Category Archives: Campaign stuff

An exemplar in absurdity (and conkers)

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A sort of follow on from the (updated) The Talented Mr Martin and viral impact post. Underpinned by continuing incredulity at the removal of the Talentworks website. A ‘leadership’ consultancy with the tagline:

Meet the Talentworks team… hired for our large brains, love of psychology and impeccable dress sense.

Yes. Really. Well, and at least £5m of public money.

In the continued absence of any apparent scrutiny from NHS Improvement and others who should, we’re left digging deeper into shit we should never have to go near.

Talentworks. A virtual collective of people with large brains… etc have not only been getting obscene amounts of dosh from Sloven. They’ve also been working closely with Thames Valley and Wessex Leadership Academy (TVWLA). An academy led until last year by Katrina Percy.

I’m rubbish with figures but the Talentworks ‘blah blah’ work with the Thames Valley bunch (Financial Summaries available here) seems to involve a shedload of dosh for the two years Percy led the academy (around £500k and £370k)  dropping to around £20k after she stepped down. [As an aside, how could Percy dismiss Mike Holder’s safety concerns while championing Chris Martin and his jibber jabber? [howl]]

A brief browse of the Talent Management pages on the Thames Valley Leadership Academy pages:

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A teeth achingly meaningless statement. Just noise. How the Wessex leadership gang allowed this to be published on their website makes me want to weep. I’m left wondering (again) is this about stupidity, incompetence, fear, corruption, bullying, greed, narcissism or simple slumbering?  The focus on this hocus pocus crap, while staff were left without leadership, untrained and unsupported to provide the most basic care to keep LB and so many other patients alive [alive], is haunting.

More bollocks…

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Greater pipeline intelligence? A driver of culture change? It’s like the Stepford Wives meet NHS England.

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I’ve not read this blinky blonky table yet. The headings alone suggest nonsense. I just want to know who authorised payments for this ‘work’? Where were the internal (and external) audit processes? Did no one ask what is this about and is it effective?

Did Talentworks really have a blank cheque to do whatever?

What are the links between Chris Martin, Katrina/Iain Percy and others?

What does it mean that Talentworks have withdrawn their website?

What the actual fuck?

Here’s a photo of conkers we collected in the park earlier. I bloody love this photo. These are conkers. As simple and uncomplicated as.

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A bit of a #CaminoLB update

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Planning for the #CaminoLB is crackling along. We will be walking for eight days, with the long walks (around 20 miles a day) in the first five days, dropping to 10 miles maximum for the last three. [25 Oct-3 Nov].

The Life My Choice crew have been busy organising or renewing passports today. It looks like there will be 3 (possibly 4) members with two supporters tipping up for the last three days. Excitement is bubbling apparently. My sis, Tracey, is coming for the second week. Rosie Tozer is joining us for the last three days, walking in memory of her son Danny. John Williams will be doing the chunk in the middle. And a few other people are thinking about pitching up at different points. [None of us are big walkers… well yet.]

This whole, random, walking the #JusticeforLB bus across the Camino de Santiago to an exhibition centre in Aviles, has been oiled by the enthusiasm and simply can do attitude of the Learning Disability England team (with Spanish support). They not only organised the Justice exhibition, on December 2 in Aviles, which kicked off the whole thing but have stepped up to offer lifts, blister mopping, scouting the route for possible hazards, and the lovely Mariana (and her dog and possibly daughter) to ease our non Spanish speaking way. The bus, for those of you worried about us getting it from Santander to Aviles in one piece, has been carefully and lovingly strengthened by LB’s grandad and now has a nifty tarpaulin bag for those rainy days.

We will be a right old ragbag collective walking along the trail, in search of rights and colour. Remembering LB, Danny and the others. Carrying a cardboard bus. And hopefully having a bloody good laugh.

Pics from #CaminoLB training.

Take. what. you. need.

