Valerie Bailey
Location London, UK
Achievements
Activity
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
Thanks all, I really enjoyed this course and looking forward to using my new skills in my current workplace, personal relationships and future career!
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
Loved Professor Owolabi's idea of taking a strength based view – what can other people offer us, if we support them? Everyone has their own strengths and while we all have needs, we can thrive if we're supported and give back.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I love Dr Watts' enthusiasm, and his attitude can apply to any initiative really, not just climate change (not saying this isn't an important issue!)
What's something I can do at 9am tomorrow? Hmm... I want to continue improving my own mental health, and learning about mental health conditions and treatments, because this is an area I'm passionate about and...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
Helen's emphasis on leading by example rather than communicating really stood out to me the most. It's one thing to tell others they should act in a certain way to improve things but it's more encouraging to them if you lead by example and allow them to follow, rather than merely changing processes.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
Professor Owolabi made the point that people need a voice in order to make an impact, and that marginalised people sometimes have less of a voice than those in 'majority' groups in society.
As a trans woman interested in working in healthcare in the future, I feel it's particularly important for me to make sure my voice is heard and my experiences are...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
Sometimes I focus too much on the 'above water' things and don't question my own assumptions on a deeper level. When I question my assumptions more then it tends to lead to positive change within me and by extension, around me in my environment
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
Having the knowledge of how complex systems operate means I have a better appreciation of the relationships which make it up (described as "the interactions between the parts" in the article).
I'll also keep in mind that attempting to have too much control can result in a bad outcome, no matter how well intended, and therefore it's better to prioritise...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
In my current role at work I've been able to mobilise people to some extent by hearing their concerns and giving them space to share their ideas for projects.
I've sometimes resorted to a lone wolf approach which I can see now isn't enough to bring about widespread change – participation and collaboration is so important.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
The idea of 'new power' has been really helpful for me; power isn't something just gained from a particular job title, but something you can build by connecting with others and building mutual support.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
In the first example, Raouf took direct action! Plastering up posters made other staff aware of the trust's use of disposable resources and helped to reduce their use. His approach in general was to boldly make change and approach members of staff where needed, without asking for permission first.
He used 'new power' by speaking with colleagues to ask...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I see how these theories align with the model of old power and new power, and I see the benefits of Theory Y - giving people more freedom and trusting them to get stuff done will ultimately enable them to feel empowered, and drive forward an organisation without needing direct guidance for every decision.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
What I took from Mo's teachings is that when facing adversity, it's important to focus on your goals and *why* you want to make change, even if the initial adversity may be caused by factors outside of your control.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I'd certainly got the wrong impression of pirates from the media! It makes sense though, often groups pushing for social change (particularly radical progressive movements) are framed negatively across the media, in spite of their positive goals, because they challenge the status quo. Agree with Charlotte, pushing for positive change requires bravery!
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
Loved that final quote from the video... "confronting people with their own freedom may be the ultimate act of love."
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I really liked Benash's point about being your authentic self as a way to harness your power, as opposed to diluting it down.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
Really interesting point about invisible power. An example of this might be if someone denies their own agency becuase they don't believe they have the 'right' to do so. This feeling could stem from discrimination they have faced in the past (or face in the present) and/or societal influences.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I really loved Melissa's points about just sitting with someone's feelings and listening to them, without offering solutions. Often other people have solutions and roughly know the next steps to take, but need to feel validated and seen to feel comfortable going ahead with their actions.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I really feel this as a queer person. In some workplaces there's a sense of belonging but not really a deeper understanding of my experiences, so I feel like I have to assimilate to some extent even though I feel I belong.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
The community outreach had a really positive effect, and the Trust found that their initial assumptions that people were hesitant about vaccines weren't actually true – in reality most people simply didn't have the time to come into the practice and a home visit enabled them to get the care they needed.
I could see this approach being taken with vulnerable...
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The trust was successful because the staff had shared core values and everyone played a part in different ways - making changes, sharing their progress with others (e.g. speaking on the news), assessing the impact of trials and so on.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
There have definitely been times when I've had a strong immediate reaction to something stressful at work or in my wider life, and Rachel's teachings are useful – it's okay to take a step back and not act on my immediate feelings.
I agree with Vivienne's comment that management also has to be effective for staff to thrive, and not everything is on the...
