

Thank you for listening throughout 2022 - see you next year!

Here’s to a fun (and, in the best possible way, disruptive) 2023.

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

42. Rachel Power - patients as equal partners in the NHS

Sun, 04 Dec 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Today I am talking to Rachel Power, CEO of the Patients' Association. Huge thanks to our mutual friend, Yvonne Newbold for introducing us!

The Patients' Association was established almost 60 years ago and is a membership forum - why not join?

Rachel is a strong advocate for patient partnership; her organisation is highly influential, helping patient voices be heard by NHS England and the government.

I'm hoping that this important conversation will form a bit of a 'pincer movement' with Episode 25, in which Miles Sibley, founder of the Patient Experience Library provides real evidence that 'patient stories' are not only important but should have equal weight with medical stories.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

I joined the Patients Association! It's free! Why don't you?
Coproduction? Don’t get hung up on the latest buzz word – just think what the person in the street would understand
Focus on what is meaningful to people – e.g. Andrea Sutcliffe's 'The Mum test'
Let’s not measure things just because they are easy to measure
Measuring the impact of things that matter can be hard
People have survey fatigue - be imaginative about seeking feedback
- e.g. ask people in 6 months' time whether your intervention made a difference
BRAN - the 'Benefits, the Risks, the Alternatives and the do Nothing' methodology is powerful
“If I still can’t do my gardening, then why would I want that knee operation?”
- a classic example of 'What Matters To You?' #WMTY
Seek to identify and overcome the barriers to shared decision-making
Most people just want to know that things will be different; they don’t necessarily want to complain
Let’s keep things simple; not over-complicate!
Always remember - behind the statistics, there are human beings
Patient stories should have equal weight with medical stories (Miles Sibley)
The Patients’ Association works closely with the NHS - help them!
Digital solutions sometimes exacerbate health inequalities - be inclusive and imaginative
Bring things to people and making them accessible - Nailsea is a good example
The cost-of-living crisis is widening inequalities
The Patients’ Association has lots of practical resources to help people access health care and feel empowered, including a Helpline
Our key message for Amanda Pritchard, CEO of the NHS – patient partnership is the way forward!

Links and resources
The Patients' Association
Miles Sibley, Founder of Patient Experience Library
Yvonne Newbold - Founder of Newbold Hope

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

41. Lesley Goodburn - #SethsLegacy. Raising awareness of pancreatic cancer

Sun, 20 Nov 2022 07:00:00 +0000

So today I am fulfilling a pledge. If you look at the Purple Rainbow website, you can make pledges #SomethingForSeth, as part of the legacy for Seth Goodburn, who sadly died of pancreatic cancer in 2014.

My pledge was to invite his wife Lesley to share the story on the podcast, and I am delighted to do so today!

Lesley has done extraordinary work to raise awareness of this cruel disease and help so many other families going through the same experience.

This is my first ever one-to-one conversation with Lesley – I hope you enjoy it!

This is a story of love and humanity, fundraising, connections, supporting improvement through narrative, including storytelling, and also making a play and a film. As you can hear already, So much synergy with my Whose Shoes work.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

Hopes and dreams are shattered by a terminal diagnosis. Human beings are involved.
The prognosis for pancreatic cancer has hardly improved in 50 years
Pancreatic cancer is hard to diagnose - don’t ignore symptoms, get checked out
A breakthrough is near – but it costs money to make progress!
Let’s close the gap between the theory and the practice. If you ask patients and family carers to say what matters to them … make sure you are listening
In patient experience, often the effect is cumulative,. You need to listen from the start.
People affected by adverse outcomes are PHENOMENAL in reshaping their lives and goals to help others
The Hope Network (Heads of Patient Experience) are a fantastic network for quality improvement
We all need hope.
Adversity helps us discover what we are capable of – fundraising, advocacy, taking part in research and more
Homeward Bound – creative methods such as making a play or a film can be powerful
People can feel guilty surviving when others don’t
Peer support - using your lived experience to help others
Let’s connect …Yvonne Newbold …Sarah Land - also helping others through their lived experience!
Storytelling! And a shoutout to Miles Sibley, founder of the Patient Experience Library
And Cath Crock and the Hush Foundation!
And Nicola Enoch, founder of Positive about Down Syndrome
Listen to what is important to someone. It might be as simple as a cup of tea – but would you want it cold and milky when you have always liked it hot and strong?!

Links and resources
Purple Rainbow website - listen to podcasts exploring pancreatic cancer
Make a pledge: #Something4Seth
Yvonne Newbold - Founder of Newbold Hope
Sarah Land - Founder of Peeps HIE charity
Miles Sibley, Founder of Patient Experience Library

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

40. Prof. Cath Crock - music in health care - our first international podcast guest!

Sun, 06 Nov 2022 07:00:00 +0000

My 1st international guest - Prof. Cath Crock, founder of Hush Foundation, Melbourne. Using music to bring kindness into health care.

Cath’s work is 100% in tune 🎹 with Whose Shoes, bringing creativity and humanity into health care. I met Cath through Bob Klaber’s monthly kindness sessions. Cath and Nicki Macklin from NZ are regular contributors, joining in the early hours!

Social movements for kindness in health care are growing internationally.

The Gathering of Kindness is an amazing line-up of international speakers, demonstrating how kindness makes a difference. Get involved!

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

We can get through these tough times if we’re kind to each other
Music makes health services more human!
The Hush Foundation in Melbourne sets a wonderful example!
If you feel uncomfortable with current practice, be brave to use imagination and creativity to find alternatives
Culture change can be difficult if people feel you challenge 'the way we’ve always done things'
Coproduction is key. Parent-carers notice areas for improvement that staff may not see
Difficult problems are solved when people come together!
Bring people with you, not confront them
Treat people as equals! #NoHierarchyJustPeople
Listening can improve patient safety
The big challenge in patient safety is how staff treat each – organisational culture
If staff don’t feel looked after, they don’t have capacity to go above and beyond or embrace anything new
People are generous with their time and skills when they feel they’re contributing to something meaningful. The benefit is reciprocal!
Respect patients’ time - not keep them waiting when they could do something more enjoyable
Encourage empathy. People feel differently realising these could be their own children
Plays help us understand patients can get substandard care if teams don’t work robustly together
Different art forms – plays, poetry - reach people in a different way to change practice
People can recognise themselves and vow to change their practice
If you change one person at a time, it’s like a ripple going forwards
The pandemic has brought new opportunities
It’s hard to be a lone voice for kindness. You become worn down by the system (structural unkindness)
We are making strong connections – globally!
You need a thick skin to ride the storm when creative, more human approaches come head-to-head with ‘old power’ 😬
Storytelling helps inspire others – lots shared in this podcast!
Start your own Gathering of Kindness! - join a ‘watch party’ to help you get started!
Shoutout to Cath’s wonderful parents. What a legacy! Kindness and music!
It‘s hard to say ‘no’ to things that bring you joy! 😉

Links and resources
Hush Foundation
Gathering of Kindness
The Obs Pod: Reading the Signals
Daniel, 15, is an upcoming singer-songwriter - his 1st song 'Day by day' describes Daniel's journey in hospital

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

39. Art Of the Possible - Fab NHS Stuff

Mon, 24 Oct 2022 07:00:00 +0100

This week, I was delighted to be invited to kick off the ‘Art of the Possible’ festival, hosted by Fab NHS Stuff.

It’s been a lively programme focused on making good stuff happen - five days packed full of short webinars and other goodies, offering practical tips and resources to help people turn their quality improvement pledges into reality. I always enjoy getting involved in simple stuff that makes things happen, and NHS Fab Stuff is up there with the best!

I was chatting with Terri Porritt and Rachel Jury about meaningful coproduction, and we were answering questions from our live audience. A wonderful mix of professional experience and lived experience.

I thought I could give the ‘Art of the Possible’ festival a boost by sharing the audio from our conversation as this week’s podcast.

Please leave feedback or a review telling us what you think.

Videos of all the sessions are available free of charge on catch up – a whole box set of little videos with passionate people contributing their nuggets of brilliance ranging from trauma-informed support for your colleagues to reconditioning games.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋:
(I have yet to squeeze them - to be updated!)

Links and resources:

Art Of The Possible

All the videos and top tips can be found here

Video of our 'meaningful coproduction' session

Gill’s Digital Postcard: Top Tips for meaningful co-production

Our Whose Shoes Fab Collection: https://fabnhsstuff.net/fab-collections/matexp

Both Terri Porrett and Rachel Jury have been previous podcast guests.

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

38. Sarah Land - founder of the Peeps H.I.E. Charity

Sun, 09 Oct 2022 07:00:00 +0100

Today I’m talking to Sarah Land, another wonderful person who is using her own lived experience to help others.

Until a short time ago, I hadn’t heard about Sarah, who is the founder of the Peeps H.I.E. Charity.

Now I seem to be hearing about her everywhere I go. Such is the nature of networking. And, very rewarding in the context of my strong belief that these inspirational stories need a much wider audience!

Thank you, Rachel Crook, (Episode 34) for introducing me to Sarah and to everyone driving positive change for young families.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

Sarah Land’s lived experience made her HIGHLY qualified to set up the Peeps H.I.E charity
HIE - Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy- what is it?
Lived experience needs to be properly valued
Healthcare professionals and parents need to work TOGETHER (the new professional panel will build on the successful parent panel
Peer support is very important
Each family’s experience is different - care needs to be personalised
Some parents will be desperate to go home after a stay in neonatal unit; others will be terrified
Going home with a new baby is tough at the test of times
Parents can contact the charity when the time is right for them
We need to ensure good work that relies strongly on individuals is sustainable
Networking is strong – there are strong links to our Whose Shoes #FICare project
The power of Twitter! Connect and join forces with other people with similar passions
Getting the balance right - Family Integrated Care is the goal but make sure there is always proper support
Prepare for going home, feeling empowered rather than under pressure
Think differently – focus on improving lives rather than just measuring 'bed days' and financial outcomes
Whose Shoes thinking - bring in more humanity!
People need to feel free to laugh and enjoy life, even when things are difficult
Listen to people and see them as individuals
Let’s raise awareness of H.I.E!

Links and resources

Find out more about: Peeps H.I.E charity

Episode 13: Yvonne Newbold MBE – founder of Newbold Hope

Episode 34: Rachel Crook: caring for little ones, as a mum and a nurse!

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

37. Daisy Mackey - Don't make assumptions about people!

Sun, 25 Sep 2022 07:00:00 +0100

Today I am speaking with Daisy Mackey, a young woman in the final stages of the prestigious NHS Graduate Management Trainee Scheme

Daisy will make a great leader in the NHS – watch this space!

I found Daisy’s story truly inspirational - I am thrilled to have the chance to share some of it with you today.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

The power of connections! – thank you Lisa Rodrigues for connecting us.
Some people with mental health conditions/ invisible disabilities have a choice as to when/ whether they reveal them – not those in a wheelchair! Unless you are online …
Don’t make assumptions and judgements about what people with a disability can do
How would YOU react if you discover that someone you thought you knew well through online conversations, is a wheelchair user?
What would you learn about yourself, about them?
Get to know the person, not just see the condition
Let’s build on Rob Webster‘s campaign – bring your whole self to work
Living with a disability gives a lot of transferable skills
Combat the stigma!
The NHS is not so accessible for disabled staff as it is for patients 😬
We all need relatable role models and trailblazers – ‘people like me’
The power of connections – bolder together
You can’t possibly know everyone’s accessibility needs – you have to listen!
People with learning disabilities have very different accessibility needs - and each person is different
Experiential learning is key - grab the opportunities
NHS Leadership programmes are important
Allyship - stand up for your colleagues (and for anyone!) when you see inequalities
Being a healthcare professional AND a patient is a very rich perspective
Great to see the themes weaving between the various podcast episodes
Daisy’s story is incredible. Professional ballet dancer to upcoming NHS leader!
NHS innovative treatments can be truly life changing - eg dorsal root ganglion stimulation
It is courageous to share personal stories
Cascades and ripples! Whose Shoes would add to GMTS experiential learning
Don’t let people put you in boxes!
Talk about the difficult topics.
Challenge perceptions.
End taboo.