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I was at the Disability Studies Conference at Lancaster a week or so ago where I met a small group of Icelandic academics/self advocates. I was delighted to hook up with them because I love the work of Kristin Bjornsdottir and team. And their campaigning. The George Fox building, where the conference was held, was dotted with these posters…

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Kristin talked about using #JusticeforLB in teaching and subsequently posted this:

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Wow.

Tim Smart resigned unexpectedly (but not surprisingly) today. Both Sloven and NHS Improvement demonstrated what Chris Hatton described as ‘a mulish aversion to honesty’ in their press statements about his resignation.

There is no candour. No honesty. We’re left with a ‘trust’ with an interim CEO, no Board Chair, no Chief Operating Officer, no Communications Director and 8 governor vacancies. Well, and financial irregularities over contracts worth millions. And a dodgy new (or old) made up post for Katrina Percy costing around £250k. And left with a deputy board chair who shared the findings of the Mazars review pre-publication with his teenage son who rubbished the findings on social media.

Wow.

What a complete and utter (chilling) shambles. Meanwhile, Jeremy Hunt repeatedly deflects MPs questions with non answers.

It’s more than apparent that the likes of Jim Mackey and gang, the remaining Sloven senior exec and ex-CEO, really need to take what they need. And act accordingly.

Or do one.

 

Down but not out…

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Levels of incredulity at the continuing unfoldings down Sloven way – apparently supported and endorsed by NHS Improvement – have reached crisis point. Even our brilliant, informal, campaign media archivist, is flailing…

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Behind this battering is a peculiar situation which seems to be baffling pretty much everyone apart from the Sloven exec (plus Katrina Percy), NHS Improvement and Jeremy Hunt. Even Simon Stevens, CEO of NHS England, has publicly said Sloven have let down patients and families…

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There is sensible and widespread condemnation of the recent sidestepping of the CEO into a new (or old depending on who and when you ask), part time role at the same salary and perks as a CEO (on top of the other, well documented failings). Including this statement from Philippa Russell on behalf of the National Valuing Families Forum.

The story of Smart’s stint as Interim Board Chair which only started in May is that he apparently commissioned two (yes two) so far mysterious reviews which found that the Sloven board are fit to practice. This was announced on June 30 without any engagement with families (other than an ‘accidental’ meeting with My Life My Choice who have since decided to no longer engage with Smart). The annual board meeting held last week demonstrated woeful engagement with families and patients (forced, as always, to sit through interminable presentations/talk with public question time compressed to barely any time at the end). This seems to last as long as Smart’s patience (if you can bear to listen to the audio recording). Appalling senior action still from a trust who have been in the public spotlight relentlessly for failing to engage with patients and families.

Strangely, Smart has agreed to the secondment of two directors (including the Chief Operating Officer).  Chris Gordon to NHS Improvement and Sandra Grant to another trust or commissioning group. And unilaterally (it appears with NHS Improvement dove from above agreement) agreed Percy’s new or old position.

Just a few questions. [No answers expected…]

  • Why would you insist a board is fine and then allow the secondment of (key) execs when the terrain is rocky?
  • Is there now no Chief Operating Officer or Communications Director alongside an interim Board Chair and CEO?
  • Is anyone at the highest levels of the NHS, in this foul and grotesque tale of abuse, deceit and pantomime, going to find it in themselves to stand up and act with integrity?

I suppose, if nothing else, a necessary light is being shone with a bloody big torch not on only Sloven murkiness but also the gaps, limitations, failings, impotence, pointlessness, corruptness and fatcattery that exist within and among senior NHS spaces. I dunno how you sleep at night.

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Walking back from the original gingerbread protest at Jubilee House earlier this summer.

