Three Years Later

It is a strange feeling to realise that I have avoided this blog for three years. Yet here it is, waiting for me and, even more strange, bang on subject! Cherry's Trust has been running for all of those three years and has been a real success. Part of the joy of it has been the way in which I continually learn how to manage it better, for Cherry and for us. Having a vision has meant that the function of the Trust has had a purpose to grow in to and I am now at the stage of reinventing the Trust for the next three years. Moving over to Continuing Health Care (CHC) created a unique opportunity for us. Paid for by NHS, but remaining in the Social Care form and allowed to continue. No one else has been allowed to do this and I expect to have to move towards a normalising position as soon as we are ready. But striking up a conversation with the PCT about it has been difficult (where IS everybody?) so I am happy to say that we have finally begun the discussions. Only this time, I am experienced and with a good reputation from within the NHS (having worked with Sussex Partnership for the past year and a half) and my approach is less naive and, I hope, more valuable to what is known as the 'Personalisation Strategy'. A whole new atmosphere exists in the country since the general election. No one is sure what we will end up with after all the cuts and abandonments have taken place, but I feel we are in the best position we could possibly be in. The problems will be of the kind that we are excellent at managing. Finding great solutions will be our trademark! So the next Trustees meeting will be crucial and that means that I am in exactly the same excited and ready to leap position I was in three years ago, at the time of my last post. Plus ca change... or something like that!