Some of the other podcast episode/guests referred to:
Episode 23: Angela Cornwall
Episode 33: Aishah Farooq
Episode 34: Rachel Crook

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

36. Keep calm and carry on

Sun, 11 Sep 2022 17:00:00 +0100

70 years of continuity

How often does that happen in the modern age?

Or ever really?

You don’t need me to tell you it has been the most extraordinary week, so I wanted to take a bit of time to put a marker in the sand, before it too slips away.

Going off piste from my normal theme of healthcare improvement, to share a few thoughts about the death of the Queen, my Mum, the war, and how it has all affected me personally.

I hope it resonates with you – I would love to hear what your own thoughts and experiences have been, particularly perhaps how these might be different for people of different age groups.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

Rest in peace, Your Majesty. You have done more than anyone could have expected of you
I will raise a glass of Prosecco to you and my Mum – you both deserve it!
I hope Mum and the Queen are raising a glass of Prosecco together now - #NoHierarchyJustPeople
It's important to learn about our past so that we don't keep repeating the same mistakes
Value older people and all the wisdom and experience they have to share
Look out for the delayed social media coverage of our #MatExp Whose Shoes workshop in Oxford
Keep calm and carry on – and think how we can each follow the Queen's extraordinary example

Links

Episode 24 - ‘Mum’s 100th birthday’

In the shoes of Gill's Mum

A life well lived
#FreeGillsMum

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

35. Claire Gartland & Amanda Pike - LISTENING to women and families, maternity and neonatal

Sun, 04 Sep 2022 08:00:00 +0100

One of our major #MatExp #WhoseShoes projects is called ‘Nobody’s Patient’. This included exploring the interface between maternity and neonatal care, and how families experience this.

Our podcast guests today are from Lincolnshire, who were the FIRST in the country to set up a joint ‘Matarnity and Neonatal Voices Partnership’ – these LMNS groups have since spread across the country.

How did they do it? What did they learn? How disd it lead to the first MILITARY Voices Partnership.

In a lovely blend of lived and learned experience, Claire Gartland, Amanda Pike (and Sue Jarvis in absentia) tell us more.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

#PutLincolnshireOnTheMap
It is vital to join things up better between maternity and neonatal care
Lincolnshire were the FIRST to have a joint LMNS - Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership
Watch this space - the new Whose Shoes project around Family Integrated Care
A positive outcome can be really healing, after a traumatic birth experience
Listening clinics in children’s centres – a great way to listen to parents!
True coproduction – you need a good structure to take forward concerns and make things happen
Keep recruiting new ‘neonatal voices’, championing issues they are passionate about and bringing new experiences
Use social media imaginatively to engage with families – even when they are abroad!
Military families face a lot of unique challenges when accessing maternity care
Military Voices Partnership and a military care navigator important!
Better support for military families was a key theme of the Whose Shoes #MindNBody perinatal mental health project
When you have a great idea, get your local university to help collect evidence
Coproduction works! A new neonatal surgical unit is being built in Liverpool – following Whose Shoes conversations!
Let’s link up with the work around military communities in the South-West
Let’s share this good work far and wide!

Links and resources

Lincolnshire Maternity Voices Partnership
Lincolnshire's Maternity & Neonatal Military Care Programme
Lincolnshire listens - our 'neonatal parent voice'

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

34. Rachel Crook - caring for little ones, as a mum and a nurse!

Sun, 07 Aug 2022 07:00:00 +0100

Today we continue the theme around support for children and families.
My guest is Rachel Crook, who is a mummy to 2 young girls AND a paediatric nurse. I met Rachel when she spoke at a recent Whose Shoes event in the Midlands, focusing on early years’ care. I was thrilled she agreed to talk to me on the podcast and give us an insight into her ‘both sides of the fence’ experiences.

The combination of having both lived and learnt experience can sometimes be the most powerful of all …

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

Being a parent, worried about your child(ren) and trying to get answers, is HARD
It takes a LONG time to diagnose some chronic conditions; a holistic approach is essential
Patients and family carers do NOT make this stuff up – BELIEVE them!
Look at the WHOLE child. And then the child within the family, including mental health needs
We NEED to join the dots. Will the new Integrated Care Boards deliver?
Appointment delays have a huge effect
BIG responsibility to get the most out of those brief healthcare appointments
Loads of impacts when only one parent allowed to attend a healthcare appointment
HCPs: how it feels to move to ‘the other side of the fence’
Why does it feel like a fence, a battleground - let's work together!
In Whose Shoes, we try to explore solutions that work for both ‘sides’.
Listen! Never have preconceived ideas about the outcome
Reach out! If you don’t know there is a problem, you can’t fix it
How about recording difficult conversations?
The last appointment of the day - can be detrimental
Should parents be allowed to communicate with individual NHS HCPs?
It is hard for children with food allergies, excluding favourite foods. Dippy eggs!
Difficult balancing act between playing down concerns for the child, but having an open conversation with the HCP
Play therapists enable parents to speak openly and get the most out of consultations
Find imaginative workarounds to give children with nutritional needs the same educational and social experience as their peers
School! Give plenty of notice! Parents can’t rustle up a gluten-free, soya free, dairy free gingerbread man at no notice
Chronic conditions are expensive AND you need to be good at maths and science!
It helps to know what to expect. How long will it take? What is involved? Preparing a child is so important!
Involve parents in writing letters - the right info and … language matters!
Different perspectives: something that is an admin issue to you might be HUGE to me
Acknowledge parents as experts, and the amount of care they are delivering
Commissioning systems are affecting the quality of care that can be provided
Positive changes do not have to be huge. They have to be doable
There is an amazing global network around kindness!
Happiness is infectious!
Self-care and wellness are essential for professionals!
Work together! Join-the-buzzwords – integration, what matters to you #WMTY, personalised care and more!
Let’s help Rachel’s important book get published! 🙏🏼
Mega collective wisdom in the ‘Wild Card - Whose Shoes’ podcast series! 😀

Links
The Art of Brilliance

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

33. Aishah Farooq - children and young people need a voice too!

Sun, 24 Jul 2022 07:00:00 +0100

Today, we are talking about health care and support for children and young people, so of course it is vital to hear from that age group. I‘m delighted to welcome Aishah Farooq, a young person who is using her lived experience of healthcare services to bring change at national level.

Aishah talks about her journey to become a national advocate for children and young people, and why this matters.

Aishah is also a student at the University of Bristol … where I studied many years ago!

I spotted Aishah and connected with her through the fabulous work she is doing, working with the NHS in many capacities around listening to children and young people and finding out what matters to them.

Aishah was recently appointed as a board member on the children and young people transformation programme at NHS England.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

If we are talking about services for children and young people, we need to hear from children and young people! Coproduction matters!
There are tools to help - eg The 15 steps challenge … and Whose Shoes!
Young people’s needs are different
Don’t be tokenistic. Listen to children and young people’s ideas and suggestions first - before you open the floor to others
Engaging with children and young people in a meaningful way, like everyone else, shapes how they feel about staying involved.
Children and young people find it very rewarding to see their suggestions for healthcare improvements being valued and implemented and to feel that they are helping young people of the future
It is powerful to hear directly from young people - you feel you want to change things -eg health inequalities
It is exciting to work alongside passionate people. They inspire you to believe that your contribution is valuable and to get more involved
It is very fortunate to meet inspirational people early in your career! They listen, believe in you, and inspire you to take the next steps
Children and young people make up one third of the population – their voices should not be ‘seldom heard. They bring a different perspective.
When clinicians say, “I never considered that before” …that is a proper lemon lightbulb moment. It will change their practice!
Truly listen to children and young people. Even if you can’t have a bouncy castle in every outpatient department, they will have ideas and suggestions you have never thought of!
Many examples of personalising care for children. are very simple and just take imagination, rather than money.
Good to see the key themes and ideas of the podcast series weaving together.
The National Asthma Care Bundle. What it is and why it will make a difference.
Schools need good training to support children with asthma.and other long-term conditions

Resources

NICE guideline - babies, children and young people

National bundle of care for children and young people with asthma

Good luck in all you do, Aishah. We look forward to seeing you go from strength to strength, shouting from the rooftops, advocating for children and young people! You said this was your first ever podcast – I am sure it will be the first of many!

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

32. Dr. Bob Klaber - kindness matters!

Sun, 26 Jun 2022 07:00:00 +0100

Today, I‘m talking to Bob Klaber - a charismatic London paediatrician, building a global movement for kindness.

Like ‘Whose Shoes’, Bob is exploring a topic that could be seen as ‘soft and fluffy’, and bringing it centre stage. Bob’s kindness movement was featured at the Quality and Safety Forum in Gothenburg. I was delighted to contribute to one of the crowdsourced videos.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

Important to contextualise healthcare in people’s lives - find out what matters to them
Share the power. Use healthcare appointments to codesign ways to maximise quality of life
See things from children’s perspective, including language!
Life aspirations are typically far more pressing than short-term medical considerations
As a hospital consultant, find ways to make yourself accessible, not aloof!
Everyday sexism is rife! Find ways to counter it
#NoHierarchyJustPeople - sparking real conversations, breaking down barriers
Storytelling – put something of yourself out there, show some vulnerability, let people know what you really care about
Let’s act. Let’s move. This is urgent!
Can you measure kindness? Should you try? 🤷🏼‍♀️
Think beyond the processes. Be clear what you want to achieve. Don’t just measure things because you can!
Exploring feelings and experiences is deep and energising … and hard work
The tide has turned. There’s no place for leadership through bullying and shouting at people
The most downloaded podcast episodes aren’t necessarily the most influential!
Kindness, #WMTY, patient stories - coming together as a big movement
NHS must look outwards – patients, local residents, the wider community
Coproduce the things that will make the biggest impact
See things from different perspectives, recognise and acknowledge the tensions - can help us move forward
Be curious! Challenge yourself to be open-minded rather than thinking “Oh well, that’s how it is”
Be like children.The ‘5 Why’s’ ? 🤷🏼‍♀️ Children ask 19 whys in a row!
The human side of care: people join the monthly kindness sessions from Australia and New Zealand in the middle of the night!
There are people from 30 different countries - a sense of collective power, collective learning, collective curiosity, give people a sense of hope and community
Informal connections - the ripples are powerful
There is value in feeling and experiencing the impact, rather than having to measure everything
It ‘s important to reflect – but it doesn’t always need to be through formal channels. It could be on Bob‘s bike!
Find the balance between reflection - and doing things!
Find the things that matter most, that will have the biggest impact. Be deliberate
Shoutout to Dr Mary Salama! #IntentionalCoffee ☕️☕️
Relational meetings - find out what people are thinking – as opposed to transactional meetings
Kindness goes beyond the individual leader – build it into the organisation, into the system

Links and resources
Prof. Marshall Ganz: The story of self, us, now: https://youtu.be/EfsfG3DkSuA

Crowdsourced kindness videos, shown at Quality and Safety Forum 2022 - clip including Gill Phillips: https://youtu.be/ghI7eMq1NfQ

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

31. #WMTY - What Matters To You?

Mon, 13 Jun 2022 13:00:00 +0100

"What matters to you?"

‘What matters to you?’ is a brilliant global movement, whereby healthcare professionals ask patients what matters to them, in terms of personalising healthcare.

It is about listening and hopefully understanding what matters to the patient in the larger context of their life. This will vary greatly between individuals – people’s priorities are different. Their circumstances, their values, their attitudes are unique. What matters toeach of them will all be different.

It is brilliant that this is being increasingly recognised as being important in health care, rather than people just being seen as medical problems to fix, in a 'one size fits all' type approach.

Thursday 9 June was World What matters to you?’ day, so, as my contribution for 2022, I have made this podcast episode exploring this theme, some of my own thoughts and experiences, and bringing in lots of clips of people talking about what this really means to them.

The power of audio - let's listen to the fantastic things people are already sharing, without constantly needing to re-invent the wheel and saying the same (often painful things) over and over again.

I hope you find it thought-provoking and engaging.