A cheeky bit of media advice to Smart and gang

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We’re weary in the Justice shed. Weary of the continuing horrors, absurdities, scandals, lies, deceit, cover ups, failures in accountability, delay, obstruction, lack of decency, sense and fairness. Broken Trust, shown this week, was pretty horrific and devastating for families involved to watch. In the spirit of productiveness, and to distract from raging, I thought it might be useful to offer Tim Smart and other senior NHS bods a few pointers in engaging with the media. His interview (and Katrina Percy’s) with David Fenton was an exemplar in how not to. Just a few twitter responses:

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Now I certainly ain’t no expert in media appearances. We have no comms team/resources behind us. In fact the only time I was on local radio before this devastating unfolding, was for work. I forgot the third (stereotypical) characteristic of autism through a rabbit in headlights/fear situ. Deeply awkward and embarrassing at the time. Now just budgie feed.

Here’s the transcript of the interview with Smart with thoughts and suggestions added in red. Please feel free to add further reflections/advice in the comment section below. There is clearly plenty to learn.

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1Obviously this interview will have been edited and mucked about with. But the ills and errors were spoken and so available to produce this version. Thoughtfulness, care, honesty, reflection and openness are the very basic ingredients. With knowledge, underpinned by experience, and broader understandings of and engagement with the wider context essential at such a senior level. At a senior level, and on these massive salaries, I’d also expect a clear understanding of media engagement (and the potential pitfalls) and some ease (taught or otherwise) of sitting in front of a camera or microphone.

The third ‘autism characteristic’ I forgot, back in the day, that afternoon at BBC Radio Oxford, was ‘theory of mind’. I was mortified at the time. I resolved to avoid announcing a number of things, in advance of listing them, and to prepare a list of key points in advance. I hope Smart, Percy, and those around and above them, are revisiting the seriously gut wrenchingly awful presentation of Sloven senior culture presented in Broken Trust. And that serious questions are being asked around what has, and continues to happen, at higher levels. 

Unpacking the Smart move

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Blimey. Does anyone know what’s going on? Record breaking levels of absurdity… I recommend watching Broken Trust which was shown last night on BBC South. Just contrast the contributions of the families, public, rebel governors with the performances by Percy and Smart. [A limitation to the programme was it didn’t shine the spotlight on the other, good for nothing, crap execs and non execs (Gordon, Grant, Stevens, Spires and Bezzaman and co) but it was only 26 minutes long…]

To summarise where (I think) we’re at (for the next 12 hours or so…) and not spelling out the crapitude both Smart and Percy demonstrate in this film (and their actions).

  • KP is no longer Sloven CEO.
  • She moved into a “new role” at the same salary and without following HR processes and procedures.
  • She moved because of media attention.
  • She then allowed a film crew to follow her for a day and coax utterly reprehensible reflections out of her.
  • She is “uniquely qualified” for this, so far, unnamed new role.
  • We don’t know what those unique qualifications are, but I think most of the UK population following this sordid little tale would agree, they ain’t jumping off the page and really, we should know if there are any.
  • The new role is now not a new role.
  • It’s part of her old job (CEO).
  • Apparently the part that took 1 day every two weeks.
  • She will be doing this new tiny part of her old job for 12 months on a CEO salary.
  • Smart’s definition of corruption doesn’t include lies, cover ups or deception.
  • Smart’s credentials for trouble shooting a failing trust are looking pretty flakey.
  • He has managed (with the apparent blessing of NHS Improvement) to piss on the lives of families shattered by sustained failings over the last five years.
  • It hurts him to meet bereaved families.
  • A patient left Sloven’s mental health services alive [positive end piece].

We are in Laurel and Hardy territory.

Stay classy y’all.

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Postscript: In case anyone missed it, My Life My Choice have washed their hands of the Sloven leadership (and feature in the programme). Telling it like it is. You delivered nothing.

Kissing bare feet…

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Flew to Helsinki this evening. On a flight with free wifi (Norwegian Air) and a lot of kids. Three little kids just in front. Two younger boys with a slightly older sister who kind of policed them. With a good dose of pummelling, cuddling and arguing. Carefully watched over by their mum across the aisle. Tablets, snacks, learning the Koran (via headphones) and cheeky computer games as the flight went on.

