This song has been running around in my head for weeks now. It's become a favourite for me. I am sure there is some significance but it's beyond me what that is. I'm simply going to enjoy it while it's here.
Fatboy Slim's mixes are amazing. It is one of the many first fond memories I have of living in the UK.
So...there are many changes going on since I last wrote. I find myself wavering between being stressed at the unknown and excitment at the potentials!!
Traevis is doing good for himself back in the UK. He's currently finishing off a contract that potentially could have led to permanent position, but found himself another more suitable job which he starts in two weeks. We miss him madly. Ashlee and Jack are in the UK at the moment visiting with Traevis, friends and Jack's family. Ashlee is the maid of honour at the wedding of a school friend.
Both she and Traevis love the UK, but they have said it's dirty, polluted and crowded, the people stressed and antsy. This has been an eye opener for them, as they had a hankering to be back (like me), but subsequently realised it's not quite what they remember...and of course being away so long, they've moved on.
We were working out between the 4 of us that Traevis and Ashlee have lived in 4 countries and they are only in their 20s - South Africa, UK, Australia and New Zealand. Think they may be following in their mother's footsteps - I'm a nomad having lived in 5 countries - Zambia, South Africa, Namibia, UK and New Zealand. Greg has lived in three countries - South Africa, UK and New Zealand, so his kids are outstripping him :-)
Our Lead Clinician and his wife are returning to Manchester, UK. We had his farewell party on Friday night. We bought him a New Zealand Monopoly set. Something small that wouldn't take too much space in their shipping container but would remind them of NZ. I was quite surprised at how moved he was. Thankfully he is not leaving immediately, we still have another four weeks. He has been such an amazing support with the changes, been very glad we've had him around. Hopefully whoever takes his place is just as great.
I sat watching everyone for a short while - we've all gelled so well and become a cohesive little community. Even the other consultants and past employees were there. I kind of felt like a happy old matriarch watching her family getting on lol.
One of the Physiologists accomplished a long held dream of buying his own home. We celebrated with a house warming. We've had so many get-togethers this year, both at current and past staff members' houses.
The Clinic is in flux at the mo...again, not sure who is taking our Lead Consultant's place. Respiratory, under whose remit we fall at the hospital, is going through many changes too. The Clinical Director has stepped down as she finds the position too stressful and a few Consultants have moved to Australia. New Consultants from Australia, Canada and UK are arriving in August. There is also an Irish Respiratory Nurse arriving who has experience in paediatric sleep.
I plan on making an application to move Sleep out from under Respiratory's remit into being our own Department, but this is on the back boiler at the moment. It'll come to fruition at the right time, everything does.
A business plan is being approved to increase the FTE in both Respiratory and Sleep - which means I can employ more people (and a few trainees - which has been my vision - trainning up those that are here in NZ so we don't have to recruit from overseas). Yay!!
Rotorua sleep service's Doctors and Service Manager came to visit few months ago for a look-see. Their Charge Nurse came over last year in November and took away some ideas. They want to radically change their service as they cannot cope with the influx of patients either (seems all national health sleep labs are experiencing the same difficulty of keeping up). They refer many of their overnight inpatients to us, as do Tauranga, Gisborne and New Plymouth. We are also picking up the slack for Starship Sleep Lab in Auckland as they cannot cope either with the influx of paediatric patients needing studies. Two of our physiologists are training up in paediatric sleep. We are bursting at the seams with patients on our inpatient waitlist! We need more national health sleep labs, please Minister of Health, Sir.
I'm enjoying the hands on roll of not only dealing with clinical side but also the admin side. Our Lead Clinician made sure that the Sleep Clinic is Physiologist led rather than Clinician led. This makes my life easier - it can be stressful at times but it means that I have carte blanche (with the blessing of my staff of course) to make the changes I deem necessary. It's great to be flexible and go with the flow. If I am not sure, I can ask the Consultants who are very willing to either give me advice or see any patients we are not sure about.
I believe Rotorua want to model their service on what we have been doing for the last year. They are in the process of recruiting their first Sleep Physiologist. Their Charge Nurse asked me for a job description that she could use and wanted to know what she should look for i.e. qualifications and experience. It's going to be difficult task to recruit as there are not many of us. In the meanwhile she's asked if I can spare some staff to do their clinics. I personally think she is hoping to entice one of my Physiologists into taking the position. I cast an eye over some of the CVs she's received - not promising at all!
Sigh - we are so stretched ourselves, but my staff and I are looking at it. Always happy to help out a fellow sleep person. Actually now that I think about it, we give them quite a bit of advice.
I went to Wellington to the sleep conference a few weekends ago. I met up with the outlying services' Charge Nurses who refer patients to us. It's great to network.
I also arranged an education day for some of the other DHBs to attend. Something I used to do as a legal PA in London as well as when I worked at the Sleep Centre in the UK. Find people who are prepared to give of their knowledge so that we can increase ours. Most of them are happy to do so without charge.
I am also meeting up with an Oncologist and Neurologist next week. They are looking at doing research on music and the effect it has on the brain and therefore healing the body. Wow! Remember, last year I randomly start talking with a guy who runs a music academy for people with brain damage who was talking about this possibility - using the Sleep Clinic equipment to see what effect music has on the brain?
This fell in my lap out of the blue - these two doctors contacted me to find out if it is possible. I'm keen and have the blessing of the Consultant to go ahead...as long as whoever is involved in this gets payment as obviously the computer equipment needs a new montage for studying the brainwaves in a different way as well as needing a Physiologist available to do the wiring up of the patient/s and someone to analyse it. It'll be weekend work.
But how incredibly exciting to be at the cutting edge of change!
Our landlady, whilst doing an inspection, asked Greg if we'd consider buying the house. She wasn't in a hurry to sell but wondered whether this was something we'd bear in mind if ever we decided to buy. She is so sweet, been a good landlady - always fixing that which needs fixing without question.
But as we are not sure what we are doing, it's not a possibility we can consider as yet.
We've done a lot of travelling too on the weekends. Palmerston North and Whakatane/Ohope to visit family.
It's not all good, though.
My step dad and real dad are both not well at all. My dad had an aneurysm, moved in with my sister whilst recovering. He currently needs a walker but has insisted on having his independence so we moved him into his own flat just down the road from her. My stepdad has been in frailcare for a while, but recently started having difficulty swallowing. This is always a worry as my mother and sister are taking a lot of strain.
Greg's sisters on the other hand are having a ball now that the farm is sold and they are living in a gated retirement community.
Oh my word - there is so much else, but this blog could go on forever.
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