Lots of shoutouts to podcast contributors and listeners. We have listeners from all around the world! THANK YOU!! Please leave a review.

Extracts taken from:
Alison Wright - Episode 30 - personalising maternity care
Rachel Jury - Episode 17 - being believed
Fab NHS Stuff - setting up #MatExp #WhoseShoes campaign page - Terri Porrett Episode 12
Pandemic poems - Episode 5

Other links and resources mentioned in the podcast:
#MatExp #WhoseShoes Fab NHS Stuff campaign page
Fab NHS Stuff - 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' poetry 'event in a tent' 24/11/21
Our 'What Matters to you? presentation with Florence Wilcock for the RCOG (there will be an updated video after our 2022 @BICSocs presentation )

Shoutouts include: Twitter IDs - @AliWrightObGyn, @Rocking2Stomas, @MountfordJames, @FabNHSStuff @gbpto, @RoyLilley, @FWmaternity, @RCObsGyn, @BICSoc, @PosBirthMidwife, @BeckyMalby, @fhussain73, @Gaynora, @NatMatVoicesorg, @Ldn_Ambulance, @SunitaS2016
... and all the contributors and listeners of the podcast so far!

Find me on Twitter: @WhoseShoes and @WildCardWS.
Dive into https://padlet.com/WhoseShoes/overview and nutshellcomms.co.uk to find out more about the #WhoseShoes approach to coproduction.

Artwork aided and abetted by Anna Geyer, New Possibilities www.newpossibilities.co.uk

So, Amanda Pritchard, Chief Executive of the NHS, I hope you're enjoying the 'Wild Card Whose Shoes' series. Don't forget, I set up this podcast series, especially for you. Perhaps you're one of the listeners flagged up in the tantalizing statistics. But as we know, data only comes alive when we have human stories. And so huge thanks to everyone helping me to tell them here.

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

30. Alison Wright - personalised maternity care. Opportunities and challenges.

Sun, 22 May 2022 07:00:00 +0100

Today I am talking to a ‘Fab Obs’.

#FabObs is the hashtag we use in our #MatExp social movement - an obstetrician who ‘gets it’. Listening to what matters to women.

Finding ways to prioritise, obviously, the safety of mother and baby, but really listening to women – and indeed helping them tease out the choices and birth options.

And today that #FabObs is Alison Wright. Alison is the immediate past Vice-president of the RCOG (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists) – a big advocate for the RCOG women’s network, embedding women’s voices into every aspect of the college‘s work. Forward-thinking and exciting.

Alison has led the development of ‘I decide’ - a tool enabling women to think through choices and decisions in labour.

As well as being a champion of maternity experience, Alison is also ‘just’ an everyday ‘Obs and gynae’ doctor.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

LISTENING to women and families throughout their birth journeys and pregnancy
Providing personalised care in maternity services, in times of staffing pressures and recruitment difficulties
Personalised care means different things to different people
Teasing out what matters to you - #WMTY
Being honest with women, sharing information about difficult topics eg anal sphincter tears
Largely, women want to know what might happen. Don’t assume they don’t
Information is key! It gives controll
Creative methods useful for sharing information and breaking down barriers to engagement
Tim Draycott’s innovative work on the Odan device
‘I decide’? - a clever acronym - check it out! Nadine Montgomery ruling re informed consent
Shoutout for Florence Wilcock, champion of personalised care; co- founder of #MatExp
Involving Maternity Voices Partnerships and NHS Resolution in teasing out the future
Should we be looking to solve problems in the short or long term?
The RCOG Women’s Network is influential
Perceived tensions between what women want and what clinicians want. Actually, we all want the same thing!
Shadowing other healthcare professionals is really useful - (mutual) shadowing an antenatal teacher
#NoHierarchyJustPeople is a key #MatExp mantra
Blue light - the Obs Pod Emergency!
Family Integrated Care - new #WhoseShoes work 😀
Let’s encourage all obstetricians to get involved! To have a seat at the table!
Ask the obstetrician 🍋💡🍋
Relationships matter. Form a relationship with your obstetrician
People don’t like the unexpected - easier to deal with if you know what might happen
“If you start being a patient advocate, you ’ll never have a career in medicine!“
⏩ Huge shift in thinking! Bring together the patient experience and the clinician’s experience through coproduction
Important not to swing too far ⏩ everyone has choice, do whatever you like! 😬
No dumping! Healthcare professionals need to accept responsibility, to steer choice sensibly
Informed choice. But make it realistic. What would you do in my position?
Clinicians have responsibility to give evidence from their experience, their opinion.
We’re all on the same side! Let’s work together! Obstetricians are a key part in this!

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

29. "What IS an ODP?" Anitha Rego and Sue Robb tell us - celebrating #ODPDay!

Sat, 14 May 2022 07:00:00 +0100

Today is ODP Day - #ODPDay! So I was approached by Carrie Biddle, regional Head of Allied Health Professionals for the South-west region, to help raise awareness of this important profession and hopefully encourage some new people to think ‘this is for me!’ 🍋💡🍋

But what is an ODP? 🤷🏼‍♀️

An Operating Department Practitioner.

Works in operating theatres …

Still none the wiser?

Join us as Anitha Rego, a theatre nurse from Torbay, and Sue Robb, an ODP from Gloucestershire, discuss their respective roles and talk about their career paths and opportunities. Sue started out as a hospital porter!

🍋💡🍋 Lemon lightbulbs:

An ODP is a crucial member of the team in theatres
Language can be unhelpful. ODP. “We do get confused with the outpatients department”!
There was more flexibility during Covid and teamwork was strong.
Multi professional teams – with the patient in the centre!
The career path can be a bit unclear for students – more opportunities than you might think!
The human side – smiling and being human, despite the masks and gowns
It’s harder to get feedback – because the patients are often asleep!
See the whole person, not just the condition – people might be confused after the anaesthetic, not just because they have dementia!
The human touch. Sometimes holding a hand says it all
Kindness matters
Creativity rocks - Kevin Duff – an ODP used creativity – a poem made into a video – to get people learning about his role
One size does not fit all. Don’t ask an ODP why they don’t want to become a nurse?
Nurse Terri Porrett was asked why she didn’t want to become a doctor!
Recovering from the pandemic. Important project around waiting times by LSBUL Health systems innovation lab
Doing what was necessary for the situation. Mask fitting!
Smiling with your eyes! Despite the face masks
Innovation in the pandemic. A shout out for Rachel Grimaldi, founder of CardMedic
The theatre cap challenge! Humanising health care.
Theatre teams are friendly and often have fun.
Become an ODP

And ( in one hours researching for this episode, I came across this amazing video poem produced by Kevin Duff, and ODP himself, for ODP awareness day 2021. I love it.

Kevin Duff – if you get to read this – perhaps I could embed the poem, properly attributed of course, into the actual podcast. Anyway, here is the YouTube link as the video is fantastic too! https://youtu.be/lxYZ7bkodhU

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

28. Janina Vigurs - Storyteller - Embrace the Ridiculous

Sun, 01 May 2022 07:00:00 +0100

Building on last week’s extremely popular episode with Rachel Tomlinson, this week I am chatting to Janina Vigurs, one of the parents I had the privilege of interviewing for the amazing Newbold Hope conference.

Janina spoke from the heart about her experience of parenthood and her daughter who has been diagnosed with autism, and what she has learnt through the supportive Newbold Hope community.

As I chatted to Janina and got to know her a little better, I found that we both share a love of storytelling, having fun and much more.

I thought she would be an amazing guest for the podcast series and she didn’t disappoint!

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

There is a child within every adult. Come out to play!
Inclusion matters and can be enhanced through storytelling
Fun is FUNdamental to building a change platform.
Fun helps people relax and talk to each other as equals.
Laughter can be a part of even the most serious and sensitive topics
Clowns and laughter specialists can bring joy, even in the toughest times
Dr Bob Klaber’s kindness sessions are a joy!
Being mindfully kind is good for you
Janina WLTM Rachael Wong, children’s author and storyteller!
Storytelling is a gift - help others to become storytellers
People are compelled to tell their stories
A story told well, with passion and knowledge is pure gold
Miles Sibley, Patient Experience Library, is right – we need to give far more weight to ‘patient stories’
Language matters. Words are very powerful.
A diagnosis of autism allows access to the right tool box
Things have been really tough during the pandemic - don’t beat yourself up!
Newbold Hope provides a phrase book to understand, interpret and respond to children’s violent and challenging behaviour
We love Yvonne Newbold!
Prioritise support for children who have struggled during the pandemic

Links and shoutouts
Janina Vigurs
Fun is FUNdamental to building a change platform
Grapevine, Coventry
Rachael Wong, children’s author
Miles Sibley, Patient Experience Library
Yvonne Newbold and Newbold Hope
The exhibition of Ukrainian stories in Birmingham
The World Storytelling Cafe online

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

27. Rachel Tomlinson - a progressive head teacher

Sun, 17 Apr 2022 07:00:00 +0100

In the words of Yvonne Newbold MBE: “Whatever you're doing, please stop and find 35 mins to listen to this fabulous conversation between 2 of my favourite people. Listening to Rachel talk about the simplicity of kindness and empathy in transforming schools to welcome, include and make every child feel safe blew me away”

(Learn more about Yvonne’s fantastic work at Newbold Hope in Episode 13)

I always hoped this podcast would be about bringing in new people in order to bring in fresh ideas and perspectives.

Rachel Tomlinson is the head teacher of Barrowford school in Lancashire. I connected with her when she was a speaker at Newbold Hope conference. Like Yvonne, I was blown away by the simplicity and humanity of Rachel‘s message.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

Learn to love. Love to learn!
Inclusivity. Look through the lens of the child. including the Infant voice
Find out what matters to people #WMTY
If we tap into our shared humanity and connection, the systems and protocols fit around that; simple solutions follow
Healthcare professionals have lived experience too. Don’t put people in boxes
Not even healthcare professionals find it easy to navigate healthcare pathways!
“On the other side of the fence”, it feels so different. And why is there a fence? 😢
Some children find school very difficult. Work WITH them and make sure everyone has the best experience
A school with no punishments and no rewards - unusual!
Restorative approach - for children and adults alike. Learn from our mistakes
Go back and unpick what went wrong, to avoid similar outcomes in the future
Focus on restoring the relationship
Make the school feel safe enough for children to be honest and talk about problems
Don’t let the small stuff escalate
Take the power imbalance away
Learn from lived experience – children and parents
Telling personal stories can be very painful - how can we get more people listening?
Let’s learn (as medics do) from serious incidents; prevent permanent exclusions from school
Move away from the blame / shame culture. It breaks trust.
Shaming parents and children has dire and lasting consequences
Believe parents when they report problems and seek help
Children (people!) behave differently in different situations – find out why rather than be smug!
Don’t expect parents to apologise for their child
If we contain the child in school in such a way that they erupt at home, we have work to do!
Feelings of inadequacy run deep. Don’t judge
Life is fragile - we are all one step away from being ‘on the other side of the fence’
Empathy increases when you become a parent yourself
Is what we provide good enough for our own children?
Children are just learning ‘how to be’. Help them get it right, just as you would do with long multiplication
Advocate for children – particularly those with less resilience
Different ‘sectors’ must work together for the benefit of the child – leave the ego at the door.
No ‘cookie cutter’ children! Every child comes with a different experience, different circumstances, including young carers.
A culture of openness in the school means that teachers listen and understand
Be human. Be kind. It is that simple!

Resources and links

Newbold Hope

Approachable Parenting

Patient Experience Library

If you enjoy this podcast, please share it widely, and please leave a review!

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

26. My acceptance speech for CBE, Lemon Class 2020, award

Sun, 03 Apr 2022 07:00:00 +0100

Yesterday, my good friend Florence Wilcock, creator of the wonderful 'The Obs Pod' podcast series which follows her life and work as an obstetrician, published a fascinating episode called 'Awards', mainly talking about the growing culture of awards in the NHS. It is thought-provoking and real - I thoroughly recommend it.

Without wanting to give too much of a 'spoiler', it includes a story that has hitherto been 'secret' - my CBE, Lemon Class 2020, award. By far, my best award ever - albeit, a little unusual.

