Thanks to Wikipedia I am able to provide this gem:
"The expression derives from umble pie, which was a pie filled with the chopped or minced parts of a beast's 'pluck' - the heart, liver, lungs or 'lights' and kidneys, especially of deer but often other meats. Umble evolved from numble, (after the French nomble) meaning 'deer's innards'."
No one seems sure how we got to 'eating humble pie'.
I wonder if it is best eaten cold? How much 'humble pie' has to be eaten to constitute a humbleness?
I need to answer these questions... I'm about to eat some. Here goes... gulp!
Some time ago the DH became infatuated with the Virginia Mason Hospital in the US. The narrative goes; VM killed a patient in unforgivable circumstances.
Determined to ensure it couldn't happen again VM embarked upon a version of Toyota Lean to ensure their systems and lock-in safety; encouraging staff, at the high-risk, front-line of care to talk about their near misses and failures, turning them into a learning experience and be pivotal in service improvement.
The initiative was lead by their chief executive, a clinician.
It was an interesting experiment in organisational dynamics, process and methodology. VM claimed success and the world became mesmerised by the thought of a safe, error free hospital. The inquisitive and the curious beat a path to their door.
Many said it was just common sense and good management. Including me.
The reality is, it involves a forensic line by line examination of every part of a hospital's menu of work. Everything in detail. No segment left unexamined. Processes under the microscope.
The real trick; the minute examination is undertaken by the staff themselves. Some from the department concerned and some from elsewhere. They are lead by VM trained people; as much councillors as they are work stream analysts. They are empowered to make changes... there and then, reviewed at 30, 60, 90 days
In the sensitive time after Mid-Staffs, government here was anxious to look-busy on the issue of safe hospitals. It didn't occur to them the problem was bullying, pressure to balance the books and not enough staff. Corrosive management pressures that continue today.
At the time I said we'd be better off using the money to pay for a few more nurses. I asked; do we really have to import US managers to teach us to run our NHS? I said; we have some excellent examples of how to run a fabulous hospital, why don't we learn from them?
All that was true. But I was wrong. Everything I said was right, but I was wrong.
I have been to a 'Virginia Mason' Trust and I have seen the liberating impact it has.
Like the VM, SaSH Trust is run by a chief executive, a clinician, Micheal Wilson. He is urbane, skilled, networked and appears to know every member of staff by name. He's been in post a long time. Stability helps.
My guess is MW could run a hospital in Timbuktu and make it work; he's that kind of talent.
He has confidence in his leadership and consequently, in his people, to stand back and say; go and sort this place out. Wilson has created a climate of empowerment.
Using the skills learned on the VM programme his staff are revolutionising their approach to every nook-and-cranny of care.
The key to the VM programme is that it provides the impetus, the fulcrum point and the levers for self managed improvement. The people I met fizzed with enthusiasm and told genuine stories of how they are enabled and empowered to move forward.
No idea too small, no problem too big. From the management of patients with diarrhoea, to the management of patient records.
How many times have I written; want to fix something... ask the people doing it.
Go and see for yourself. It's an eyeopening, jaw dropping, gobsmacking, superfizzin' Trust.
I'd like to sing their praises more but I can't.
I've got a mouthful of humble pie.
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