Book review - 'Simplicity is the Key' by Trevor Gay

'Simplicity is the Key' by Trevor Gay makes excellent reading. As we move deeper into the current economic crisis, and we also grapple with the hugely complex issues surrounding the ongoing shift from secondary to primary care this book offers a refreshing opportunity to step back, take a deep breath and think more simply. (book review by Rhian Last, GP Practice Manager).
Trevor and his wife Annie are running in this year's London Marathon and funds from the sale of the book will go towards their chosen charity 'Carers UK'. For further information why not visit the Simplicity is the Key Website.

Improve your networking skills and become one of the 29% of people who are separated from the rest of the world by six degrees!

The 26% soulution by Milsner and Donovan after explaining that we are not all connected to everyone by six degrees and that it takes some work to be in that position, provides a 52 week guide to achieving this. You can view the week by week headlines here!

Author in the Room on March 18

Why not join the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on Wednesday, March 18, 2009, from 2:00 - 3:00 PM for “Author in the Room,” an interactive conference call aimed at closing the gap between knowledge – what is published in an article - and action – how much of this knowledge is put into practice to improve care. The interactive call will help readers consider the implications of the study results for improving their practice.On March 18th, "Author in the Room" features Steven A. Schroeder, MD, author of an article discussing smoking cessation in patients with psyciatric illness. Additionally, Doug Ziedonis, MD, MPH, Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts, will be joining as a guest speaker. Click here to register or to read more and access the article, click here.

Overtreated by Shannon Brownlee - A book review by Sarah Fraser

The subtitle of this book is "Why too much medicine is making us sicker and poorer". This book was quite shocking. I know there is a lot of what goes on in healthcare that is unnecessary yet to find a huge amount of detail and information in one place really put the issue into perspective. It is focused mainly on the USA though there are many parallels with other health systems.
This book is a must for every health care improver who believes their own project is making a difference... The strategic and tactical issues raised in it really provide a new perspective.
Throughout the book, the author provides stories and examples to illustrate the data and statistics that without the stories would appear cold and less shocking. Click here for further information and to read the full book review by Sarah Fraser.

“Who Moved My Cheese?” by Dr Spencer Johnson

If you’re looking for a short, easy-to-read book which is going to make you think about your own behaviour and how you react to change within your work place and personal life then this book is a must!. Who Moved My Cheese uses a simple story to illustrate the different types of behaviours individuals demonstrate when faced with change. After reading the story you are left pondering your own traits and characteristics and comparing yourself to the characters in the book. It opens your eyes to the ideal way we should all react to changes but are often too busy or too comfortable with the present to do.
A copy of this book can be requested from the NHS Leeds Library Service.

'Trust me, I'm a health manager' - a new book exploring the value of NHS managers

This is a short paperback book, commissioned by the NHS Institute's Building Leadership Capability team and written by Greg Sheridan, Charlotte Rastan and Dan Foulkes. The book takes a fresh look at the role of NHS managers, highlighting their value and the breadth of issues they face on a daily basis. NHS staff can order a copy of the book, from the NHS Institute.

Two more resources from Sarah Fraser

Sarah has kindly told me about two resources she has put together. The first is a blog where she reviews relevant books. On there now are Time Traps by Todd Duncan and Crucial Conversations by Patterson, Grenny, Mcmillan & Switzler. The second resource is a series of podcasts which are currently available on iTunes but will soon be available to download from Sarah's new website (I will post a link to this when it is up and running). These include: 'In conversation with' Diane Stewart from PBGH, California on the challenges of spread measures and Kate Silvester, international expert on Lean Thinking in Healthcare. A third podcast is on 'Techniques for helping individuals'.