Flo’s podcast sparked a whole mix of thoughts and reflections, from all sorts of stages of my life, so I thought I’d try and make some kind of sense of them here.

So here is my own 'Awards' podcast. And my own roll of honour of some of the people who have supported my 'Whose Shoes' journey and are very special to me.

Whether you are keen to know the nickname I had from my teacher at primary school or why I had three hands in a photo in the newspaper, I hope this episode will provide something for you.

I’m talking about awards – and specifically (clears throat) giving my acceptance speech for my CBE, Lemon Class 2020, for ‘challenging the status quo’.

Thank you, thank you.

Mentioned in the podcast
The Obs Pod: Episode 97 Awards (buzzsprout.com)
Wild Card: Episode 13: Yvonne Newbold - Newbold Hope
Wild Card: Episode 18: Nadia Leake and Rachel Collum - Family Integrated Care

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

25. Miles Sibley, Founder of Patient Experience Library

Sun, 20 Mar 2022 07:00:00 +0000

'Whose Shoes' looks at issues from different perspectives. But what weight, do those perspectives have? Lived experience, learned experience?

Is your version of what happened a ‘medical report’, regarded as evidence, but my version just anecdotal, a ‘patient story’?

What is regarded as admissible or inadmissible evidence?

Miles Sibley is editor of Patient Experience Library and fab weekly newsletters and a quarterly magazine, finding practical ways to bring patient experience to the fore and share best practice

Huge synergy with my Whose Shoes work - ensuring patient experience is taken seriously and people know how to act on it

Huge potential! I ‘m hoping this will be one of the most influential ‘Wild Card’ podcasts

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋:

There a 100% evidence base for medical practice, but no real evidence base for patient experience
70,000+ documents in the Patient Experience Library!
All too often, patient stories are lost /not given due attention
How can we make this vital information more accessible and usable for healthcare professionals?
We need knowledge translation. It‘s no use just dumping piles of patient stories on busy healthcare professionals
Statistics are seen as hard evidence. We need parity of esteem for quantitative and qualitative evidence
Important to develop analytical tools
On the clinical side, NHS brilliant at helping people learn. Evidence based.
We need similar learning infrastructure and evidence base for patient experience
The ‘Inadmissible evidence’ report, by Miles Sibley, is BRILLIANT. Let’s make patient experience admissible!
Language is key. Patient ‘stories’. Medical ‘reports’.
When clinicians say something is wrong, it's an ‘incident report’
When a patient says something is wrong, it’s a ‘complaint’
First do no harm. But harm is done when patient stories are not seen as important; when people are not listened to
The GP says “Tell me, what is the matter?” Until you listen, you can’t possibly know what the problem is
Something goes wrong between the individual clinician and when we get to the organisational/ system level
Multiple healthcare disasters show the importance of listening to people and #WMTY
How can NHS be BOTH evidence based and patient-centred?
This can’t happen until listening to patients holds higher status
Patient Experience Library is gathering the evidence and analysing it
Evidence needs to be up-to-date - it’s no good hearing what happened a year ago
Whose Shoes workshops collect immediate feedback - what is important now!
Health inequalities - central to quality improvement work! Needs to be everyone’s job.
National Voices, Care Opinion, Joanne Hughes… a lot of people are doing fantastic work!
Connect!
“Nobody’s patient”. Incredibly powerful title for our #WhoseShoes project. People falling through gaps in the system
Same mistakes around patient safety happening over and over. Must break the cycle
Look after the staff, they ’ll look after the patients
‘Small’ complaints (e.g car parking) might run much deeper. Listen.
When Sir Simon Stevens stood down as NHS CEO, his No.1 message: LISTEN to patients!

Further resources
Patient Experience Library
Inadmissible evidence - EXCELLENT report
Negotiating the Care Maze - in Poetry by HealthWatch Essex

If you enjoy this podcast, please leave a review!

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

24. Tribute to Mum, @Gills_Mum - 100th birthday!

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Today would have been my Mum’s 100th birthday. Wow!

For those of you who used to enjoy tweeting with her @GIlls_Mum, this is a bit of a trip down memory lane.

A bit of a self-indulgence, getting a chance to chat about Mum, what made her tick, some snippets from our recorded conversations together ... and a String Quartet!

We dip in and out of health care - in the shoes of someone who really didn't want to go there (care plans, advance care planning and all that STUFF) and just want to be left alone to get on with life, worry about whether to have Prosecco or champagne for her party and play Scrabble. #ProseccoGate.

I'll be back on the case with some living podcast guests very soon. I recorded a great one yesterday! :)

"Dying at 95 was not in Mum’s game plan. Her mum, my wonderfully independent, quirky grandma, lived to 104, living in her own home until she was 100.

I think Mum thought 'that is the way we do things around here'. "

#cancer #breastcancer #independence #FiercelyIndependent #OfftheScaleOfIndependent !

Mum’s lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

Celebrate! You never know what life has around the corner!
Life is not a competition – just make the most of what you have.
Some people just don’t do ‘stuff’ – let people be who they want to be
A good death - leads to a good bereavement
When will we ever learn that war is not the answer …
Record family memories while you have the chance - spoken voice and video make wonderful memories!
An elephant in the room ... literally. Treasure the things that have true value.
Twitter friends …can get you out of hospital! #FreeGillsMum!
Don’t keep things ‘for best’ … and end up never using them!
Value your education – not everyone gets the chance
If you don’t want your children to know your secrets … write in shorthand!
Integrated care – is LONG overdue! The one stop shop ... to nowhere!
You are never to old to be / have a #ProudMum
No more castor oil ! (symbolic of anything that is not properly evidence-based!)
True coproduction means engaging as human beings, nurturing people and valuing their views
If you have a hobby, talent, something you want to do, don’t wait for the ‘perfect’ circumstances - #JFDI
Family carers can’t do it all by themselves – circles of support make like manageable
We need to get a balance between doing things (caring) and recording what we are doing (scribbling)
#DumpTheDaftWords! But feel free to go forth on your Batmobile!
Special people – thank you to the health care professionals who bring hope and humanity
Little things are the big things!
Personalised (human) care - and continuity - matters!
Happy 100th birthday Mum - keep sending the rainbows!

Some links you might enjoy:
Whose Shoes comes to a home care provider in Oxford
#FreeGillsMum
#CovMindTheGap
Me N' My Mum :)

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

23. Angela Cornwall - Speedy Boarding. The passport to top health care

Sun, 20 Feb 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Today I'm talking to Angela Cornwall, with thanks to Carol Munt (Episode 7) for introducing us!

Angela uses her experience as a family carer to make great things happen. She designed a ‘passport to care’ to make sure clinicians have exactly the information they need to deal with a rare condition, such as Diamond Blackfam anaemia which Angela’s daughter has.

I love it when people come up with simple ideas that would be useful for other families. But they often find it difficult to get their solutions adopted -
Angela's 'Speedy boarding' makes sense!

Angela is practical and proactive and, like Carol, full of common sense and wanting care to be the best it can be AND cost effective.

Lemon lightbulbs (lots!) 🍋💡🍋

With rare conditions, patients and family carers are taught by expert clinicians. Don’t underestimate them or dismiss them as ‘anxious’
If you have a rare condition or specialised needs, a ‘passport of care’ is a great way to record your needs so there is no confusion or time wasted: Speedy Boarding!
Pathways and protocols are often inflexible. “We don’t do transfusions at the weekends” can be dangerous
Family carers are very experienced! They care for the person 24/7 and learn what is required. Listen to them
Give patients and family carers the training they require to manage their own conditions and minimise hospital stays
Personalised care is not only good for the patient but can be highly cost-effective for the NHS and more rewarding for staff. Try it. Some great examples here!
Collaboration is key and can remove the trauma!
Don’t overcomplicate things - simply listen and respect the expertise of patients and family carers. Be open to simple solutions.
Examples – a clinical passport of care, invented by a family carer after having to save her daughter‘s life when the protocol was inflexible, or practical ways to avoid sensory overload and meltdowns
It can be a sign of strength, not weakness, for clinicians to say they don’t know
You can’t be expected to know everything about rare conditions, but the person with the condition and their family know all about it!
Peer support is key! Check out DBA UK charity for Diamond Blackman Anaemia
Help children with complex medical needs have normal experiences – rafting, kayaking and marshmallows around the bonfire!
Environment matters! What a great idea to design a children’s hospital with glass walls so children can see out, stay connected to the real world and heal!
Fresh air, going outdoors, having fun - helps speedy discharge!
Building the confidence of patients/ family carers - help them feel in control and able to manage medical needs
Holistic therapies - good for everybody!
People with autism can find it very hard to access healthcare. Design care to make it possible for them to have a good experience.
A reminder to respect and value the expertise and dedication of family carers!

Who can help Angela spread her ‘passport to care’ to more families who would benefit?

Further resources:
Speedy Boarding passport to care
Support and benefits for carers

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

22. 'Symphony of Us' - please disturb

Sun, 13 Feb 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Gill Phillips @WhoseShoes reflects on a week of gathering ideas and examples around the use of music in storytelling, listening to 'ordinary' people and spreading best practice.

Celebrating 'ordinary' people who are not so ordinary.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

Creativity and music are powerful ways of reaching new audiences, or reaching 'old' audiences in new ways
Wild Card Podcast Series ... is also a 'Symphony of us' !
We are all human beings - be curious and find out about others. You will have far more in common than you have differences. Connections are everywhere.
It is courageous and often painful to share 'lived experience stories'
The 'Wild Card Whose Shoes' podcast series now has lots of powerful stories - please listen to them and help spread the word.
How about including some of them, or relevant clips from them, in clinical education?
Let's continue building the #WMTY social movement, finding out what really matters to people in the most holistic sense, and truly listening.
Wild cards, please disturb’ people, pirates and shooglers - JOIN US!

Links mentioned in the podcast to the musical delights showcased:
Cristina Serrão, Lady LXA: lemonade.radio

Paul O'Donnell: The Symphony of Us: Paul O'Donnell on his Coventry collaborators - YouTube

Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh: The 12th European Music Therapy Conference: ‘music therapy in progress: please disturb’ (qmu.ac.uk)

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

21. Cristina Serrão - Lived Experience Ambassador

Sun, 06 Feb 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Today I am talking to #LadyLXA. Cristina Serrão, host of Lemonade Radio,.

Cristina pushes the boundaries and uses lived experience to drive positive change.
Expect the unexpected from this energy-packed, inspirational podcast guest.

Cristina is in the Shaw Trust Power 100 and a fantastic role model, raising the profile of disabled people. Cristina shares some of her personal challenges, and some of the special people who have helped her along the way. Cristina has a very, how shall I say, colourful past, and she always adds colour wherever she goes.

She works as a Lived Experience Ambassador. And when I say works, I really mean lives and breathes. Cristina brings people with lived experience together in order amplify the voices of others, especially those who might not otherwise have a voice. She helps people have fun and a better quality of life.

Cristina is a real mover and shaker. She is passionate about co-production and takes everyone with her. She is inclusive and human and makes me laugh, always pushing the boundaries and working towards positive change.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

Let’s build a world beyond stigma, where people are free to show vulnerability, speak out and connect as human beings
Why does it take a life changing accident, serious disease or a global pandemic to see what matters in life?
Listen to people with lived experience.
Some lived experiences are very hard to talk about
Feeling alone and desperate. Talking about it can aid recovery
When talking about lived experience, focus on relevance in terms of helping others
You are very lucky if you can bring your whole self to work – and you do a much better job!
The 'lived experience partners'. A movement, rather than trying to do things alone
Our shared networks – how powerful they are – a network of networks
Sharing lived experiences can help people relax and work together for positive change
Working from home opens new opportunities for disabled people
Let’s trust people!
Have fun! Don’t take yourself too seriously
Finding creative outlets can help mental health and recovery – Lemonade Radio helps Cristina sleep!
Thank you to those who have believed in us! Special people
We appreciate those who have gone before, ... and our partners who support our craziness
Stay away from the energy vampires, the hoovers …
Serious illness puts things in perspective. Life is short. Go with the flow!