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You're not an imposter! I'm not a frontline healthcare worker either, but there's space for everyone here, and I've found a lot of the learnings helpful in my current role ☺️
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I feel humbled hearing Aldis's story. We all have a role to play in times of uncertainty – what's important is how we come together and support one another, not our job title or formal role.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
Working on complex challenges feels quite scary. But when I think about it, I realise that I've already faced a number of complex challenges in my life, and along the way I'm developing my skills (eg through this course) and learning to act more effectively in the future - so I needn't be scared by complexity.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
The biggest point I took from this story is that it's important to ask for what you need, and to believe that change is possible. Asking for what we need is more important than our pride and sense of independence.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I feel really motivated to take action in my organisation and within the wider world - the course has helped me see that the power and agency to make change is largely a mindset, and that getting others on board with change is more important than necessarily having access to traditional 'old' power.
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One thing that stuck out to me is the idea of structure defining culture, not the other way around. Embracing certain cultural values may be ineffective without structural change accompanying those values.
In wider society, new power plays out through social movements pushing for change, while old power 'competes' with this through government and policy.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
Benash used new power in the form of coming together with others working towards the common goal of improving midwife services for patients across a variety of ethnic backgrounds. She also used old power in the form of her job title and role.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
This article gave me a new perspective on power. It doesn't matter if you hold a high leadership ranking – you still need to be able to effectively engage with others, forming "new power," in order to effectively drive change.
Furthermore, you don't need to hold a leadership position to do this – and gaining "new power" could even lead to gaining "old power."
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
My key takeaway from Dr Watt's video is that driven individuals are the ones who contribute the bulk of changes, not bureaucrats, and that everyone has the power to act within their sphere of influence.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I really resonated with Dr Owolabi's points that we're all in it together, with a common shared purpose – having that shared purpose in mind is what keeps us motivated and helps us drive change effectively.
I'm not currently working in the NHS so the next two questions don't apply to me directly, but one issue I care about in particular is inequalities in...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I'm inspired by the care and consideration Mo showed towards herself and others, and her determination to make things better for everyone.
As other commenters have said, sharing her lived experience also helps her and those around her feel motivated to make changes.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
Hi all! I'm Valerie, I work at a mental health-related private sector company, and I'm curious about working in the NHS in the future. I'm taking part in the course because I want to develop skills to make positive change in my organisation and in my wider circle of influence.
I'm inspired by this quote from Everything Everywhere All At Once: You're not...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I was struck by the idea of reframing the question of "what am I lacking?" as "what can I bring?" I often get caught up in feelings of inadequacy, and in doing so I forget my own capabilities and strengths.
Chukes' comment about playfulness also stood out - I can be very serious often and forget to have that playfulness, which is really important both to...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
The idea that slowing down can lead to more compassion, and that taking even just a small amount of time to practise compassion, has stuck with me from this week.
I’ve been left with a feeling of calm, recognising that kindness and compassion don’t always require a big effort, just a little slowing down, and often, ability to say no to things.
I’m...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
What stood out to me from both the TED talks is the fact that time is the biggest factor in whether we're compassionate or not, rather than empathy. And that it doesn't take a lot of time to show compassion.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
It was heartbreaking to read these stories. As a trans person it's especially disappointing for me seeing how poorly LGBTQ+ people are treated.
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I was surprised by Julia's example of the receptionist who bumped forward a particular patient because of her personal relationship, but in doing so discriminated against other patients.
It made me think carefully about how kindness and compassion towards a wider group of people can sometimes involve difficult decisions, and how systemic pressure can...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
In theory, being kind and compassionate is simple, but in practice it requires a lot of strength and awareness, as well as self-compassion, particularly when you're under stress.
I'm curious about the challenges facing kindness and compassion, and how these can be tackled on both a personal level and systemic level. Also, I'd like to find out how we can...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I signed up to this course for a couple of reasons - I’m interested in working in the NHS in the future, and I want to learn how to lead more kindly and compassionately in my current role, and even in my personal relationships.
Leading with kindness and compassion matters to me because I care about helping others at my core, and leading in this way is how I...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
One insight that's struck me is that self-compassion is paramount to showing compassion towards others in leadership. I've come across this idea before, that self-love and acceptance is essential when it comes to loving others, but it surprised me that the same point arised in the context of leadership.
I've been left with a feeling of introspection,...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
Within my personal relationships, my friends and I help each other out, and we listen to each other, understanding the struggles we're each facing and offering support to one another. In difficult situations, wisdom enables us to act compassionately while still making hard decisions where needed.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
The therapist and eco-leader discourses resonate with me the most, as they place focus on learning, wellbeing, connectivity, and ethics. I usually avoid the controller style of leadership, and occasionally embrace the messiah discourse when passionate about a cause.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I believe the most important skills in a great leader are empathy, kindness and vulnerability. The third one might seem counterintuitive, but I believe we all have to be honest about our own weaknesses in order to effectively harness our strengths as leaders, and receive support where we need it.
