Kate Malcomess: Co-creating Solutions

Kate Malcomess opened the event. She began by describing the problem: constant firefighting, being told to do more for less, and therapists feeling isolated and helpless. She encouraged us to see the road ahead as an adventure and an opportunity, rather than a threat. Kate suggested we co-create solutions with like-minded people and produce evidence that we are making a difference. It was an uplifting presentation which gave me hope.

Watch Kate’s 15 minute talk:

Sally Shaw: An Adventure in Hackney

The second speaker, Sally Shaw, talked us through how the team in Hackney redesigned their service and like Kate, she pointed out that it’s an ongoing adventure! She talked about how to kick start change, the importance of a ‘can do’ attitude, and she argued that we need to take risks. By this point I was scribbling down ideas to take back to work.

Watch Sally’s talk:

Kim Lewis: Cuts and Efficiencies

Kim Lewis, the final speaker of the evening, talked about what terms like “cuts” and “efficiencies” really mean. She highlighted that cuts can reduce access, quality and continuity of care. Kim challenged us to think about sustainability, ask questions about new proposals and get strict about telling people when we can no longer cope. It was a thoughtful, pragmatic talk, with some searching questions.

Watch Kim’s talk:

Meeting the Commissioner in the lift: what would you say?

After the presentations we divided into groups to discuss what we’d heard, discuss our challenges and work through a scenario together. Each group summed up their discussions by recording a 15 second Elevator Pitch – what they’d say to the Commissioner, if they met him or her in the lift. All the groups did a wonderful job, here are the pitches for your viewing pleasure!

It’s a challenging time to be a Speech and Language Therapist, so it was fantastic to spend an evening with dynamic therapists solving problems together! Did you come along? Leave a comment, I’d love to know what you thought.