Ridiculous NHS advert for Director for Lived Experience

Was this mentioned on Question Time?

I can't read the ad, but struggle to think what it can be asking for that would be worth paying the salaries of three nurses.

That’s what happens to extra money. They appoint a manager for it who uses up part of it as salary and more for office set up and staff!

I’d want a hell of a lot more context before I dismissed it.

I live in California and this is more "woke" and "politically correct" type of thing happening here. I'm a liberal Democrat, but this type of thing is stupid and gives ammunition to justify right-wing complaints. Here, work meetings open with acknowledging we are on stolen land of native people and everyone has to introduce themselves with their preferred pronouns. No one objects even slightly for fear of losing their jobs. Homeless are now called "the unhoused" but nothing is actually done to solve the problem.

Do people know what lived experience practice is?

growstuff

Do people know what lived experience practice is?

No, what does it mean exactly?

Lived experience is a concept in treating mental illnesses and disorders. You may sneer at the title but it is something MH professionals have to consider in treating their patients. Look it up. It’s not taking the jobs of any doctors or nurses - there are thousands of vacancies for medics they can’t fill and they pay over the odds for agency and locum staff.

If the use and payment of agency staff was stopped, then the real vacancy problem in the NHS was be much more apparent.

So much money is spent on these agency staff, which is just another way they have privatised the NHS.

Okay, without agency staff, beds and wards would have to be closed, but then the public would start to realise exactly what the Tories have been doing in destroying the NHS

Nobody is saying that they take the jobs of doctors and nurses, but the reason doctors and nurses are difficult to recruit and retain is that their pay is low and their conditions are stressful.

If the salaries for jobs like this were lower (how does the responsibility and conditions of service compare to those of a staff nurse?) then at least some of that could be mitigated.

Nurses are constantly told that 'we can't afford' to pay them well, yet there is money for roles like this to be filled at high salaries. That is what people are objecting to.

Someone close to me works in admin. in The NHS. She said you wouldn't believe some of the job titles they come up with.

It may be a necessary role, but the title is reminiscent of 'Head of Better' in W1A

Yes exactly. They can find money for roles like this but can’t find more money to pay the people on the front line a better salary.

The reason for the new role is simple - NHS trusts are being grouped and some services are being merged under new regulations. so that person has responsibility for 3/4 Mental Health Trusts.

Lived experience could include oversight, development AND responsibility for aspects of Acute Care on Wards throughout the region or responsibility for proper delivery and development of services it he community. when I say responsibility, I mean "the buck stops there". No easy task when services are underfunded to the level of hardly being there. That role will replace other roles currently carried by each individual Mental Health Trust so by no means extra money, could be savings.

(I know this stuff becuase until very recently I was a governor on my local MH Trust)

For everyone’s information. Could have been interested, but don’t think I fall into the ‘very senior management’ category!

NanaBabs1

For everyone’s information. Could have been interested, but don’t think I fall into the ‘very senior management’ category!

So, can you translate the management speak which pervades the advert into plain English for us?

I'm not decrying the position, just trying to understand its purpose.

Thanks vegansrock and Wyllow for explaining. It saved me writing a post.

I agree that the job title sounds like jargon, but it's what was chosen by the NHS in its 2017(?) planning document. To me, it sounds like the "Office of Budget Responsibilities" - it sounds like something out of Kafka.

However, others have explained what it means. It's a reasonably well established concept, which supports the needs of people with mental health issues and disabilities and includes groups such as the homeless. Having somebody at senior level makes sure their needs are considered when plans are formulated.

Whitbygal

Yes exactly. They can find money for roles like this but can’t find more money to pay the people on the front line a better salary.

I doubt very much that it's new money. It's more likely that existing roles are being merged and there are probably redundancy packages in place for those existing managers who lose their jobs.

Kate1949

Someone close to me works in admin. in The NHS. She said you wouldn't believe some of the job titles they come up with.

What's her job title?

The job description is here.
What is good is that they are looking for somebody who has personal experience of using the system.
www.jobs.nhs.uk/xi/search_vacancy/?action=search;master_id=121040

I could try but I’ve no idea where to start!
The problem is, no matter how relevant the job might be, this sort of gobbledegook makes it a prime target for ridicule!
My lovely daughter in law, a post op intensive care nurse, is very irritated by it. She voted to strike, but works in critical care so won’t. Her salary will probably be about a third of that advertised.

Sorry, my reply was for MaizieD

Casdon

The job description is here.
What is good is that they are looking for somebody who has personal experience of using the system.
www.jobs.nhs.uk/xi/search_vacancy/?action=search;master_id=121040

That will indeed call for a special person - if you have been vulnerable service user, its a big ask.

NanaBabs I take your point but there is a heck of a lot of overall responsibility there. Its not unlike working out how to discharge people from bed-blocking in the usual NHS to have safe experiences in the community but with MH conditions - a major current issue.

Paying that doesn't mean to say that your dear DiL shouldn't be paid decently either.