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'The Meaning of Careful' book cover

Click here to read a sample chapter from the book or read an extract in Chief Executive Officer

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Reviews

 

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Sir Gerry Robinson

Dr Brown's front line experience brings a sharp focus to the leadership challenges now facing the NHS. I recommend this book to anyone interested in improving patient care.


Sheila Enright – Chief Nursing Officer, Princess Grace Hopsital

As a Chief Nursing Officer it is very easy to become swamped by the demands of the operational aspects of my role. This book is a fantastic reminder that as a leader I am there to make a difference for my staff and my patients and that I have a responsibility to be present and connected all of the time.

No small hill to climb but I will be pulling this book out whenever I need a little push back up the hill!


Dr Vanessa Crawford – Consultant Psychiatrist / Clinical Director, East London Specialist Addiction Service

Many, many thanks for putting me onto this book; it revived my soul and gave me a boost of energy. I read it this weekend and want to read it again; I am going to get a few copies for our leaders within the service as there are so many areas for improvement with very practical tips here.


Allison Graham – Consultant Physician in Spinal Cord Injury, National Spinal Injuries Centre, Stoke Mandeville Hospital

I have just read your book about the CAREFUL plan and have started putting this into practice ... your CAREFUL programme helps people understand why the standards are there and how to work towards those standards with meaning - not just a 'tick the box exercise'. I just wanted to say how useful I am finding the book and your website and will recommend them to as many colleagues as possible to make my job easier! Great stuff and keep going.


Carolyne Haynes PhD – Non-Executive Director, Royal West Sussex Hospitals Trust

Like D J I have had a long, not altogether smooth, affair with the NHS which recently culminated in a non-executive director post with an acute hospital trust. I am also convinced that there is a better way of working. My NHS Trust was fine but it could have been so much better. Read more...

I went to my hospital for routine surgery without saying to anyone what my connection with the place was. The receptionist was more interested in her computer, the young doctors were fine but how many times do you have to give all your details. The stay was reasonable but what really struck me was that no one asked for feedback. No one cared how the treatment had gone, there was no follow up, one minute you are having your temperature taken every half hour – the next, that is it. And I was a safe target for them, part of the team, available for constructive criticism. Yet even though I sat on complaints committee no one thought to see what my impressions had been and what could have been done better.

So much of this is to do with organisation. As D J points out, companies such as John Lewis seem to be able to manage keeping both their staff and their customers happy. This kind of approach should be brought into one of the largest employers in the world.


Professor John Womersley – Consutltant in Public Health, NHS Great Glasgow and Clyde Health Board, 1979 - 2006

Your excellent book describes exactly what must be done to overcome the failings [of the NHS]. The problem however is how to convince NHS managers that these failings apply to their own organisation(s), and then to persuade them to take the necessary remedial actions.

I have become increasingly frustrated and incensed about the NHS managerial focus on structures and process rather than on patient experience and outcomes. Also about the failure to respond to feedback from front-line staff - or in fact to respond to evidence from any source other than that procured ‘internally’.


David Griffiths – GP, GPVTS Programme Director & Clinical Advisor to CSL, Commissioning Support For London

If you are vaguely aware there are problems with NHS organisations, this book can help you articulate them. If you already know what the problems are, this book can help you solve them. If you have tried to solve them but have become jaded, this book can re-energise you. Highly recommended.


Claire Guy – Rehabilitation Programme Lead, National Spinal Injuries Centre SMH

This is such a good little book. Accessible and readable and with a punch. I have read a number of management books and this seems to encompass all the best bits I have read. Most importantly it keeps the patient at the centre of our practice. It makes me feel proud to have been given the responsibility I have for our patients' journeys. All people in any role of leadership should read it.