Laura Finucane, our Clinical Director at Sussex MSK Partnership Central, is also President of The International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapists (IFOMPT).

This year the International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Physical Therapists (IFOMPT) – the world conference of musculoskeletal and manual physical therapy, celebrates its 50th year as a global leader in Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy (OMPT) excellence. The event welcomes experts from all over the world to its conference in Switzerland to explore:

1. Innovative models of care in musculoskeletal and manual physical therapy
2. Physical therapy futures – emerging areas
3. Expertise in musculoskeletal and manual physical therapy

“Sharing ideas and initiatives among colleagues and experts is crucial for developing excellence and helps pave the way for reducing musculoskeletal disorders globally – and enables people to bring new ideas into their local services.

 

This is my fourth and final year as president, and the 50th anniversary of IFOMPT, and I am excited about the discussion and debates and learning about the initiatives taking place around the world and turning those ideas into practice.” ~ Laura Finucane president of IFOMPT and Clinical Director for Sussex MSK Partnership.

Laura has been involved with IFOMPT for the last 18 years, serving on the executive committee for the last 12 years and president from 2020-2024.

Also attending from Sussex MSK Partnership Central are Andrew Kemp and Stephanie Hemmings.

Andrew is an Advanced Practitioner and Stephanie is a research and Audit Lead, Senior MSK Physiotherapist and Lecturer in Physiotherapy at University of Brighton.

They will be presenting a poster titled “Equity factors in trials of physiotherapy for meniscus tear: A systematic review”​  and Stephanie will also be presenting on our nationally celebrated Community Appointment Days (CADs).

The International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Physical Therapists Incorporated represents groups of Manipulative and Manual Physical Therapists around the world who have completed stringent post-registration/post-graduation specialisation programmes in the field of neuro-musculoskeletal disorders.

Speaking at TedX Brighton is an experience that is difficult to put into words. The whole process is magical. From the thrill of being selected as a speaker, to the connection with other speakers, working on our talks and then the big moment of stepping onto the red dot.

Putting together a TedX talk is a process of really exploring a subject and weaving in stories to make it resonate with people. We worked over several months on our talks to create them. Each time weaving in more stories to make the message more powerful.

The message needs to resonate with people, and speak to people no matter who they are. And I knew the Here team were in the audience, so they were in my mind as I talked.

Photograph: Jenny Handy

Here’s a summary of what I talked about:

We need to value difference more

Who do we listen to and believe? Which side of a story? And do we look for the other side of that story to understand it? Or are we all stuck inside our own heads, our own lives, and our own experiences?

What gets valued is ‘sameness’ over difference. Who looks most like most of the leaders we see around us. Who decides what books we read, what films we get to watch and who gets listened to? The past is glorified with one lens only. So we are told the things that people want us to believe. That great things happened and the leaders were great, but if we look closer there are stories there that we do not hear.

There is always another side to a story

When we make judgements on other people, we do that from our own perspective. We need to consider that we each have our own story, experience and version of things. None of us are perfect, we all judge other people and we all have things to learn about our own behaviour and biases.

If we don’t think about those things, there’s a huge risk. The world faces huge problems, so we need to make sure we listen to other people without judging and pay attention to the other side of stories. Otherwise, we risk making decisions without considering how they impact different people.

How do you react if you meet someone with a different opinion to you? How do you respond? And are you trying to persuade people you are right and they are wrong? Or are you listening to what they have to say? What is their side of the story, and how can you have conversations where you might disagree on something.

Photograph: Jenny Handy

How can we value our differences more?

We can learn to value and appreciate people with different opinions to ours if we try. We need to learn how to cross and reach out to another side of a story and make sure we are really listening. We know it will take time, it won’t be easy and this is all a journey that we are all going on to reach a place of understanding.

We need to learn how to listen to each other, how to communicate with each other, and how to understand that it’s OK to disagree and not hate each other. Look for the learning opportunity. Try having different conversations with people and see if you can reach a place of understanding others.

When we deliver our exceptional care, or when we talk to each other to understand each other more, what can we do about understanding each other’s perspectives better?

And if we can do that, maybe we can understand the truth, value and power in our differences.

Thank you so much TedX Brighton, for a totally unforgettable experience. See you next time for more talks and ideas worth spreading on the red dot.

We’re really proud of our colleagues and the amazing work they do for our communities and healthcare.  These stories are from the people that work at Here, who work so hard everyday to provide exceptional care, for everyone.

This week we’re spotlighting Enam, our SMSKP Project Coordinator. Enam has been working for Here since March 2022.

Why did you choose to work in MSK?

