In review: Featured books and more

This book tells the story of how the creation of space and storytelling in health and social care can help professionals build resilience at work, while remaining true to the sometimes distressing situations they can be a part of, or witness.

 

The book is presented in five sections, with the use of storytelling, or tales, acting as a thread throughout. The first section describes the setting up of a psychology service in a large teaching hospital, and includes examples of the type of stories heard by the psychologist. 

 

One example is from a team of physiotherapists.  The psychologist observed how difficult this team found it to just listen to an account of events, with solutions and reassurances often being offered before the event had been fully explained.  This difficulty in allowing experiences to be heard and understood is a common theme throughout the book.

 

Section two describes the use of Schwartz rounds in the US, and how these were adapted for use in the UK.  Section three builds on this and gives more detail about how the rounds were implemented.

 

The fourth section draws more parallels with the first one, in that the author summarises some of the key stories told by healthcare practitioners at the Schwartz rounds, thereby pulling back on the storytelling thread.   A particularly poignant story is one told by a transplant surgeon who had a sudden realisation of the implications of his work for donor families.

 

The book draws to a conclusion in section five, with the author reflecting on the inherent emotional challenges that working in health and social care entails, and the value of providing space to share the stories that emerge.

 

This book is potentially valuable for those interested in organisational culture, managing workplace stress, and the tensions associated with delivering compassionate care in an often distressing environment.  This book tells the story of how the creation of space and storytelling in health and social care can help professionals build resilience at work, while remaining true to the sometimes distressing situations they can be a part of, or witness.

 

Some of the concepts and experiences outlined in this book will be invaluable to me in my new role as lead for quality, Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust.

 

The Oxford-based Centre for Rehabilitation Research has launched an evidence-based hand exercise programme.  Known as Strengthening And Stretching for Rheumatoid Arthritis of the Hand (SARAH), the programme looks at managing rheumatoid arthritis in adults.  

 

A free online training course (iSARAH) is available to help NHS physios deliver the programme.

 

Public Health England has launched a Days off app, which encourages users to choose drink- free days in order to cut down on alcohol, save money and feel healthier. 

 

Men and women are  advised not to drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week. This is the same as six pints of average strength beer a week.  

 

To download a free app, choose days off and receive reminders, support and practical advice to break what Public Health England calls the habit of‘mindless drinking’, visit http://bit.ly/2kDs7rP 

The latest edition of this book contains contributions from six musculoskeletal specialists:  Sasha Chaitow, Whitney Lowe, Warrick McNeill, Sarah Mottram, Tom Myers and Michael Seffinger.  It also cites the latest research findings.  

In this book, leading scholars on proactivity from north America, Europe, Asia, and Australia explore how, why, and when individuals are motivated to initiate change in their organisations or themselves.