This morning, while brushing my teeth, I thought it would be a good idea to tweet everything I did that day. I recently read a blog by Mark Newbold on using twitter. A mixture of being busy, getting out of the habit and feeling a bit ground down at work has meant my tweeting has been limited! I thought that this would be a good way to get back into tweeting but it would also help me to see exactly what I am doing at work and also help to identify what is adding value or not.
Apart from a few awkward moments explaining why I was spending so much time on my phone in meetings, I really enjoyed the day. I didn’t actually have much time to tweet, it really showed how much of my day I actually spend talking to people and walking around; not the best set up for typing on the go! But I think this really adds value and something that I really enjoy about my job; I love walking around and catching up with people, having impromptu discussions and solving operational issues on the spot. One of the biggest compliments I have had so far in this role was when the ward sister told me I wasn’t the type of manager who spends all their time in front of the computer! I also think it really helps to have discussions about service developments in the service area rather than stuck in a meeting room, something I have learnt from my current manager.
One of the great things about my role is how closely I work with clinicians, who mostly don’t have in depth knowledge of NHS systems, such as block contracts and new ccg arrangements. One thing I really noticed today was how many meetings go off on tangents when we start discussing wider issues in the NHS. Investing time in discussing this with clinical leaders is essential, however can be distracting from the task at hand! Even without this, the agendas aren’t that specific and the Chairs tend to encourage open discussion rather than creating actions. On the plus side there is lots of time for debate but mostly this leads to meetings which overrun and where no decisions are made, hindering our ability to work efficiently. A friend who is a teacher follows me on twitter commented that my day seemed full of meetings- so it is even more important that we make sure they are constructive.
A final point about using twitter: One doctor commented on how can I possibly have the time to be on twitter as well as my job, but I actually think that being a visible leader is something to prioritise. My twitter feed got responses from future NHS graduate trainees, current NHS managers, a leadership consultant from the Kings Fund and a junior doctor. Social media, when used correctly, encourages an open and transparent culture, with debate across all levels of staff, across professional divides, and most importantly with patients and carers.
Apart from a few awkward moments explaining why I was spending so much time on my phone in meetings, I really enjoyed the day. I didn’t actually have much time to tweet, it really showed how much of my day I actually spend talking to people and walking around; not the best set up for typing on the go! But I think this really adds value and something that I really enjoy about my job; I love walking around and catching up with people, having impromptu discussions and solving operational issues on the spot. One of the biggest compliments I have had so far in this role was when the ward sister told me I wasn’t the type of manager who spends all their time in front of the computer! I also think it really helps to have discussions about service developments in the service area rather than stuck in a meeting room, something I have learnt from my current manager.
One of the great things about my role is how closely I work with clinicians, who mostly don’t have in depth knowledge of NHS systems, such as block contracts and new ccg arrangements. One thing I really noticed today was how many meetings go off on tangents when we start discussing wider issues in the NHS. Investing time in discussing this with clinical leaders is essential, however can be distracting from the task at hand! Even without this, the agendas aren’t that specific and the Chairs tend to encourage open discussion rather than creating actions. On the plus side there is lots of time for debate but mostly this leads to meetings which overrun and where no decisions are made, hindering our ability to work efficiently. A friend who is a teacher follows me on twitter commented that my day seemed full of meetings- so it is even more important that we make sure they are constructive.
A final point about using twitter: One doctor commented on how can I possibly have the time to be on twitter as well as my job, but I actually think that being a visible leader is something to prioritise. My twitter feed got responses from future NHS graduate trainees, current NHS managers, a leadership consultant from the Kings Fund and a junior doctor. Social media, when used correctly, encourages an open and transparent culture, with debate across all levels of staff, across professional divides, and most importantly with patients and carers.
In case you missed it, here are all the tweets I sent:
I haven't been
tweeting as much recently, so spur of the moment decision to tweet about
everything I do today on the @NHSGradScheme @SWBHnhs
First meeting at 9am,
so a bit of time to catch up with colleagues and check my emails before that
First meeting with @CarlyJones_SWBH and the #bmec team to discuss the carrot walk and how we can fundriase for eye research
Meeting is going off
on a tangent... Discussing the NHS reforms and how we can effectively work with
the local CCG
@LizSaunders4 now explaining block contracts to a consultant. Decided to tweet
everything I do today!
Back onto
outpatients... Will template changes help to reduce clinic delays?
Now discussing with
the outpatient lead consultant and sister about nursing cover
Walk around of one of
our clinical areas to see if it could be used more effectively and get some
more clinic rooms
A&E service
improvement discussion- was role is our elecronic patient record playing in
increased delays?
Quick catch my with
my manager about ongoing issues and now time for some lunch... Luckily one of
the secretaries brought in some biriyani!
Really enjoying
tweeting about my day so far, making me much more aware of how I spend my time
Bit of time over
lunch to go through a patient pathway and see how virtual clinics can be
incorporated
Outpatient nursing
huddle- discuss any issues from the morning and anything predicted for this
afternoon
Caught by a doctor
asking me to reduce numbers in a clinic where we have capacity issues
Moving an outpatient
clinic to a new area in 2 weeks- making sure everything is available, still
missing a computer on wheels
Discussion about
coding - something that I want to learn more about but I am struggling
understanding how it all works
Starting the divisional
team meeting- divisional director, divisional general manager and finance
manager
Medical workforce
update and job plan discussion at the divisional management team meeting
Update from the
trust's business development team, how can we use all the information we have
to develop strategy?
Discussing which
services should be growing and which should be shrinking, and how can we
develop local strategies
Looking at data of
inpatient activity from local ccgs by hospital... How can we use this data to inform
our strategy?
Quick detour to talk
about opportunities for my 2nd placement
Finance update in the
divisional management team meeting- there are a lot of long term vacancies
Looking at the data
for premium rate working and discuss if it can be reduced without affecting the
service
Finished last
meeting, quick catch up with my manager and now checking my emails
Finish the day with a
chat with one of our consultants who us off to Afghanistan on Sunday for 2
months
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