The sickness level among emergency department staff at King's is one of the lowest in the trust at 2.8 per cent. This does not square with received wisdom about sickness absence being related to stress.
The department handles three to five shootings and stabbings a week. It also receives regular casualties from multiple road accidents and other incidents. For several years it has also been the receiving centre for heart attack and stroke victims from much of south east London and parts of Kent. Meanwhile, especially around Christmas, it becomes the receptacle for addiction problems, family breakdown, mental breakdown, club fights and elderly people living alone - a microcosm of the troubled elements of our society.
The low sickness level, is I think, a measure of morale and team spirit. This has been tested recently by some unfair remarks about crisis mental health services but remains strong. It will be tested again in the next couple of weeks for the reasons above.
Meanwhile, we won't have the slack of previous years as we use time, space and committed staff over the holiday period to address the 18-week target. I suspect other acute trusts will be in a similar position - if not, please give me whatever advice you think I need.
Over Christmas, our management will need to be nimble and contingent so that our people are properly supported.
And, since it's that time of year, I thought why not a poem? The trouble is once you start you can think of content for dozens of verses. The few scenarios mentioned below are of course entirely fictional. Oh, and for those who don't remember young Mr Grace, he was the store owner from Are You Being Served who would somewhat insincerely tell the staff 'You've all done very well' before falling into the arms of a young, blonde assistant.
A Chief Officer's Christmas
Xmas time for the chief exec,
do you head for the hills
or stay on the deck
of a ship that gets through
the rest of the year
with challenges dealt with,
nothing to fear.
You might even think
of doing on-call
to help you keep
your eye on the ball.
If only it stayed
as quiet as you hoped
at all other times
you'd have probably coped.
But how do you handle
the strange events
that this time of year
always seems to present?
The family brawls that
at Christmas we see,
promptly restart
in casualty.
Besides this breakdown
in family life
we see other signs
of seasonal strife.
It helps to remind you
that what we're about
is being available
when others are out.
If only the critics
would give it a thought
as they make themselves comfy
and sip on their port.
It's the time of year, too,
when unusual cases
turn up in majors
to fill up the spaces.
'You shouldn't have put
that thing in your ear,
Of course something that size
does not belong there!'
Some things are simply
too bad to report
but painful enough
to leave you distraught.
It's not just in Cas,
where work must go on,
the 18-week target
will stop for no-one.
So give it two days
Then: 'Can you come in to help with a list?
'Sorry to ask you
Please say you're not p*****d.
We need the performance
to stay in the race
so wait til New Year
to get off your face.'
Our friends in Whitehall
have already gone.
You can tell their last day
because that's the one
With last-minute e-mails
round about four,
to give you an action list,
budget cut, more.
So please have this done
by the end of the day
and please don't call back
we've all gone away!
Not long after that
the chair marches in
with an excessively
seasonal grin.
He wants to thank those
who are rostered to work
so let's tour the trust
he's not one to shirk.
He'll praise many colleagues
for running the place
trying not to sound
like young Mr Grace.
But let's not forget
it's the season of cheer.
You'd think the word 'party'
was invented round here.
Scenes where the workforce
loses its care
and fuelled by the sauce
rediscovers its dare.
For some this means giving
the boss a hard time.
For a few it's the risk
of extra-marital crime.
But happily more
in the thought than the deed.
New Year fallout
is what you don't need.
Instead you uncover
the skills of your staff,
musicians, actors -
you don't know the half.
Raconteurs all
with a story or two,
knowing enough
to embarrass you!
All in good fun
and mostly no harm.
All targets met
no cause for alarm.
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