Relationships in the NHS

The pandemic has focused minds on the importance of relationships. Interactions with colleagues, family and friends cannot be taken for granted being essential for wellbeing. 

Back to blog posts

Relationships in the NHS

Posted by David Maddams on

The pandemic has focused minds on the importance of relationships. Interactions with colleagues, family and friends cannot be taken for granted being essential for wellbeing. 

As a GP, I was well aware of the rewards of meaningful relationships with patients. Knowing and understanding my patients, I was better placed to meet their needs. Coronavirus changed consultations significantly with most patient interactions on line. Initially, this was seen as a good thing. Now doctors are questioning this. 

Already there are concerns over picking up subtleties of illness. GPs complain of missing the relationships they had, lack of touch and not noticing physiological changes. Doctors are discussing the importance of ‘relationship medicine’.

Hospital staff have been under tremendous pressure. Never before have relationships been so important. Talk of war and front lines has not been greeted warmly. Some reframing seems appropriate.

As the NHS became more commercialised, support for staff has dwindled. Relationships between staff and management have been strained. In 1983, I would expect a hot meal day or night and a doctors’ mess for relaxation and colleague debriefs. Now staff often complain of no access to food or drink and no dedicated downtime space.

During 2020 Trusts discovered the benefits of making these available. Relationships were rebuilt between staff and managers.

NLP has a well-developed dialogue around relationships, understanding rapport and modalities like kinaesthetic. NLP could help research as to why face to face consultations produce better outcomes. 
NLP language and perceptual positions are useful for staff and managers to come together building support across the NHS. Reframing, timelines and principles of cause and effect could help heal traumatised minds. 

Hopefully post-pandemic, all that’s been learnt can be put to good use. NLP could lead the way to a revived NHS with effective relationships at its heart.
 

David Maddams
David Maddams (Member post)