I was working in the Vax team, and I was approached by a colleague to apply for the role. The role interested me as the work seemed interesting and exciting. Considering the skills I learned from being in the vax team I was intrigued to see if I could rise to the challenge of MSK.

Describe what you do in 100 words.

A project is initially discussed within MSK Leads. Our Manager, Andy Henderson, then meets us to discuss and allocate an agreed project. Projects have the definition of being strategically important to the MSK service such as where we can improve / create a patient service or system and for Here itself such as improving the office space for staff (but these projects are rare).

Once a project is allocated it is up to the project coordinator to drive, implement and deliver the project within its set deadline. We also handle the aftermath of the project, such as reviews and reporting.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

The variety, no two projects are the same. I am a keen learner and always looking to improve my knowledge of MSK and project management. The team around me is great, our project team is actually split on to two with Development and Improvement, working alongside them is great.

Seeing a project completed and being implemented into the service has its sense of pride knowing the team put a lot of effort and time in to it.

What would you say to someone thinking about a career in MSK?

Do not be afraid of not knowing. The organisation is great and provides training and learnings. You can always ask for support. MSK is a huge service. From an admin / operations perspective there are plenty of opportunities to develop.

How would you describe the MSK in one word?

Dynamic

It feels like we blinked – and March was done. It was a busy month and with a lot of hard but exciting work happening all across the organisation. Here’s just a little of what happened to keep you up to date…

• Our Impact Report for 2023 – 2024 launched where we celebrated the work we have been doing, the difference we have made and milestones we have reached – Here Annual report 2023 (hereweare.org.uk)

• Our AGM – We came together to talk about what has been important to us this year, what has made a difference and where would we like to go. We focused on our purpose and what single change would help us better meet our purpose. It made us think, we had some laughs (and cake!) and looking forward to next year!
• PLM Live 2024 – This year saw another successful event at County Hall with the theme of Mental Health and Trauma. Dr Rangan Chatterjee and Dr Ayan Panja welcomed keynote speaker – renowned addiction expert, speaker author Dr. Gabor Maté sought after for his expertise on trauma, addiction, stress and childhood development.

• We published our first sustainability blog – Sustainability goals: Reduced inequalities
• Helen set out in her latest blog how we work to offer exceptional care, for everyone: Creating long term health: 4 ingredients for a different approach.
• Staff Survey – this year we had the highest number of people take part in our annual survey! These were some of the top results:

Our Impact Report 2023-2024 is now up on our website, showing the impact we have and showcasing some of the great work we’ve been so proud of this year!

Here’s Impact Report 2023-2024

In our report you’ll find out about:

• How our Health Builders are a vital part of our unique person-centred approach.
• Celebrate 10 incredible years of MSK transformation with us.
• Learn about how our equality dashboards are helping us to find those who are not accessing health services and how we’re using the data they collect to co-create services that are better suited and accessible, for everyone.

We would love you to hear your thoughts and feedback. Please feel free to share with anyone else you might think would like to find out more about us. 

If you’re interested in working with us, or finding out more about our projects, partnerships and opportunities, please do get in touch. We love to connect, share best practice and explore collaborations.

here.innovation@nhs.net

We are appalled by the reported comments made by Frank Hester, CEO of TPP. Like many NHS providers, TPP are a provider of our SystmOne electronic patient record.

Dr Helen Curr our CEO and the Here board said

“The reported comments are unmistakably misogynistic, racist and unacceptable. As a social enterprise these comments are in stark contrast with the values we champion in everything we do. We believe our leaders set the standard for what is acceptable – both in what they say, and what is allowed to pass unchallenged.”

As a result we will be contacting TPP to make a formal complaint, and to request detail of the steps they will take as an organisation to ensure an inclusive, respectful environment within their organisation, and how they will make their action plans publicly available.

We urge all organisations working with TPP to consider taking similar action – to speak out and challenge views that have no place in healthcare, or within our society, and to use this opportunity to take a collective stance on what passes for acceptable in public life.

We’re very proud of our colleagues and the work they do for our communities and healthcare.  This is part of an ongoing series of stories from the people that work at Here and all of the different services we deliver.

Today we meet Jamie Tulley who is a Patient Care Advisor (PCA) in the Brighton and Hove Memory Assessment Service. Jamie has been working for Here within MAS just over two years.

Why did you choose to work in the Brighton and Hove Memory Assessment Service (MAS)?

Back in 2014 I worked in a care home looking after residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia, and I wanted to get back into that line of work and for the NHS as well. When this job was advertised I went for it and thankfully got the job.