I'd add listening as a fourth skill. Being a great listener...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
Having researched these terms, I now understand that compassion literally refers to "suffering with" [another], and kindness comes from the word "kin", referring to family/close friends. I also enjoyed Krista Tippett's TED talk.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
Consider using the pomodoro technique when studying in longer blocks - 25 minutes of studying followed by a 5 minute break :)
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
Hey, I'm Valerie! I'm a software engineer, interested in working in public health in the future - potentially in a data science/informatics role, or as a leader or policy shaper, or some combination of those things. I'm hoping to learn more about kindness and compassion in leadership and how I can apply these skills to both my current role, as well as...
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I think the biggest change will be a change in the working culture of the NHS, and an overall increase in compassion, both within teams of staff and from the wider public. This would enable staff to feel more trusted and better support patients, achieving more concrete goals of improving access to care/healthcare itself, and reducing fragmentation between...
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Simply banning recreational drugs will not address the underlying causes that people seek them out. Communities (particularly those most marginalised in society) need to be supported rather than an approach of criminalisation, which would cause more harm.
People should be supported if they have an unhealthy relationship with substances, rather than shunned...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I agree with this deal overall, but I feel the burden should be shifted towards the NHS rather than the individual, particularly for marginalised communities which have historically faced discrimination in healthcare and other areas of society.
I also agree with Tim's comment - mutual respect between patients and NHS staff is vital for a successful NHS and...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I believe that overall, the growing online community of health professionals will have the biggest overall impact on the NHS. Each other topic mentioned is invaluable in its own right, but through community, collaboration and shared understanding across a wide range of healthcare professionals, the NHS will gain the most from each of these technologies.
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I love this idea and it would be great for people of all ages, not just the older population! I'm someone with a variety of mental health and physical health needs, and I wish there was more integration between eg my counselling provider and my GP surgery.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I've found NHS digital services to be fragmented and poorly designed - the NHS app is a great start, but it's not particularly useful without proper integration with other services like GPs. Lots of GPs also have their own online services which are separate from the NHS app which doesn't help matters.
The NHS could take inspiration from apps like...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I access therapy sessions through a low-cost provider. These sessions have been really beneficial, but there's a lack of integration with my GP which means it's difficult for me to access medication which may help me get better.
I would prefer a more integrated system where my GP and therapy provider collaborate with one another (while preserving...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
The NHS is challenged both in attracting and training enough new members of staff and also retaining existing staff, who at the moment are relatively likely to leave by choice due to factors like burnout, lack of flexibility, health etc.
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@RamminaYassaie Thanks for sharing, this was really insightful!
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I understand from my friend who works in the NHS that their lab is often understaffed, which brings down morale of the staff and puts a lot of pressure on them.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
To me, the biggest challenges for the NHS are adapting to the complex and changing needs of the population, and thriving through political turmoil.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I have a better understanding of problems concerning access to healthcare in and among marginalised groups, and I've also learned of the importance of assessing patient experience in addition to more objective outcome metrics.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
Measuring patient experience is important because at the end of the day, the purpose of the NHS is to address the needs of patients, so it's important to understand if they felt adequately treated and cared for. With good metrics but poor reported patient experience, other people may be discouraged from getting support for health issues, leading to increased...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
Patient outcomes should certainly be prioritised over financial performance, however they are equally as important as equal access to healthcare. It's not good enough to merely have good patient outcomes if only certain people or groups of people are able to access that healthcare in the first place.
The consequence of shifting priorities could be that the...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
From the video, it sounds like there are some services which make more than enough money while others are forced to reduce quality of care in order to balance the books. It's not possible for NHS services to "go bust" but financial problems can and do cause a reduced quality of patient care.
A fresh approach where finances are shared between NHS services...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
It's clear that socioeconomic factors, as well as people's status as members of groups already disadvantaged in wider society (such as ethnic minorities and LGBTQ+ people), play a big role in determining people's life expectancy.
I think the NHS should assign a higher priority to addressing these issues, so that people across the UK receive better treatment...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
Apart from waiting times, quality of care is important, particularly for complex issues which may involve patients accessing multiple services. In particular, people from minority communities may not receive the same standard of care as the population on average, due to systemic discrimination.