And today, we have something superduper zesty. The launch of Lemonade Radio. lemonade.radio

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

20. Shine A (Lemon) Light(bulb) on co-production

Sun, 30 Jan 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Gill Phillips and Florence Wilcock, co-founders of the powerful #fMatExp social movement, talk about the coproduction work they have done together since 2014. To make this manageable in 30 minutes, they choose a small but hugely important area of their #MatNeoQI work, which has so much potential to improve the lives of new families when their baby needs neonatal care.

We talk here about women and families who all too often fall between maternity and neonatal services, one of the 3 themes of the 'Nobody's patient' project, for which powerful Whose Shoes scenarios and poems were produced to spark crucial conversations for change. These resources have been used incredibly effectively, notably in Liverpool, thanks in particular to mum-leader Helen Calvert and consultant paediatrician, Joanne Minford.

In the light of the BAPM framework for Family Integrated Care #FICare (Dec 2021), we encourage the 80 NHS trusts that already have these resources to get full value from them, supporting healthcare professionals to make parents the primary carers, caring for their babies in NICU and preparing to go home as a family. We are excited to build on this work further in 2022.

With thanks to the NHS England Experience of Care team for inviting us to share our #MatExp 'Whose Shoes' co-production work at 'Shine A Light on coproduction', Jan 2022. This podcast picks out some highlights from our session.

Lemon light bulbs 🍋💡🍋

Our Fab NHS campaign page shares best practice from our work
Family Integrated Care - the next #MatExp? SO much energy to improve how families experience neonatal care
Help NHS trusts make the most of the resources they already have!
Stronger together - use creativity, lemons and social media
Lived experience voices – clips of people speaking on our podcasts - so powerful to hear from Helen Calvert and Rachel Collum today!
Anyone can make change – incredible impacts initiated by Helen!
The power of networking to make positive change #HospitalBreastfeeding
Flo always learns something new by listening to lived experience voices
Fantastic to hear immediate impacts and outcomes coming from listeners
Lightbulb moment re security arrangements
Case studies ++ ... help us share best practice!
Taking Whose Shoes online – adapting rather than seeking to replicate - fantastic feedback from participants
Think beyond departmental or organisational boundaries to join things up
Coproduction involves listening to ALL voices ... and then working TOGETHER Just do it!
Come and join us, #MatExp is fun!

Further resources:

See this podcast as a video. Recording of full session (90 mins) can be seen on the NHS Futures website
Dr. Alice Ladur - Whose Shoes in Uganda
Learning from Covid-19 – our report from our 6-part Virtual Whose Shoes series
The Hospital Infant Feeding Network (HIFN)

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

19. Midwifery Matters! - #Intentional coffee with Sarah-Jane Pedler and Gaynor Armstrong

Sun, 23 Jan 2022 07:00:00 +0000

In today’s episode, I’m bringing together 2 people who are literally meeting for the 1st time.

A world-exclusive #IntentionalCoffee podcast! For those who are old enough, think Cilla Black …

My podcast guests have never previously seen each other or spoken in any way. But they share a passion for midwifery and I think they’re gonna ‘gerralong’.

Gaynor Armstrong, Director of Midwifery, UHCW in Coventry and Sarah-Jane Pedler, Lead Professional Midwifery Advocate (PMA) in Cornwall will tell you why MIDWIFERY MATTERS.

Their passion for their chosen career/ vocation shines through. Why is being a midwife the BEST job in the world, even in these difficult times? No two days are the same. Every family, every birth is unique. Being there as mums & families welcome their new baby; being remembered for the rest of their lives. The SKY man says so! 😊

Lemon light bulbs 🍋💡🍋

#IntentionalCoffees are fun & bring great people together!
These are not unprecedented times – Charles Dickens’ wisdom puts the pandemic in context!
#MatExp IS a movement for midwifery – let’s tell the international Federation of midwives!
There are different ways into midwifery – second careers are possible!
#NoHierarchyJustPeople - you can influence change at any level
We need culture change and sustainability
Move away from a culture of stoicism - NHS staff shouldn’t be expected to grind themselves into the ground
Harness cross-generational learning – a mix of fresh eyes & the wisdom from long experience.
Midwives have opportunities to stay fresh – to try out new directions
Stay in touch with your WHY, your purpose
Top tips to stay positive & energised – find your tribe! We are stronger together.
The pandemic has been tough for all – let’s support each other. Not us and them between staff & ‘service users’
Shine a light like Florence Nightingale but look after yourself & colleagues too.
Coping with pressure - we all need headspace
Ask “how are you?” – listen to the answer
Communication includes involving people – let them help with the solutions
Collaboration is key
Coproduction is strong – Whose Shoes is ‘brilliant!’
Change can be difficult – even when the change is good
Unlock new knowledge through ‘lemon lightbulbs’!
The new Fab NHS Stuff #MatExp campaign page offers a fantastic way to share all the good stuff – let’s use it!!
No more reinventing the wheel!
Be generous too - SHARE!
Tap into individual passions
Teamwork is beautiful
It is rewarding to see others succeed
Cornwall is beautiful too!

Relevant resources
FabNHS Stuff - #MatExp #WhoseShoes campaign page
Whose Shoes - overview
Talking to fab Professor Lesley Page about humanising birth.
Magic Mates - my episode on the Obs Pod with #FabObs Flo. Check out the whole podcast series, it’s brilliant.
#IntentionalCoffee - here

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

18. Family Integrated Care - what do parents say?

Sun, 16 Jan 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Family Integrated Care makes a huge difference to families when their baby is in neonatal care. Today I am talking to Nadia Leake and Rachel Collum, two mums who have had babies in neonatal care, and are doing wonderful work in this area.

In a nutshell

“Parents and babies need each other and must stay together, with their relationship nurtured and supported from the very beginning throughout the neonatal experience and into the community.”

Family Integrated Care is the way forward! It has come such a long way since we included a scenario in our Whose Shoes ‘Nobody’s Patient’ resources back in 2016.

The BAPM FICare framework has just been published.

The 5 pillars run naturally through the podcast:

Partnership with parents
Empowerment
Education
Culture
Well-being

Lemon light bulbs 🍋💡🍋

Partnership with parents

Parents should not need to ask for permission
#ParentsNotVisitors
Listen to parents. They know and love their own baby in a unique way
Look beyond the medical
Work together to enable the parent to be the primary caregiver. This helps bonding and allows the baby’s’ brain and development to thrive

Empowerment

Move away from anything that assesses parents – feels judgemental. Offer proper support
Trust – acknowledge parents as the experts in their child
Respect the natural and what parents bring to their children
Little things are the big things – a fingerprint key fob to be admitted to the ward, rather than having to ask to visit your baby!

Education

Community services – GPs, health visitors, families - need training and support to be able to understand and support families after a NICU experience
Give parents the training they need to be able to thrive at home and look after their child, including necessary medical procedures

Culture

NICU is the baby’s home - not the home we expected. Make it as homely as possible!
Parents are not being ‘difficult’ when they ask questions !
Peoples’ needs and preferences are very different – so before you do anything personal, like reading a story to the baby, ask the parents whether they would welcome this
Work together to understand each other’s perspectives – what are people scared about, how can this be resolved?

Wellbeing

Guilt. Mixed emotions. About everything. Unprepared
Some trauma is inevitable – focus on the areas of avoidable trauma - good communication & helping parents do everything to bond with their babies

Other resources

Whose Shoes - an overview

#MatExp

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Parents of Premature Birth Neonates.

Evaluating the effect of FICare on maternal stress and anxiety in neonatal intensive care units.

Bliss mental health

If you enjoy my podcast, please share your thoughts by leaving a review. I love to hear your thoughts and ideas. 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 improving health care.

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

17. Rachel @Rocking2Stomas

Sun, 09 Jan 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Today's guest, Rachel Jury, is winner of the National Diversity Award 2018 for positive role model for disability.

She tweets as @Rocking2Stomas, and refers to herself as one of the community of ‘Double Baggers’.

I’m looking forward to helping break a few more taboos by hearing Rachel's story today.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋s

We all need purpose – it is not about ‘catastrophising’, it is about compassion and being supported to move on with our lives
Don’t assume that because you have said the words, the other person has understood, processed the news, consented
If people get given life-changing news, they deserve a follow up. How are they coping? Do they need any support?
Some subjects are taboo and need to come out of the closet.
Don’t just concentrate on the medical, the physical. Ask real questions like “how is your sex life?”
Healthcare professionals are afraid of getting out of their depth if people ask ‘real’ questions and they don’t know how to answer / explore honestly. They need training to be able to support people properly.
Healthcare professionals can assume they understand – but having lived experience brings a whole new perspective. You really can’t! Just listen!
You need to meet people where they are. People will have a very different capacity for taking in detail and engaging with it – different individuals, but also the same individual at different points in their life.
Being bold makes an impact – people remember. Changing a stoma bag on stage!
The importance of connecting with others and finding your tribe.
Helping people walk in your shoes. They will remember the experience!
Trust people. It is so humiliating when they do not believe what you are saying.
Don’t have assumptions and expect people to fit into your boxes.
Unsung heroes. Remember the people in the NHS who are not doctors or nurses but make a huge difference to patient experience – the cleaners, the porters … anyone with compassion!
Little things matter. Little acts of kindness. A bit of banter. Humanity.
Talk to me! I can tell you how to improve. You don’t need a formal system, just come and chat to me. Listen.
Coproduction - it matters. I can help you!
Language and terminology. If you get it wrong, it is at best confusing, at worst dangerous!
Good practice is catching. Let’s be generous in spreading the word about what works and what matters.
A Wild Card party. … Ooh, I like the sound of that!

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

16. Anna Geyer - the power of visual recording

Sun, 02 Jan 2022 07:00:00 +0000

Happy New Year!
I'm kicking off 2022 by talking to the person who helps bring our Whose Shoes events alive and ensures they have lasting impact. Our combined approach to coproduction has been described as magic. One and one definitely equals more than two.
Anna Geyer, Director of New Possibilities, is my long-term friend and partner in crime. We look back at what we've achieved together - a fascinating and often unpredictable journey, not least with everything we've had to change and develop during the pandemic.
We celebrate 20 years of Anna's fab enterprise. When I first invented Whose Shoes and jumped ship from my day job in 2008, I never knew I'd find a partner who’d add so much to what I was trying to achieve. Visual recording enables people to hold on to the conversations and ensure they lead to real action.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋

Visual minutes ensure people’s voices are heard; they love seeing their contributions on a permanent record
BIG responsibility to record people’s voices authentically
You can’t demand that people have open, honest conversations
Whose Shoes puts people at ease and creates the conditions for difficult conversations about sensitive topics; graphic recording captures these and inspires follow-up action
Start with a blank canvas – you can’t pre-select key words and shoehorn the messages to fit
Let the conversations flow, people will tell you what is important to them
Through our engaging, informal approach, we see the culture of an organisation; whether people feel able to speak out, take ownership and make improvements without seeking permission
People who go the extra mile in organising Whose Shoes events reap the benefits - participants feel the love that's gone into making them feel welcome and valued
Display the graphic record in a prominent place to keep the conversations alive
Similar themes come through all our workshops, regardless of topic: people united by vulnerability, who want their voices heard
It’s powerful when people understand each other’s perspectives, then work together for positive change
The board game, with its carefully researched scenarios, is used in even the most sensitive subject areas
People welcome the opportunity to speak about their experiences, including difficult/taboo subjects
Anna carefully records the words and the mood – no cartoons or caricatures
Key messages are themed to give meaning, not distort the story
Lemon lightbulbs - the impact of inappropriate language!
It's hard to navigate systems – by looking across organisations, gaps are revealed; then people collaborate to join things up
QI ideas are more likely to be embraced when they come from the team rather than imposed from on high
Share snippets of the graphic records on social media!
Whose Shoes brings out the things people want to say in a safe and anonymized way
Unexpected outcomes – a woman in early labour used the graphic record as pain relief!
People unite behind the key messages – it's no longer about what you think / I think, but what WE said
“It would've taken 600+ meetings to get to the point we reached today!”
Meetings are overrated! 😉

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

15. #WildObs - Gill n #FabObs Flo - Christmas Special 2021

Fri, 24 Dec 2021 07:00:00 +0000

Welcome to WildObs – A Mash-up of 'The Obs Pod' and 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' podcasts as a 2021 Christmas special !!
#MatExp co-founders Gill Phillips, creator of 'Whose Shoes' and my good friend #FabObs Florence Wilcock, chatting about our advent / musical adventures over the years.

