Day 5: A bit of wellbeing & diversity

If you've been following and reading this 100 days blog, thank you so very much. I've made it to end of my first working week! I am human and I've learnt the hard way that you need some downtime, so I'm investing a little time with me this morning. (Plus the house is in disarray since both the kids' had birthdays and respective parties! Note: timing of kids' birthdays, outside of the football season. It's like I planned it. But I so didn't. Super lucky accident. I know I'm a pharmacist and I should know better but contraception isn't 100% effective. Just saying.)

Hello Mr Blue Sky

The sun has returned and I've done the school run. That 10 minute walk back home, with no kids, no distractions is bliss. Today I've planned as my catch up day - writing my draft on PCN workforce strategy; catching up with a couple of yummy mummies that also cross domains into my work realm too. Interestingly there's been some discussion on Twitter about the emphasis of diversity in leadership. Again. *eye roll* It's always talked about yet when you look at exec boards, expert panels etc. do you see diversity? I mean in every sense of the word. So to me equality is everyone receiving an hand written invitation from me to my house party, written by fountain pen of course. Diversity is inviting everyone to my house party and inclusion is actually allowing people IN to my house party.

PCNs is all about inclusion. Diversity attracts so many positives for the culture we live and work in. People want to belong. We should celebrate our differences but recognise we have more in common than what divides us. I don't recognise myself as a leader but I do think I am a person who demonstrates diversity in leadership, not just for professional purposes but as a responsible adult to two little people.

Growing up in the 80's was tough for me. I learnt English at school after speaking Vietnamese and occasional Cantonese at home. 'Helen' was added by deed poll, suggested by the local parish. I am Huong Thanh Nguyen. Living in Droitwich Spa, well, I was easily singled out. I was bullied alot. I've been kicked, pushed, spat at and been called all kinds of racist names under sun. But the most painful experience growing up was being made to feel excluded by peers. Yet here I am, an eternal optimist and a proton in human form. My family were some of the Vietnamese Boat People in the late 1970's. We were some of the lucky ones despite my grandad contracted TB, falling very ill and my family separating as the global embassies took in refugees. My aunty took her immediate family to Italy. The rest of us ended up in England. We could have gone anywhere in the world; USA, Canada, Switzerland etc. My grandad believe England was best fit for us.

My beautiful, strong family

I am not ashamed of my heritage. I don't get common English phrases right sometimes either. I am simply me. I am proud to come from a refugee family. We have all worked hard to earn the clothes on our backs, to keep a roof over our heads and to provide for our families. Today marks International Refugee Day. It breaks my heart that we still have a global refugee crisis. In my practice and others neighbouring practices in my PCN we have ongoing refugee projects. I feel so humbled to part of a practice team that is looking after Syrian refugee families. These people are part of the community I look after. Diversity is a kaleidoscope of many things and like a kaleidoscope, it is beautifully forever changing.

PCNs will do well to remember this from stakeholder engagements to exploring patient collaborations.

The world is what we make it. If we can choose to be anything, we can choose to be kind.

#diversity #StepWithRefugees