Martin Hill takes on the role of Scottish Secretary, following his unanimous nomination by IHM Scottish Council and approval by members attending the AGM.

In a presentation on behalf of members, IHM Scottish Council member Karen Murray said that Jim’s experience as a high level NHS manager and the networks he had developed in his long NHS career had proved invaluable to the Institute.

Jim played a leading role in the highly successful partnership IHM forged with NES to launch the Managers’ Development Network.

Scottish Council chair, Malcolm Wright, also recorded his appreciation for the “outstanding” job that Jim had done as Secretary.

Been a good year for the Network and I’m really delighted

But Charlotte’s not here and I’m all by myself

Seasons greetings this year from a lonely elf

Have a very merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year

Those of you lucky enough to have  met Karen at one of our events will not be too surprised to learn that she has been recognised by  Cosmopolitan at their ‘Ultimate Women of the Year’ Awards for ‘Fun Fearless Females’.

Modest Karen played the whole thing down by saying, “I’m not sure whether being viewed as fearless is an honour or a representation of my tendency to launch foolishly into potentially dangerous situations.

It is certainly a humbling experience, to be gathered with a group of women doing incredible things, inventing equipment to help the world’s waterless population, humanitarian work in far and dangerous places, giving opportunities to teenagers who might otherwise go astray, fighting cancer, etc. – a room full of people doing really good and hard work, which make climbing mountains and crossing icecaps look like sheer, indulgent, adventurous idiocy (but that still won’t stop be from doing it)”.

After successful events in Inverness and Dundee , we hope to make it a hat trick by inviting Karen to speak at an Aberdeen event early next year. Find out more about karen by visiting her web page  http://www.karendarke.com/

This site developed by NES is a step in the right direction. It’s aim is to to point you to stuff that can help your team to work and learn well together. With exercises and guidance (particularly in the Toolkits already developed for NHS Scotland) the site makes it easy for you to find what you need. But this is just a start. The idea is that we can all learn from each other – you know what works and what doesn’t, which tips and tricks can make the difference. There is therefor the opportunity to contribute with feedback,ideas and suggestions.

Currently there is a fascinating video on the site called ‘Doing without doing’ which is definitely worth viewing.

To visit the site now click here. We also have a established permanent link to ‘Effective teams’ on the right hand side of our home page.

Our intrepid facilitators have just returned from a whistle-stop tour of our most northern network areas. Charlotte brought them Big Picture thinking whilst Brian introduced them to the FISH! philosophy.
A good time was had by all, however Charlotte and Brian’s one regret was that they had no time to appreciate the beauty of the Islands.
As promised here are the said presentations:

If you attended one of the events please leave a comment, your feedback is invaluable.

A subsequent cultural change and staff training programme have now made this one of the safest industries in the world.

Hugh will examine the measures introduced to minimise future risks, namely team decision making, reducing human error, effective communication and effective feedback. He will consider the roles of transactional analysis, leadership, motivation, situational awareness and problem solving to help others.

Aviation cultural change and staff training programmes have already been successfully used in acute hospital and primary care settings all over the UK to change the way people work to ensure the safety of their patients. This networking session will be of particular interest to all of those involved in the provision of quality patient care, particularly team leaders, managers involved in assessing risk and clinicians.

Karen’s  aim for these events is to share information, stories and practical tips that might help you overcome challenges. Some are in relation to disability, but others will interest any of you who want to live life to the full, or ignite your adventurous spirit.

A traumatic fall from a Scottish Sea Cliff at the age of 21 changed the course of her life forever as it left her paralysed from the neck down. She had to challenge her own physical and mental barriers, completing many trips that others, including herself, believed impossible; from marathons and triathlons, to kayaking, sit-skiing and hand-cycling in some of the most inhospitable places on the planet.

”Modest and thoughtful, Karen is a highly sought after and successful speaker, whose stories inspire all those who take time to reflect on what it took to achieve them.”

How do we overcome challenges? Why is it that some of us are fortunate enough to fall down, pick ourselves up, brush off the dust and go again, whilst others let it stop them? Through her personal experiences, adventures and some ongoing research with others who have tackled great challenge, she enjoys sharing some understanding as to how we can learn from the difficult stuff, and use it to do the positive stuff. How we turn things around, no matter how difficult or seemingly impossible they may seem.

Book on line now to be sure of a place on this not to miss event!

You don’t have to wait till september to hear about Karen’s adventures, whet your your appetite with a visit to her Website