How are you? 2023 feels like it’s going to be a tough year. Switch on the news and you might well wish you hadn’t. Winter pressures; staff shortages; excessive waiting times; industrial action. The debate amongst our politicians over the past week seems more focused on whether we should be calling this a crisis or not, rather than finding genuine solutions. It’s as if someone has opened Pandora’s box and all the evils we can imagine have taken hold.
Now the BMJ have weighed in heavily with their declaration that “Sunak fiddles while the NHS burns“. Here’s the opening paragraph of that piece.
In the early days of the covid-19 pandemic hope was high that services would “build back better.” It was a hope that sustained health professionals as they pushed themselves further to keep a stretched service from collapsing. Now, hope in the UK has all but evaporated. (BMJ 2023;380:p68)
Over the millennia, the story of Pandora’s box has been retold in many different ways. But the common theme is that, after all that has gone wrong, at least hope remains. If hope has truly evaporated, then we are in very dark times indeed. It’s a fairly clear indicator of collective burnout.
So, where do we go from here?
Under the current circumstances, it’s not easy to picture a positive future for healthcare. To deny that, whether as a member of the public, a politician, or a doctor, would be an abdication of responsibility. However, although pessimism is completely understandable, we must guard against that too. If pessimism continues to grow, we will fail to see possibilities for constructive ways forward. In fact, we are likely to stop even looking for them. Pessimism is a disease which can take hold and spread, creating a vicious circle with an ever increasing downward spiral. More people feeling hopeless, unable to resolve the challenges they face as individuals, more burn out, more staff leaving.
Going back to Pandora, some versions of the tale explain that hope was in the box along with all the other evils because it is in itself a curse. Blind optimism, where we live in the hope that everything will somehow sort itself out is a naïve state of mind. Our problems aren’t just going to magically disappear.
The most common readings of Pandora suggest that hope persists in even the darkest times – and that it’s a good thing. There’s a fundamental difference between the blind optimist and the attentive optimist. The attentive optimist believes that things will be resolved and improved if, and only if, we take appropriate action.
On a personal level, hope is essential. Otherwise, you’re at serious risk of becoming one of the casualties.
Let’s jump ahead
There are numerous aspects of the current circumstances which are beyond the direct influence of most doctors. That will always has and always will be the case. At the same time, there’s a long list of things which are within your control. This includes your overall choice in attitude between denial, pessimism, blind optimism and attentive optimism. None of us know what the future holds, but we can believe that there are better times ahead. It includes the choices you make in your behaviour, the way you interact with your patients and colleagues – and the way you look after yourself.
When we adopt the right mindset, our most challenging experiences are often when we grow the most, both professionally and as individuals. While we inevitably make mistakes and have dark times, we learn from them and come back stronger.
2023 is going to be tough. Maybe even the toughest yet. However, at some point, there will be a resolution to the pay dispute. There will be a plan in place to deal with staffing shortages and waiting lists. Many of the big decisions may well be beyond your control, but what skills will you need to be able to make the most of that situation? And what skills do you need to get through the immediate difficulties?
How prepared are you?
How would you rate your teamwork skills in being able to support your colleagues so that they can support you? How good are you at standing up for yourself whenever you need to? Then what about taking the lead, developing an idea then implementing new ways of working? What about teaching others what you have learned from your experiences? Every small action you take can be another small proactive step in getting through the toughest times that helps prepare you for the future.
What steps are you taking to develop your abilities and maximise your potential?
Stephen McGuire – Managing Director