🍋💡🍋 CROWDSOURCED FILMS

#MindNBody Advent videos, 2018 – perinatal mental health
Crowdsourced videos made by a diverse range of fab people who were involved in the #MatExp MindNBody project - developing new Whose Shoes resources to promote a holistic approach to perinatal mental health.

Whose Shoes - Advent 2020
A diverse mix of people - NHS, community, everyone, contributing daily videos to showcase good stuff people have been doing to help others during the pandemic.

#MatExp comes to NHS Expo 2016 – ends with #MatExp RAP
#MatExp the Musical

STELLER STORIES
2015-2017 Advent stories
#MatExpAdvent-ures!
Santa baby – advent story
#MatExpAdvent 2019
#MindNBody
Nobody’s Patient

The Obs Pod – episodes mentioned:
Working on a maternity unit over the festive period – Episode 36
Magic Mates - Episode 67
Chat with Jennythe M - Episode 77

‘Wild Card – Whose Shoes’ episodes mentioned:
Leanne Howlett - peer support in perinatal mental health Episode 4
Dr Terri Porrett - Fab NHS Stuff Episode 12
Dr Farzana Hussain, our Father Christmas! Episode 2

Other:
The Great Realisation | Tomfoolery
Jingle bells clip – little girl
Shine and By Your Side
Jenny the Midwife – Skin to Skin campaign
Grace Meadows – Music for dementia

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

14. Dr. Alice Ladur - Using Whose Shoes in PhD work with men in Uganda to improve maternity outcomes

Sun, 12 Dec 2021 07:00:00 +0000

This is a very special podcast for me - a story I was really keen to capture as it deserves a large audience.

Today I am speaking to Dr Alice Ladur, who has used my Whose Shoes board game in her PhD project in Uganda, working with men to bring about culture change and improve maternal and the enable outcomes.

It is a very powerful story and the immediate changes and outcomes are extraordinary. There is so much scope to build on this project and save lives.

I am delighted that Alice won the Vice Chancellor's Postgraduate Research Prize, Bournemouth University. Very well deserved!

Lemon lightbulbs with Alice 🍋 💡🍋

Alice had the vision to target men in Uganda in order to bring about culture change and improve maternity outcomes
It is vital to ensure that pregnant/ birthing women have choice, so involvement of the partners had to be on their terms
Careful research and planning essential in adapting the Whose Shoes approach for a new audience
It was vital to run the pilot study to ensure that the Whose Shoes game was acceptable and accessible to Ugandan men.
Make sure the messaging is appropriate and translate into the local language
Experiencing what it is like as a participant helps in designing and facilitating a Whose Shoes session
It is useful to record ‘before and after’ impressions, to help evidence the impact of the approach. Quotes are brilliant!
By building trust, the men talked about their experiences in childbirth and realised the impact of their attitude and behaviour on their spouses. They became more concerned and caring
Essential to understand the reality of working in a difficult political context; overcoming the political divide through coproduction
“Maternal death knows no colour divide and has no political affiliation”
In Uganda, it was in is essential to engage a male facilitator.
Choosing the right male facilitator added so much- a father himself, who succeeded in breaking down stereotypes and getting the men to share experiences openly and learn from each other
Humour helps to break down barriers! Complete strangers bonding over a board game!
Essential to identify and dispel the misconceptions men had about maternity services. Allaying the fears!
Better nutrition! Increasing the uptake of leafy vegetables and animal products
Seeing real behavioural change. More understanding, more caring!
The women felt more supported to attend antenatal care
The board game – wise, educational and fun!
This was highly innovative. Board games have not been used in this way in Uganda before.
Coproduction rather than competition.
Whose Shoes is creating safe spaces for people to reflect and share experiences and think through individual and community actions
An article in the BMC about Whose Shoes as an educational board game to engage Ugandan men in pregnancy and childbirth
We have only really scratched the surface here. Who can help with funding for a longer term study?

Read the early research findings here:

`Whose Shoes?` Can an educational board game engage Ugandan men in pregnancy and childbirth? | BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth | Full Text

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

13. Yvonne Newbold MBE - founder of Newbold Hope

Sun, 05 Dec 2021 07:00:00 +0000

Today, I'm talking to my good friend Yvonne Newbold, MBE, founder of Newbold Hope. Smashing taboos and giving hope to families, reducing anxiety-led difficult and dangerous behaviours in children and young people with additional needs and disabilities.

Lemon lightbulbs 🍋💡🍋
Please see the chapter headings! Struggling with the word count this week and we prioritised sharing links:

Yvonne’s Xmas Special
An online training webinar, full of tips, tricks and strategies that can keep things much calmer and happier for the whole family over Xmas

Newbold Hope – Support Group for Families - Our private Facebook Group For families of SEND children with Violent and Challenging Behaviour (VCB)

Newbold Hope – Community of Practice - Our private Facebook Group for staff who work with this group of children and their families

Newbold Hope – Distressed Behaviour Information and Support - Our public Facebook Page sharing information related to difficult and dangerous behaviours in children with additional needs and disabilities. https://www.facebook.com/TheSENDVCBProject/

Newbold Hope public Facebook Page sharing more general disability information https://www.facebook.com/thespecialparentshandbook/

Further info about how to reduce violent, difficult or dangerous behaviour in children with disabilities and additional needs –

Resource page of Yvonne's website, with articles and videos to support families and professionals of children with additional needs who also have extreme behaviour

Start with Basics or Top 10 Videos

Links to the research studies into the prevalence of violent and challenging behaviour

Physical aggression in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders.

Facebook Community Accelerator Programme – UK Cohort
Yvonne!

Jo Capel, Solo Female Vanlife UK

Iolo Edwards, High Fashion Talk

Victoria Marie, Get Your Belly Out

Jaidee, Black Owned Economy

Neil Thompson, The Delegate Wranglers

Kelly Pickard-Smith, Women in Academia Support Group

Louise Davies, Food Teacher’s Centre UK

Nafisa Rahimi, Muslim Mamas

Claire Belkind, Family Lowdown

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

12. Dr Terri Porrett - #FabNHSStuff - and so much more!

Wed, 24 Nov 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Today is #FabChange21 - the Fab Change 21 Festival - and how better to celebrate this than to chat with Dr Terri Porrett, otherwise known as ’The Blonde.’ You can find out more about 'being blonde', and how it relates to quality improvement, during the podcast!

Gill Phillips will be running a 'Whose Shoes - Poet's Corner' as part of #FabChange21 - you can pitch up and join the day's activities here: FabChangeFestival 21 Programme (fabnhsstuff.net)

A specialty nurse, and Head of Education for the Ostomy division at Coloplast, Terri has huge experience. Today we are talking about her fabulous work at Fab NHS Stuff. And network weaving - Terri is a super connector!

Never one to take ‘no’ for an answer, I’m told that grit and determination are Terri’s middle names - and possibly even belligerent ;-)

Key lemon lightbulb:
NEVER start with a blank piece of paper, If you are planning a quality improvement, someone has always made some progress before you. Link up and find out what they are doing. #FabNHS Stuff can help!

And if you have done some work around quality improvement you’re proud of, share it with others. Again #FabNHS Stuff can help!

Why the Blonde? I think it contains a lot of lemon lightbulbs

Be proud of what you do

🍋 B- Big up what you do

🍋 L - Little things matter

🍋 O - Opportunities to showcase what you do

🍋 N - Never underestimate The importance of what you do

🍋 D - Determined every day to make a difference

🍋 E - Energise - pass your passion, your success on to your colleagues

These values define NHS Fab staff - Sharing the good stuff you do!

Huge synergy with #WhoseShoes pledges and our crusade against re-inventing the wheel. We need to encourage more people to put their successes on Fab NHS stuff!

We are going to set up a #MatExp campaign page. I’m not even sure whether our case studies are there, so we have some homework!

The Apollo nursing resources, mentioned by Terri.

Recommended further listening, if you enjoy Fab NHS Stuff:
Episode 6 - Joan Pons Laplana - devious ways to make fab stuff happen
Episode 7 - Carol Munt - Why sharing is SO important
Episode 8 - Rachael Wong - Don't be scared of creativity and innovation

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

11. Professor Lesley Page, talking about today’s #MarchWithMidwives

Sun, 21 Nov 2021 07:00:00 +0000

Today I am talking to Prof Lesley Page, CBE, an internationally respected voice of midwifery!

As co-founder of #MatExp, the social movement to improve maternity experience, improving maternity is very close to my heart. It's well known that there's a growing problem at the moment around the shortage of midwives, and other pressures. #MarchWithMidwives has been arranged to raise awareness of the issues around the country. I'm looking forward to joining my local event in Coventry. I wanted to talk to someone who I really respect and who will be able to speak freely about this important topic. Only one person came to mind. And I'm delighted she immediately said "yes", it's my enormous pleasure to introduce this week's podcast guest, the legendary Lesley Page, CBE.

Lemon lightbulbs with Lesley 🍋💡🍋

The power of walking in other people’s shoes, seeing different perspectives
Humanising birth, humanising health care, what could be controversial about that?
Core values shared across specialties
Personalised care, dignity and respect, choice and control
We need to support midwives (and all healthcare professionals) to be the best they can be, so they can look after others
We are all born. This is the start of human life. There can be nothing more important.
Learning and understanding internationally, as well as in the UK
Childbirth is so much more than a medical event. It is the foundation of the family, the future of society
Continuity of carer brings relationships and trust and supports women to have choice and control
Strong advocacy and support can help reduce health inequalities
It's only by having open, honest, respectful conversations between people with different viewpoints that real progress can be made
The ‘shorthand of friendship’ makes everything work so much better
Being on the other side of the fence is a shock when it comes to navigating complex systems!
You need mental space to be able to make systems change; too difficult when fire-fighting
There is a gap between theory and practice - needs to be doable within resources available
The power of connections
Creating the conditions for open and honest conversations is key
Everyone wants to feel listened to
We have to be able to recruit and retain staff, and keep them happy, before we can provide a top quality service
Support staff to be the best they can be
Baroness Cumberlege is awesome!
Hearing from women and families about good care and less good care, and what matters to them, is energising
Good childbirth and maternity experience is about the next generation – the ability to form positive human relationships
The #First1001Days and supporting new families
People want to go the extra mile! People who are burnt out can't do this!
The small things are the big things
If you have the right intention, things won't go too far awry
Whose Shoes can make a difference to patient safety internationally (Alice Ladur’s PhD work in Uganda)
Open new conversations that need to happen; break taboos
People need a safe space to talk
We need to get people talking across the divide – to prevent things forking in completely different directions

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

10. Gill's reflections - the story so far

Sun, 14 Nov 2021 15:00:00 +0000

So, who would have thought it? We've got to 10 episodes already. So I thought I'd do something a little bit different and stop and reflect on my podcasting journey so far.

The short version is: 'I'm loving it'!

... but it has had its share of excitement, a few ups and downs, and with lots of learning along the way. The one thing that is certain is that I am not short of inspirational podcast guests, with lots more fascinating people coming up, and I am so enjoying chatting to everyone and collecting their 'lemon lightbulbs'.

Lots of shoutouts to podcast contributors and listeners. We have listeners from all around the world! THANK YOU!! Please leave a review.

So, Amanda Pritchard, Chief Executive of the NHS, I hope you're enjoying the 'Wild Card Whose Shoes' series. Don't forget, I set up this podcast series, especially for you. Perhaps you're one of the listeners flagged up in the tantalizing statistics. But as we know, data only comes alive when we have human stories. And so huge thanks to everyone helping me to tell them here.

