No. 1
The Department of Health (UK) approached me in early 2009. They had attended a performance of ‘Superbugs – you and your community’.

The brief was simple. There was a perception with the general public that episodes of healthcare associated infection control remained an issue notwithstanding a quantitative improvement in the reduction of episodes nationally. The Department of Health were launching a new campaign designed to influence perceptions and build confidence in clean safe care. They needed to communicate some key messages to the general public in particular those considering a hospital stay in a unique and persuasive way.

I was asked to create a piece of work which dealt directly with the key issues raised in a research paper commissioned by the Department of Health titled, ‘Public perceptions of healthcare associated infections, Qualitative Research, December 2008, Research Works Ltd.

The background research carried out identified that an important tool in the campaign available to the NHS, both nationally and locally, is the conversation between NHS staff and the patient, their family and visitors at the bedside where key messages about clean safe care are delivered. Not only is this conversation important but of equal importance are the conversations which should take place between other NHS staff in support of that front line conversation.

The research suggested that whilst the media may own the national debate they did not own the relationship between the nurse and the patient at the bedside where issues around infection control should be discussed. To the general public local means community, hospital staff play a trusted role in that community to influence both perceptions and positive engagement of infection control prevention measures and the single most important tool in dealing with perceptions of HCAI, the conversation, is not taking place.

In translating the findings from the research material in a performance, I suggested a series of individual role based ‘conversations’ be created around the bedside between a number of NHS staff involved in the delivery of clean safe care in hospital and others, including nurses, patients, clinical staff, cleaning staff, family, visitors and the general public. Conversations designed to deliver the key messages identified by the research commissioned, raise awareness with patients and build staff confidence.

The performance of this piece of work was to be toured to six venues in the UK (North, Midlands, South West and London). It was put on hold due to the Swine Flu Pandemic in the winter of 2009.

No. 2 
Sandra had a difficult story to tell her audiences (people of all ages involved in child protection or interested in Sandra’s past) about paedophilia and her own childhood. She has spent all her adult life working in child protection, has written a book about the disappearance of one little girl and her life as the daughter of a paedophile. The material the performance was based on whilst controversial was well researched. 

Sandra had a very definite idea as to the story she wanted to tell (content) and what she wanted her audience to understand about paedophilia. Many hours were spent extracting the important messages from Sandra’s book she wanted included in a performance, the storying process, each being performed over and over again until Sandra was happy with what the audience would hear and see. Each audience being very different on each platform Sandra would be telling her story.  It was therefore important when storying Sandra’s material to ensure this relational flexibility was factored into the performance. 

In storying Sandra’s book as a performance we created for Sandra a way of delivering a powerful tale (living with a paedophile) she could tell with confidence; an incredibly difficult piece of material the audience responds positively to every time. 

No. 3
Malcolm wanted support with a speech he had been asked to make about living on a council estate in Northern England. His session was entitled ‘participation and engagement as a resident living in a council house’ and he was keen to make parallels with other experiences in his life.

Malcolm had previously written his account about being a prisoner of war in Germany during World War II. He was one of 4 children from blind parents who found himself as a young soldier captured and held prisoner only a few months after joining up at the age of 17.

Malcolm spent 5 years living in a close community with other men he had little in common with as a prisoner and 60 years living in a council flat on an estate with other council tenants.

Working together we began with Malcolm’s story of his experience as a young soldier captured and interred by the German army. This was the story Malcolm was comfortable telling. With each session we discussed aspects of the story, performing each part until it was clear precisely what Malcolm wanted his audience to understand, finally translating his tale of war into a story about community engagement and participation.

In storying Malcolm’s experience as a young prisoner of war we took a simple tale of survival and turned it into a powerful message about living together Malcolm is proud to tell.  When our work was finished and Malcolm’s performance applauded he said to me, ‘I don’t know how you got that out of my story’.

No. 4
Rugby League in Australia - unacceptable player behaviour (will be posted shortly)