As another commenter mentioned, prevention of issues should...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I think the NHS is particularly good at enabling people to get help for general health issues without needing to pay, and offering an affordable prescription model. It's also great at helping people who need emergency treatment.
I think it's lacking in supporting people with more complex and long-term issues, especially mental health conditions or a...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I've found this information really valuable and I think the general public should know more too! I think it's useful to understand how a system works so we can be aware of its shortfalls and how it might be improved.
I've enjoyed my learning so far and I'm looking forward to finding out more about the current state of the NHS and how it might change in the...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
The NHS is not directly regulated by the government, but by so-called system regulators including the Care Quality Commission and NHS England.
The CQC monitors standards of care and services not meeting requirements can be placed under special measures to improve performance, or cautioned, fined or prosecuted.
NHS England, on the other hand, has the...
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To me, the biggest challenges the NHS faces are adapting to the needs of the current population and especially younger generations - mental healthcare on the NHS is severely lacking and services are too fragmented.
I think that many changes and reforms would be needed to fully address this issue, and while some reforms have taken place recently, more needs...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
Parts of the NHS have always been private, although recently more patients have chosen to access care privately due to long waiting lists on the NHS. In addition, changes in the Health and Social Care Act 2012 intended to offer more patient choice led to an increase in contracts with private companies.
There is now concern that changes introduced in the...
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I think there should be regional hubs, which enable access to a wide range of services across the entire population, in addition to a tailored approach for local cities, towns and villages.
As it stands, for example, trans healthcare on the NHS is very lacking and there are only a small number of clinics across the UK. With regional hubs providing access to...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
Commissioning was originally designed to ensure good value for money by having different service providers compete, but more recently the goal has shifted towards strategic collaboration.
The commissioning cycle involves strategic planning, procuring services and monitoring and evaluating those services, to ensure consistent quality.
Integrated care...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I wasn't too surprised, but I'd never really thought about the costs behind all these different services, so it was quite eye-opening.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
The NHS is mostly funded through taxes. Most money for Health and Social Care initially goes to NHS England (with some going to other bodies aiming to improve public health), and then NHS England passes most of its budget onto Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), and uses some of it to buy services itself.
Finally, ICBs use the money they've been allocated (based...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I learned about the creation of the NHS - it surprised me somewhat that it was created by a Welsh minister. As a half-Welsh person it makes me proud!
I also learned about the way the NHS is structured, and that there are efforts to increase cohesion between different services in order to better support the needs of patients, as opposed to multiple...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
My grandmother has used social care, and one of my friends also acts as an unpaid carer to another of their friends who struggles with life and work due to untreated mental health conditions and an unstable family.
From the video I learned that most carers fall under the category of unpaid carers, who often do not consider themselves as such - my friend...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I agree with the video that mental health problems often go unnoticed, and the services available in England to support people facing mental health challenges are often fragmented and difficult to access. In the future, I hope to see a more comprehensive approach to supporting people's mental health across England, which the NHS would play a big part in.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
Looking the social determinants, some of the main factors influencing my health include my employment status - I've been unemployed for some time which particularly affects my mental health - and being trans, as access to trans healthcare is poor in the UK, particularly through the NHS. However, I also have supportive friends, family members and a community,...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I'm interested in finding out in more detail how the recent changes have had an impact on patient care, and what areas improvements are still needed in. I've learned that thanks to the Health and Care Act 2022, different bodies have been able to work more closely. I've also learned about the overall structure of the NHS and how services are funded through...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
The Mental Health Act 1959 strikes me as one of the most significant changes, as it led to deinstitutionalisation and better support for patients with mental health needs. Even today, people still face discrimination and stigmatisation due to mental health conditions, but this act led to positive reforms such as better treatment and conditions of care for...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
Here are my key learnings from this step:
Before the NHS, access to healthcare was less equal and more dependent on your financial means. Over time, the concept of the welfare state developed and its ideas were put into practice, forming the foundations for what would later become the NHS.
The Liberal Party government led by David Lloyd George first...
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
Pace yourself, allow yourself to take breaks, and for anything you find particularly interesting, explore it further outside of the course!
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
I joined this course because the NHS is very important to me and the public. I also have a close friend who works in the NHS, and I'd like to gain a deeper understanding so I can further appreciate their work.
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Valerie Bailey made a comment
Important, underfunded, endangered
There are lots of staff in the NHS doing invaluable work, but unfortunately the system as a whole is underfunded and poorly structured, with risk of further privatisation and fragmentation due to the current government.