Tell us more about your role as a Patient Care Advisor (PCA)

We deal with incoming calls, booking in people to arrange of appointments, whether that’s from the start of the service with the first contact call, right through to the assessments and things like that. I do a lot of administration as well, like cross checks, dealing with the day to day organisation as well, making sure it’s running. But I’d say the main thing is being that first port of call in terms of dealing with patients predominantly, and loved ones as well.

What would you say to someone thinking about a career in the Brighton and Hove Memory Assessment Service (MAS)?

I think it’s certainly a great place to work, especially if you’re a kind and compassionate person. I think we give back to our patients and loved ones, especially with it being such a really interesting diagnosis as well compared to others. There’s sort of a taboo around Alzheimer’s and dementia. So I think it’s a very rewarding job and service to work for.

How would you describe MAS in one word?

I think I’ve already said it but I would probably say compassionate. Again, I think it’s not only our patients that we’re caring for, but it’s also for the loved ones as well. So, I think the word compassionate probably stands out more than others.

• Menopause@Work hosted their very first in person networking breakfast event which welcomed 25 people and was a fantastic success!
• We were really proud to be short listed for 6 awards this year. Including ‘Innovation of the Year’ for the UK Social Enterprise Awards and ‘Most Promising Pilot’ for the HTN Awards 2023.
• In November celebrated the incredible hard work of our Vax team over the last three years, as our formal involvement in the COVID Vaccine primary care collaboration in Brighton & Hove came to a close.
• We launched our new brand!

Thank you to everyone at Here for all their hard work this year. We’re really excited to see what amazing things we achieve together in 2024!

Following a recent Here is Learning on LGBTQ+ Inclusion we shared the reflections from two of the attendees, where they discussed their identity and the obstacles they face living in a heteronormative world.

Here are two more stories from our colleagues who kindly offered to share their experience.

We were so proud and humbled to hear colleagues’ experiences and the openness and curiosity from their peers in the room. Inclusivity is fundamental to the work that we do and helps us to learn and collaborate to make better decisions with better outcomes.

Claire’s reflections

‘I recently completed LGBTQ+ awareness training. I found it way better than expected as it really made me think about my own unconscious biases towards people – from a variety of backgrounds. We all have them but it’s useful to shed a non-judgemental light on them and be more aware. 

Some of the exercises really had me think about the way I have treated others and where I may not have been as understanding as I could have been. 

There was also an exercise that had me really see the absolute wealth of areas of life and situations that can be impacted by being outside of society’s norms and how isolating that must make you feel. Even just the simple act of holding your partner’s hand in public! Imagine having to consider whether or not you can do that?!!’

Sarah’s reflections

“It’s rare for me to be asked to discuss my experiences of being a lesbian, not from the perspective of being a patient or employee, anyway. And at work too! But that’s a good example of what working at Here is like.

Looking back to the 80s, 90s and 00s, I can see that a lot certainly has changed for LGBTQ+ rights – people’s perceptions of what it’s like to be a gay woman, what my lifestyle might be like, and the fact that my life is quite similar to a heterosexual person’s can still be a surprise to some.

I’ll sometimes recount stories of confused conversations I’ve had (inside and outside of a healthcare setting) around my sexuality with a light tone, because quite often, they are amusing, but there’s something about their frequency and predictability that over time changes the humour to sadness. 

It would be wrong of me to say that ignorance, fear and hate of LGBTQ+ people is a rare occurrence, even in Brighton, because it’s not.  

Feeling ‘other’ is common to the many LGBTQ+ people I know. Laws, TV, forms, doctor’s appointments all tell us that heteronormativity (the conscious or unconscious perception that heterosexuality is the default) is alive and well. I am required to make several mental leaps to make questions on forms fit my circumstances. 

I make the decision whether to come out to work colleagues or complete strangers while making small talk in the office kitchen, as well as at blood pressure checks and a GP appointment to talk about an earache – “what contraception are you using, could you be pregnant?” Seems like a simple, if sometimes an irrelevant question to ask, but the simple answer highlights a significant part of what makes me me, and risks it being (or feeling like) a potentially uncomfortable confrontation. 

When we read news reports from the UK and around the world (BBC LGBT News) where the LGBTQ+ community are experiencing mental and physical harm, sometimes death – does it still feel simple? 

My upbringing and later experiences have all shaped how I think and feel about being a lesbian. Where my school sex education didn’t apply to me, I’m asked what my husband does for a living, or when the nurse calls through the curtain after disclosing my sexuality and before a smear test to ask, “but you have had sex, haven’t you?”, all mean that I still sometimes feel the need to lie or omit or avoid talking about certain subjects. And all of these things can be roadblocks to me getting the healthcare I deserve. 

I won’t attempt to suggest a solution, but what I can do is describe the impact that being invited to share my experiences at work have had on me.

