National Voices Daily Insight: Now more than ever, it is vital that we listen to people

Today’s Daily Insight is guest written by Kate Jopling, strategy adviser at National Voices as part of a National Voices “takeover” of HSJ. Find out more here.

In these uncertain times, it feels increasingly like the only thing we can be sure of is that each new day will bring yet more unprecedented events. In the midst of our political turmoil – which even the most measured voices are now calling “chaos” – it is hard to know what to hold on to.

At National Voices when all around us are losing their heads, we try to hold on to our core which is that we exist to advocate for equitable, person-centred health and care services, developed through genuine partnerships with people, communities and voluntary sector organisations.

That means listening. Listening to people who are living with ill health, and to those who are using services is never the wrong thing to do. Wednesday’s grim report on the situation at East Kent Hospitals provided another reminder of what goes wrong when we stop listening to people.

While Bill Kirkup’s report emphasises problems at the very top of the hospitals’ chain of command, it also makes clear that these problems started with care which “failed to listen to the families involved”. In scandal after scandal, these words echo, but we do not seem yet to have what it takes to create cultures which can learn these lessons.

So many of the contributions from National Voices’ members during our brief takeover have emphasised these themes of communication and listening, and again today’s contributors revisit them. Usha Grieve, from Compassion in Dying, powerfully describes how enabling people to be experts in their own experiences can make the difference between a good death and a chaotic, and distressing end of life.

She considers the role of electronic end of life records in supporting people to communicate their wishes, and sets out the practical challenges to making these work in reality.

The same barriers around communication, inflexible structures and a system which lacks a human touch are reflected in Kama Petruczenko’s account of refugee experiences of the health system. The net results of these failings are worse health outcomes and widening health inequalities.

As our takeover of HSJ comes to an end, we will be going back to our day jobs, holding on to our core beliefs and bringing the voices of our members, and the people with whom they work, to every conversation we have. We hope that over the past week you’ve found something among the pages we’ve contributed to interest you, to challenge you and to act upon. That’s why we’re here. Thank you for listening.