Remember that disco classic ‘Oh, what a night?’ That song now has new meaning for me and it’s less about dance moves and more about hard graft.
 
Recently, for the first time in my NHS career, I worked a night shift. From 7pm-7.30am, I was part of the ward eight team at Leicester General Hospital. Thanks ward eight!
 
This ward is part of the hospital’s stroke unit, providing assessment beds and acute beds for men. My night there was the culmination of a week of shifts where I donned a crisply starched healthcare assistant’s uniform. Armed with gloves and a plastic apron, I spent a total of 50 hours assisting with washing, changing beds, fetching and carrying, making drinks and sometimes burning toast. I carried a notebook to jot down my reflections.
 
What a week. It was one of the most humbling experiences of the 16 years I have spent with the NHS. Stroke is such an emotional event. You can feel the emotional charge as you enter the ward. Patients – helped by their families, carers and staff – are all trying their utmost to help patients to regain what has been lost, in some cases momentarily, in others for longer and in some for good.
 
After my first two days, I had to take a mid afternoon nap to recover. Being on your feet, and on the go constantly is a tremendous shock if you are used to a desk job. The physical weariness was overpowering. It must have been adrenalin that kept me going. I hoped willingness and enthusiasm would make up for what I lacked in qualifications and experience.
 
So, why did I do it? Why would the director of finance and delivery leave her comfortable chair and a neat desk (colleagues will know that’s poetic licence) for hard labour?
 
In short, I managed to persuade my boss (thanks Tim) and my professional lead (thanks Kevin) to let me spend eight months away from my day job to carry out service improvement work on stroke treatment and prevention.
 
I passionately believe we can still find ways to improve the quality and productivity of patient services. I will be reviewing the whole stroke pathway – from preventative work to hyper and acute stroke itself and people’s rehabilitation afterwards. I will also look at residual care in the community and reablement projects, which give patients the confidence to do things for themselves as part of their recovery.
 
My review and redesign will use the latest service improvement tools from the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement. I want to ensure strategic leaders can learn from those who work on the frontline of patient services. Insight from working across organisational boundaries, with the patients and clinicians who know what’s needed, is even more important in a challenging financial climate.  I’m excited to be sharing my experiences so keep reading to see what sort of finance director I become by the end of it.