I can tell you about unexpectedly feeling compelled to tell my story, the anxiety and surge of emotion I felt while talking, feeling listened to and respected by the curiosity and compassion of others. The conversations I’ve since had around the office with colleagues who are brave enough to ask questions. The simple act of being asked what it’s like for me has grown my sense of pride, about who I am, who I could represent and where I work. 

So maybe the answer lies somewhere in there.”

We know that LGBTQ+ people face bigger barriers when it comes to their access and experiences in healthcare and that they have poorer health outcomes.

Furthermore, Stonewall reports that over a third of LGBTQ+ people feel they need to hide who they are at work and one in five feel that being LGBTQ+ limits their job opportunities. 

At Here, as part of our Everyone Culture, we have a dedicated workgroup focussed on Health Equity. By working on unearthing and addressing disparities for patients within our services, we can ensure person – centred care, tailored to their individual needs and what matters most to them. This workgroup also promotes inclusion within the workplace. 

To make real impact we need to create brave spaces for honest feedback and have a proactive and adaptable environment where we can respond. Our in–house training ‘Here is Learning’ is an ongoing programme which offers inspired, bite sized learning for all staff. The aim of these sessions is to discover different lived experiences broadening horizons and increasing understanding.  

Recently, Here delivered a LGBTQ+ Inclusion training session for all colleagues to understand, explore and discuss LGBTQ+ experiences in both the workplace and in healthcare. 

John Hammond, from Brighton and Hove LGBT Switchboard and LGBTQ Dementia Support, shared his wealth of knowledge and lived experience with the group. These sessions provided colleagues a space to reflect and share their own lived experiences and feelings around the topic.  

Four of our colleagues kindly offered to share their own stories and reflections to highlight both what it’s like to work at Here and the impact of what taking part in these sessions has meant for them.

John Hammond, Brighton & Hove LGBTQ+ Switchboard

Phoebe’s reflections 

‘Recently I had the pleasure of attending a training session alongside colleagues being hosted by Switchboard. Switchboard is an amazing organisation which provides information, support and advice to people around LGBTQ+ issues.

When I first joined the organisation 10 years ago, I would not have been ready to attend a conversation like this. I can remember one of my colleagues in my first 6 months here, making some passing comment about me being queer and it sent me into a spin. It was accepting and well-meaning, but I denied it vehemently, and awkwardly and then spent months worried that everyone could tell how gay I was. I had all sorts of worries that ran rampant from that one interaction.  Would people who I knew outside of work be upset?  Was it that obvious that I wasn’t straight? Would it change the way my colleagues interacted with me?

One thing I often hear is that Brighton somehow exists in a bubble of total acceptance.  It just isn’t true.  Even with one of the largest global pride events, Brighton is not immune to all the other phobias and isms we experience in this country. One thing that I found helpful to explore in this session is the ways it takes a little extra energy to live, work and be part of systems where the default setting and expectation is different to your own identity. And no matter how well-meaning and accepting your colleagues are, we all carry our past experiences with us. 

When you carry some of those queer experiences with you, you find yourself having to come out all the time.  Whether it is to healthcare professionals, or colleagues or even just someone who asks you how you spent your weekend.  It takes mental gymnastics to keep that stuff private, and a level of bravery to be open.  And being open as a queer person doesn’t mean you have one big ‘coming out’ and it’s done.   

So even though sometimes these types of Inclusivity trainings can be surprising or uncomfortable, I am truly grateful for those of my colleagues who showed up with open minds and hearts.

Having these conversations as an organisation means we are taking one step closer to making our default setting something a little braver and more open.

Sam’s reflections

‘I gained a lot and valued the LGBTQ+ Here is Learning session –  

As someone who belongs to the community it really made me happy to see my employer taking being a queer-friendly workplace seriously, and I really enjoyed having an expert like John Hammond from Switchboard speak to us. It also heartened me to see so many of my colleagues attending and joining in too. 

Coming into the training, Here is by far the most welcoming and supportive employer to all people I have ever worked for, and I thought I was reasonably knowledgeable about my community, so I was pleasantly surprised to learn so much. 

Nor did I recognise some of the struggles colleagues and patients may be facing on a daily basis and what steps can still be taken to make people feel safer at work and to help patients navigate healthcare.  

I have an affection towards Switchboard personally as I used their services when I first moved down here during COVID and felt isolated. I was previously involved in the fantastic Dementia LGBTQ+ inclusive work they do with Brighton and Hove Memory Assessment Service (MAS) before I moved over to Sussex MSK Partnership Central (SMSKPC). If ever a similar scheme were to arrive in (SMSKPC) I would love to be involved. 

In the meantime, thank you so much John, Switchboard and Here for making this possible.’