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She talked about the freeze on posts and the real pressures
that staff are working under which can contribute to mistakes
happening. Yet I realise it is not so simple as to blame the
managers for the financial constraints and reduced posts. I‟m
also struck by how determined and reflective she was,
questioning herself in her role. How she role models, works with
people, doesn‟t jump to blame them but how much it bugged her
that many nurses wouldn‟t accept the responsibility for their
mistakes which seemed different from other professions she
dealt with. What is that about? One of the claims for reflective
practice is empowerment but I‟m finding it‟s not as simple as
that! Empowerment in the NHS is a complex issue!
Diary Extract 9/6/05
Reflecting to Order?
The picture above was chosen by Jon in our first co-inquiry meeting
because she sometimes felt like an elephant getting onto the bus; she just
didn‘t fit many of the expectations asked of her in practice. For me this
picture has come to symbolise the difficulties of using power within a large
organisation like the NHS. When I was busy giving care I found it difficult
to think wider about the organisation, my head was stuck inside the clinical
aspects of care-giving like the elephant‘s head is in the bus!
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