A little girl on the right across the aisle with her mum. And a super cute babe with his mum and dad next to me. Seats 8A, B and C.

A three hour flight. The three kids in front were pretty self sufficient other than the odd headphone war. The little girl to the right slept for most of the flight. She woke when her mum went to toilet, howled briefly, was pacified by her mum who lost her place in the loo queue. Beaten by a man who disappeared for a record amount of time only matched by the smells that emerged with him.

The couple I sat next to operated a pretty much three hour work station between them. Food, cuddles, big white soft toy, love, food, singing, blanket, books, big white soft toy, food, dummy, love, more food. He chuckled, played with the seat table, looked out of the window with excitement, studied the menu, looked at a London guidebook, had a whine, chucked his dummy on the floor, batted the books away, cried, chucked his dummy away again, rocked with frustration, howled and fell asleep.

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His mum kissed his bare feet.

I thought about the kids when they were tots. About that constant space of love, devotion, work, despair, public service, frustration, absorption, protection and completeness.  In between, I read a book about experiences of social change over time (stories from disabled people born in the 1940s, 1960s and 1980s).

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I wondered (again) how the hell we got into a situation in which we took, and left, LB in that hell hole.

A justice ‘pilgrimage’…

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It’s confirmed. A celebration – Of Rights and Colour – organised by Learning Disability England will be held on December 2 in Aviles, Northern Spain.

Truly, truly spectacular…

It wasn’t long before talk in the Justice shed turned to walking the #JusticeforLB bus and flag to Aviles from Santander in readiness for the event. A bus made from cardboard boxes by the Boumelha family for 107days of action. And a flag that has graced two Glastonbury festivals and travelled as far as New Zealand via Sydney (meeting People First, Dunedin and the NZ Disability Rights Commissioner among others) thanks to Katherine Runswick-Cole, Rebecca Lawthom, Dan Goodley and families.

Along the Northern way of the Camino de Santiago. We’re planning to set off on October 25 and cover the 150 miles in around 12 days. George Julian, Agent T (my sis) and me so far [anyone is very welcome to join us on part or all of the route]. I think it’s fair to say we ain’t brilliantly fit. And our vague convos so far around how to get the bus from A to B are along the lines of the odd “Maybe we should strap it to a backpack” to “Pull it along on a trolley?” type exchanges on twitter…

But whatever. It will be a remarkable and deeply powerful experience. A time to reflect. To laugh, cry and rage. And maybe make some sense of what has happened over the past three years or so.

Of rights and colour. And love.

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In search of rights and colour…

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Came across some serious craftivism this evening. Mind and the Drunken Knitwits (among others) set too on the Radcliffe Camera. A welcome distraction from the continuing non action by those who should.

Left me thinking about plans for a bit of a #JusticeforLB shindig later this year (not quite confirmed) called In Search of Rights and Colour. Involving people, human rights, commitment, explosions of colour, love, brilliance, enthusiasm, stitching, passion, double decker buses and a pilgrim path.

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Drops of brilliance.

Woman on all fours

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In honour of the £5.365m of our money spent on this shite. Here is the woman on all fours. Who called it for what it was.

 

Update: September 25 2016

A day or so after posting this in July, our solicitor got in touch to say a Sloven solicitor had been in touch:

She said that there is a video which has been posted on your blog which contains a female member of staff […]. Apparently that member of staff withdrew consent in relation to that video some time ago and so the Trust has not been using it and she has reported that the republishing of the video is causing her a lot of upset and therefore wondered if it could be taken down.

At the time we took it down immediately.

Today, we found out that the current total paid to Talentworks (who are behind the Going Viral programme talked about in the short film) is now £5,861,424.03. Another £500k since Michael Buchanan’s original expose?

I’m reposting the film. I’m sorry to the staff member if this causes upset (and please contact me directly if it does – posting a comment below for the first time is private) but the full extent of the rubbishness of the training needs to be seen.

Going viral. At nearly £6m of NHS money.  Talentworks? Gone to ground…

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