Links and resources mentioned in the podcast:
The Obs Pod - 'Magic Mates': Episode 67 Magic Mates (buzzsprout.com)
The Perception Podcast - Episode 2: https://lnns.co/5zWrtj6KAZO
Graphic artists: newpossibilities.co.uk
Fab Change Day - 'Wild Card - Whose Shoes' poetry tent - come at join us 2.00pm 24/11/21: FabChange21 | Fab NHS Stuff
#MarchWithMidwives

Shoutouts include: Twitter IDs - @FWmaternity, @JennytheM, @FabNHSStuff @CardMedic @gbpto, @AliceLadur, @MrsWongWrites, @fhussain73, @muntma, @roaringnurse, @howlett_leanne, @AnnaGeyer_NP, @newpossibilitie, @BSUH_maternity, @YvonneNewbold, @MyPerceptionPod, @pcpro, @AmandaPritchard and all the contributors and listeners of the podcast so far!

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

9. Dr. Rachael Grimaldi - co-founder of CardMedic®

Sun, 07 Nov 2021 07:00:00 +0000

Today I'm talking to Rachael Grimaldi, co-founder of the multi-award-winning CardMedic® and one of the most inspirational movers and shakers I've ever met. CardMedic is a brilliantly simple and unique digital communication tool. Rachael is a mum of three young children, a NHS clinical entrepreneur, and an anaesthetist. She is also a lovely warm, generous human being, always connecting and encouraging others. . And I've loved following her amazing journey since we first became aware of each other's work at the start of the pandemic.

Rachael tweets as @CardMedic

Lemon lightbulbs from Rachael’s session 🍋🍋🍋

Make people feel like they are the only patient you are seeing that day – make them feel special!
People remember how you make them feel. Build relationships and trust.
Equality and inclusion matter! Embed them in all we do.
Patients are often scared – recognise this and help them feel at ease
There are so many barriers to good communication in healthcare - simple solutions (even if not perfect) really help
It’s all about teamwork! However amazing any individual is, you can’t do it alone!
Use social media to build momentum
Network with people with share values. Idea: do a group podcast with the women we have brought together in this episode. In this series?
Personalised care - wonderful example of a man with learning disabilities who loved trainspotting
Treat people like you would treat one of your own family – the Mum test!
Social impact rather than just business goals - use technology for good … globally!
CardMedic helps address communication barriers for so many different people!
It’s good to share best practice!
Imposter syndrome is all too common amongst women!
Great solutions do not have to be complicated – CardMedic is ‘brilliantly simple’
Networking! Use #IntentionalCoffee ☕️☕️ (Or hot chocolate!)
Stories – not just statistics. Knowing you are making a difference
Whose Shoes in Uganda - with Dr Alice Ladur! PhD project
Cultural issues - let’s reach out to understand
Personalised information (e.g. discharge letters) can have a direct effect on improving health
Stronger together! Let’s grow these communities

#JFDI Shout-outs @whosalama @FWmaternity @SunitaS2016 @ptsafetylearn @helenh49 @safetynurse999 @thehilloxford @NHS_CEP @inclusivefruit @Fi_Contextual @emmajaneshah @UHSussex @MassChallenge @SheLovesTechOrg

Rachael featured in our 2020 advent series about good stuff in the pandemic. And so did Dr Farzana Hussain, who was our inaugural guest on this podcast series. I’d love them to link up talking about addressing health inequalities!

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

8. Rachael Wong - Halloween Special

Sun, 31 Oct 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Children's author, community and charity whizz, fund-raiser and so much more ...

Rachael and I hope you enjoy our Halloween Special in which we explore whether creativity and innovation in health care and beyond needs to be .... SCARY!

Lots of lemon lightbulbs! 🍋💡🍋
See 'chapter headings' for more detail and to pick out your favourite bits, including:

Ghosts – don’t be scared by the ghosts of past failures, things that haven’t gone well. No two set of circumstances are the same. Perhaps last time it was just a case of your timing not being right. If you believe in your idea or product, keep going.
Halloween Costumes – why do people choose different costumes? The world would be boring if everyone came dressed for Halloween in the same costume. Variety and different perspectives are good. Try on someone else’s costume, walk a while in it to understand why they might be scared of a creative challenge, innovation or change. Example from the Wong household – the grim reaper and the pumpkin!
Trick or Treat – start by knocking on the doors that have a pumpkin outside, work with people who are willing, then hopefully the curtains will start twitching and more people will join in when they see it isn’t that threatening.
Dragons, Wizards & Wands – adaptations, adding new things, rolling with an idea and seeing where it goes. There are no rules. We’ve added Harry Potter & Game of Thrones to Halloween – keep innovating! Example of Parmo to the Rescue book.
Terror – what’s the point of Halloween? Why do we do it? For most people Halloween is just an opportunity to get together with family & friends, neighbourhoods & communities. It’s not actually terrifying at all when you look closely – it’s a means to an end, just like innovation and change! Focus on the endgame, the outcome rather than the process.

Resources and links:

Parmo to the rescue: https://www.drakethebookshop.co.uk/product/parmo-to-the-rescue/

Rachael talks about Parmo in our pandemic best practice advent video series: https://twitter.com/mrswongwrites/status/1447183915412824065?s=21

Media: https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/18892481.parmo-rescue-book-written-help-children/

Magic mates : https://www.buzzsprout.com/961453/8993457

The FUNdamentals of change: https://steller.co/s/the-fundamentals-of-5BudJkGD2cN

Nobody’s Patient Steller stories for NHS England: https://steller.co/c/6bYrntnVqD9

Room on the Zoom: https://twitter.com/mrswongwrites/status/1447183915412824065?s=21

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

7. Carol Munt - why we need pirates!

Sun, 24 Oct 2021 08:00:00 +0100

Today I talk to Carol Munt, one of the HSJ top 50 ‘patient leaders’ in the country.

I love Carol’s common sense approach to quality improvement in health care. Carol has many different hats, including her own lived experience, looking after her mum with dementia and being a nurse in A&E! I think this episode contains a lot of wisdom, so a great contribution to this podcast series which aims to collect useful insights for Amanda Pritchard, the new CEO of the NHS. A meeting with Carol would be wonderful!

Lots of lemon lightbulbs! 🍋💡🍋
See 'chapter headings' for more detail and to pick out your favourite bits, including:

See patients as PEOPLE!! Recognise their strengths and help people contribute
Don’t write people off, just because they are older!
Coproduction is key, otherwise known as working together!
Avoid jargon and acronyms. People don’t understand what you’re on about!
Our NHS is so valuable, but becoming fragmented and divisive
Addressing inequalities is the only way to improve healthcare across the board
Fitting around what matters to patients … matters!
Too many people are falling through the gaps.
Be proud of your improvements and share them, not keep reinventing the wheel
Support the best … through a Festival of Ideas!
Patients need to be involved, including in the BIG decisions
Healthcare professional to patient: it’s very different on the other side of the fence
Don’t just listen to ‘people like you’
Pirate share the spoils – equally!

Oh, and it's not everyone who writes a poem about me. So thank you for that.

Links and resources
Carol’s poem about coproduction - and @WhoseShoes! https://twitter.com/muntma/status/1392760141896953856?s=21

Carol is one of the HSJ top 50 Patient Leaders: https://www.hsj.co.uk/supplement-archive/hsj-patient-leaders-2015/5087441.article

Fab NHS stuff : https://fabnhsstuff.net/
Sharing best practice – #VirtualWhoseShoes : https://fabnhsstuff.net/fab-stuff/the-whose-shoes-phenomenon

'10 Leaps' report - Professor Becky Malby:
NHS Coronavirus Report_A4_R6 (lsbu.ac.uk)

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

6. Joan Pons Laplana - creative disruption

Sun, 17 Oct 2021 07:00:00 +0100

Today we are walking - or should I say running - in the shoes of Joan Pons Laplana. Joan is one of the most interesting JFDI people I know. We all want to support the NHS, but Joan adds fun and creativity, so that we can all feel part of his adventures. Joan has just run the London Marathon , dressed as a pint of Guinness, raising money for Cavell Trust - supporting nurses at times of hardship.

Joan is exactly the sort of person I want to speak to in this podcast series – Full of ideas about how to make changes in the NHS, courageous in his thinking and actions, passionate about helping people, pushing boundaries … definitely a Wild Card!

Lots of lemon lightbulbs! 🍋💡🍋
See 'chapter headings' for more detail and to pick out your favourite bits, including:

Be curious, find ways to make a difference
Turn the NHS upside down – the power needs to be in the hands of the patients and frontline staff
Clapping the NHS is good but supporting the NHS in practical ways is better.
Use social media to engage with people and make positive change
People remember stories - you will love Joan’s book!
Be a rebel – but learn tips from others to do it safely
Take each day as it comes - and grab the opportunities
#Pint4Cavell ! Support Cavell Trust - CheersNurse!
Keep things simple - and fun!
Nursing is not about gadgets and tasks - it is delivering what matters to the patient
Breaking the rules – the only way to change things for the bette
We all need hope in our lives
We are bolder together. Link up with other courageous rebels
Trust your staff, do not micro-manage!
Failure is the only way to succeed
Tips to get round bureaucracy – and #JFDI
Walk in people’s shoes, learn their language, what makes them tick …
Coproduction reduces the chances of failure
The patient is the expert in their own body and medical condition
Keep listening, keep learning, keep being curious!

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

5. Pandemic poems - with crowdsourced voices

Sun, 10 Oct 2021 07:00:00 +0100

In the early part of the pandemic, early summer 2020, we ran a series of #VirtualWhoseShoes sessions, sharing innovative best practice during the pandemic and exploring the particular challenges faced by different groups of people. The work was influential and led to a lot of interesting speaker opportunities, as well as helping people ( including us!) realise that we could keep our core business going and enabling us to run adapt our workshops among them online.
You can read the report here: https://fabnhsstuff.net/fab-stuff/the-whose-shoes-phenomenon-a-catalyst-for-change-in-health-and-social-care

Today I have collected some of the most popular ones – using poems to tell the story of the pandemic. I hope you enjoy listening – and possibly even more I can imagine as listening to this episode in a few years time. I wonder what memories it will evoke?

Key lemon lightbulbs include … 🍋💡🍋

Let’s hang onto the best things we discovered during the pandemic
No hierarchy just people.
Teamwork and valuing everybody
The power of community
Cutting through the bureaucracy to make things happen quickly for the benefit of patients
Valuing key workers; realising how we are all connected and interdependent
Being grateful to people who keep us safe and for the risks they are taking
Awareness of deep inequalities and wanting a fairer society
Nature and other simple pleasures
(Missing) getting together in person and having hugs

How much are you still appreciating and determined to hang onto these, for ourselves and for others, as the world opens up?

To learn more about Whose Shoes, please browse Padlet: https://padlet.com/WhoseShoes/overview

Our podcast Padlet: https://padlet.com/WhoseShoes/WildCard

Please subscribe to follow the podcast series here: https://whoseshoes.buzzsprout.com/
And please leave a review!

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

4. Leanne Howlett - our first #MatExp, 'lived experience' guest

Sun, 03 Oct 2021 07:00:00 +0100

My first #MatExp guest!

Huge thanks to busy mum (and so much more!) my friend Leanne Howlett for sharing her experience of perinatal mental health and how she is using it to help others.

We are hoping this episode will be influential in raising awareness and spreading some of the, often very simple, ideas that we discuss. Please give us some feedback. We are really hoping to build the conversation.

Lots of lemon lightbulbs! 🍋💡🍋
See 'chapter headings' for more detail and to pick out your favourite bits, including:

The importance of walking in the shoes of parents and finding out what actually matters to them
Small, often very informal, things matter
Don’t guess what people want, listen to them.
Use genuine coproduction; be brave
Share examples – e.g. a simple video to help people know what to expect
Don’t overthink; just be human and the rest will fall into place
Build trust through relationships rather than tick boxes
The community are there to support you – use imaginative approaches

Supporting resources

Leanne and clinical psychologist Kirstie read and talk about the wonderful paired ‘I’m fine’ poems they wrote as part of the Whose Shoes #MindNBody resources:

https://twitter.com/howlett_leanne/status/1070068078678024193?s=21
https://twitter.com/howlett_leanne/status/1070322658259156992?s=21

Leanne speaks at our #VirtualWhoseShoes postnatal event in Southampton:
Leanne Howlett - Whose Shoes postnatal workshop, Southampton - June 2021 - YouTube

Leanne‘s blog: https://leannejhowlett.medium.com/why-becoming-a-mum-is-the-hardest-thing-ive-ever-done-233293734cc3

Leanne‘s campaign asking the government to invest in life-saving health visitors: https://twitter.com/nspcc_press/status/1443597957861941248?s=21

Sign Leanne’s open letter and show your support: https://twitter.com/nspcc_press/status/1443597957861941248?s=21

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

3. Dr Tim Fawns - an engaging approach to clinical education

Sun, 26 Sep 2021 07:00:00 +0100

Jumping off in a different direction today. Clinical and digital education.

Dr Tim Fawns was flagged up by one of his students, Katie Cullum, as one of the most engaging people she had come across.

Tim was the lecturer when she did a postgraduate certificate in clinical education online at the University of Edinburgh. This program is run for medics, dentists, nurses etc and apparently this module generally can be seen by students as a ’needs must’ to get into education, whereas Katie found Tim’s collaborative approach to learning was inspirational and I needed to speak to him!

I was particularly interested to talk to Tim as this felt like a similar approach to that used by Professor Becky Malby, with whom I work closely, using Whose Shoes with each cohort of Darzi fellows as part of their coproduction module. I thought it would lead to interesting connections, and this is starting to happen!

Some more lemon lightbulbs! 🍋💡🍋:

(take a look at me chapter headings and transcript for more detail)

The power of networking - let’s link to the Darzi Fellows!
The importance of collaborative learning, trusting people, and helping them navigate the system
Being flexible in order to ensure equality, inclusivity and diversity, especially when there is a pandemic!
Teamwork. Not ‘us and them’ #NoHierarchyJustPeople
Collaborative learning; looking beyond the obvious, challenging the ’way we do things around here‘
Special people. Administrators! Navigating systems. Breaking down silos!
Nobody is ‘just’ a… mum, parent, receptionist, porter …
The importance of bringing your whole self to work, and overcoming the barriers
Perfection, imperfection … and mess: we all learn so much more when there is honesty, openness and vulnerability
Valuing education - and indeed lifelong education!
Threading Q & A between different participants and encouraging #IntentionalCoffee ☕️☕️

Hot off the press:
Online Postgraduate Education in a Postdigital World Beyond Technology
Tim Fawns (editor), Gill Aitken (editor), Derek Jones (editor)
1st Edition 2021

There is an eBook version arriving soon, and Tim very kindly said that anyone who can't get it through an institutional library should get in touch (which you can do via Twitter @timbocop - https://twitter.com/timbocop), and there are some free pre-print versions of some of the chapters available via ResearchGate, Acaedmia.edu and authors’ personal web pages.

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

2. Dr Farzana Hussain - a fellow HSJ100 Wild Card!

Sun, 19 Sep 2021 07:00:00 +0100

My very first podcast guest!

Very special indeed that my good friend Dr Farzana Hussain, GP of the year 2020 and fellow #HSJ100 Wild Card, dived in to do this with me.

This is exactly the tone I am wanting for the podcast series – full of humanity, wisdom, curiosity and very informal. Please give us some feedback. We are really hoping that you enjoy our conversation.

Lots of lemon lightbulbs! (See 'chapter headings' for more detail and to pick out your favourite bits) including:

Understand the wider determinants of health
See the person and help them have the best life they can
Be curious and use it for good (how Farzana increased vaccination rates)
Build trusted relationships, continuity of carer ... and even a bit of banter!
Build on the innovation that has happened during the pandemic: people pulling together, including faith groups and communities
Share the good stuff!
Simple solutions can be the most effective – often they come from the community
We're all learning, doing our best
You can’t have evidence until someone has done something!
We are all human. We all need support, including healthcare professionals
Shared decision-making. Listening deeply and valuing people; understand what is important to them. All perspectives. True coproduction !
Be prepared to show vulnerability
Work together!
Important role for social prescribing, non-medical solutions
Make sure we look after young people!
Focus on wellbeing and prevention, as well as people with diagnosable conditions.
In particular mental health: young people in the context of the pandemic
Welcome to Amanda Pritchard, new CEO of the NHS, and the first woman! Yay!
The wider wellness agenda - beyond the NHS
Quick wins and looking longer-term
Support, time and resources ... Do things together!

Supporting resources

London GP personally calling at-risk patients to boost COVID-19 vaccine uptake | GPonline

Sam Allen blog: Amanda Pritchard’s appointment: a moment in NHS history | NHS Confederation

Social prescribing: Home | The Social Prescribing Network

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

Episode 1 - Setting the scene

Sun, 12 Sep 2021 10:00:00 +0100

Welcome to Wild Card – Whose Shoes! Walking in the shoes of more interesting people 😉

My name is Gill Phillips and I’m the creator of 'Whose Shoes?' a popular approach to coproduction and I am known for having an amazing network.

Building on my inclusion in the Health Services Journal ‘WILD CARDS’, part of #HSJ100, and particularly the shoutout for ‘improving care for some of the most vulnerable in society through co-production’, I was invited to provide thoughts and ideas for the new NHS CEO, Amanda Pritchard, so here I am .... with a little bit of help from my friends. I will be chatting to a really diverse group of people, providing a platform for them to speak about their experiences and views.

If you are interested in the future of healthcare and like to hear what other people think, or perhaps even contribute at some point, ‘Whose Shoes Wild Card’ is for you!

Today, I set the scene, talking about some of my own insights and experiences, some examples of topics we will be covering and people I'll be talking to - including an extract of my chat with Dr Farzana Hussain, GP of the Year 2020, and my special guest for Episode 2!

Find me on Twitter: @WhoseShoes and @WildCardWS.
Dive into https://padlet.com/WhoseShoes/overview and nutshellcomms.co.uk to find out more about the #WhoseShoes approach to coproduction.

Artwork aided and abetted by Anna Geyer, New Possibilities www.newpossibilities.co.uk

Supporting resources:
'10 Leaps Forward - innovation in the pandemic' : NHS Coronavirus Report_A4_R6 (lsbu.ac.uk)

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

Wild Card - Whose Shoes? - Trailer

Mon, 23 Aug 2021 12:00:00 +0100

Wild Card. I couldn’t believe it when I was announced as an #HSJ100 wild card.

Who is it that the new Chief Executive of the NHS should be listening to? Apparently it is me!

And then I thought about it. I have a fantastic network and could be a catalyst for people whose voices really need to be heard.

How could I do that? I could set up a podcast series!

My name is Gill Phillips and I’m the creator of Whose Shoes, a popular approach to co-production.

I’ll be chatting with people from all sorts of different perspectives; walking in their shoes.

If you are interested in the future of healthcare and like to hear what other people think, or perhaps even contribute at some point, ‘Wild Card - Whose Shoes’ is for you!

I tweet (not so much these days!) as @WhoseShoes and am on Instagram as @WhoseShoesUK and @WildCardWS.

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

Wild Card - Whose Shoes?

78. Samira Ben Omar - Training doctors to walk in people’s shoes

77. Turning 70: Sian Lockwood on Ageing, Purpose and OOPS

76. Lindsey Douglas - From crisis to change: SEND, lived experience and the power of coproduction

75. The many voices of the Myton Hospices - A Podcasthon special

🍋💡🍋Lemon Lightbulbs

74. Mike Nicholson: Progressive Masculinity (and why boys do want to talk)

73. Create the conditions - then let the magic happen. In conversation with Ruth Germaine

72. Maff Potts - Camerados and Public Living Rooms - A Christmas Cracker!

71. Amelia Wilkinson - living (and parenting) with Type 1 diabetes

70. Aurora Thompson - the power of hope

69. Curiosity, Connection and Creativity in the NHS: An Intentional Coffee with Dr Ben Allen

68. “Every Life Matters” – an extraordinary conversation with Benedicte Symcox

67. VE Day Special - Dulcie Matthews and Dorothy Hall - Hope, Resilience, and the Spirit of Coventry

66. Dr Guddi Singh - Radically reimagining health care

65. Nicola Enoch – It’s World Down Syndrome Day! It’s the global Podcasthon!

64. Dorothy Hall - age discrimination in the NHS

63: 🎉 Celebrating 10 Years of #MatExp! 🎉

62. Dr. George Winder Pt2 - how universal healthcare works in practice

61. Becky Malby - Universal Healthcare Round Up

60. Bill Graham - universal healthcare in action

59. Kim Shutler – VCSE’s vital role in transforming health care

58. Dr. George Winder - Don’t medicalise poverty

57. Tom Holliday - Children get less

56. Becky Malby - Universal Healthcare National Inquiry

55. Steven Russell - children in care deserve better

54. Mary Salama - connecting across boundaries

53. Angela Catley - When I Get Old

52. Dr. Matt Hill - creating the conditions for healthcare teams to flourish

If you have enjoyed this episode, you'll also love:

Episode 32. Dr. Bob Klaber - kindness matters!

51. Sam Jackman - co-founder of Boost Innovations

50. Kate Pound - nobody is 'hard to reach'

49. Behind the scenes of our 'Whose Shoes' work with children and families

48. Pippa Kelly - dementia campaigner extraordinaire!

47. The power of storytelling - it's liberating!

46. Rosie Murphy - addressing health inequalities in maternity

45. Noreen Bukhari - supporting women from ‘BAME’ communities

44. Happy New Year! Where do we go from here?

43. #WildObs Part 2 - Christmas Special, 2022

42. Rachel Power - patients as equal partners in the NHS

41. Lesley Goodburn - #SethsLegacy. Raising awareness of pancreatic cancer

40. Prof. Cath Crock - music in health care - our first international podcast guest!

39. Art Of the Possible - Fab NHS Stuff

38. Sarah Land - founder of the Peeps H.I.E. Charity

37. Daisy Mackey - Don't make assumptions about people!

36. Keep calm and carry on

35. Claire Gartland & Amanda Pike - LISTENING to women and families, maternity and neonatal

34. Rachel Crook - caring for little ones, as a mum and a nurse!

33. Aishah Farooq - children and young people need a voice too!

NICE guideline - babies, children and young people

National bundle of care for children and young people with asthma

32. Dr. Bob Klaber - kindness matters!

31. #WMTY - What Matters To You?

30. Alison Wright - personalised maternity care. Opportunities and challenges.

29. "What IS an ODP?" Anitha Rego and Sue Robb tell us - celebrating #ODPDay!

28. Janina Vigurs - Storyteller - *Embrace the Ridiculous*

27. Rachel Tomlinson - a progressive head teacher

26. My acceptance speech for CBE, Lemon Class 2020, award

25. Miles Sibley, Founder of Patient Experience Library

24. Tribute to Mum, @Gills_Mum - 100th birthday!

23. Angela Cornwall - Speedy Boarding. The passport to top health care

22. 'Symphony of Us' - please disturb

21. Cristina Serrão - Lived Experience Ambassador

20. Shine A (Lemon) Light(bulb) on co-production

Further resources:

19. Midwifery Matters! - #Intentional coffee with Sarah-Jane Pedler and Gaynor Armstrong

18. Family Integrated Care - what do parents say?

17. Rachel @Rocking2Stomas

16. Anna Geyer - the power of visual recording

15. #WildObs - Gill n #FabObs Flo - Christmas Special 2021

14. Dr. Alice Ladur - Using Whose Shoes in PhD work with men in Uganda to improve maternity outcomes

13. Yvonne Newbold MBE - founder of Newbold Hope

12. Dr Terri Porrett - #FabNHSStuff - and so much more!

11. Professor Lesley Page, talking about today’s #MarchWithMidwives

10. Gill's reflections - the story so far

9. Dr. Rachael Grimaldi - co-founder of CardMedic®

8. Rachael Wong - Halloween Special

7. Carol Munt - why we need pirates!

6. Joan Pons Laplana - creative disruption

28. Janina Vigurs - Storyteller - Embrace the Ridiculous