No More January Blues

Written by: The Dene Team

No More January Blues 

As the holiday season ends and the new year begins, many of us find ourselves grappling with a common, albeit unwelcome January Blues. 

It's that time of year when the festivities have faded, and the reality of cold, dark days sets in, leaving many feeling tired, unmotivated, and fatigued. We first must acknowledge that these are more common than we think. In January 2023 NHS Inform wrote an article explaining that SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) or the ‘Winter Blues’, as some call it, can affect 2 million people within the UK and more than 12 million people across Northern Europe. 

There are many things that contribute to our January Blues such as the post-holiday letdown, financial stress from Christmas, and setting unrealistic New Year’s Resolutions, however we want to help find ways to combat these feelings and make January one of the happiest months, to start the year fresh and get you up and going! Here are some ideas and inspiration for you to take on board for your 2024 beginning!

Embrace the Light

Seek out natural light as much as possible. Open curtains, take short walks during daylight hours, and consider investing in a light therapy box if you live in an area with limited sunlight. Doing this will help increase your serotonin levels, which in turn will increase your energy, and help keep you calm, positive and focused. 

Maintain a Routine

Establishing and sticking to a daily routine can provide structure and stability during the post-holiday period. Set regular sleep and mealtimes and create a schedule that includes activities you enjoy, even if it is as small as baking or reading. 

Practice Self-Care

Prioritize self-care activities that boost your mood, such as exercise, meditation, or hobbies. Taking care of your physical and emotional well-being is essential for overcoming the January Blues as seeing small changes in yourself can lead to increased productivity.

Set Realistic Goals

Instead of setting lofty New Year's resolutions, opt for smaller, achievable goals. Celebrate your successes, no matter how small, and remember that progress takes time.

Socialize and Connect

Maintain social connections by reaching out to friends and family, even if it's just for a virtual chat. Sharing your feelings and experiences can provide emotional support and help combat loneliness.

Budget Wisely

Take control of your finances by creating a realistic budget and a plan for paying off holiday-related debt. Financial stability can alleviate stress and contribute to a more positive mindset. You can even make it fun, why not create your own little piggy bank to stash away some savings just for a rainy day, or even use the 100 envelopes challenge as a fun and different way to store some cash away!

To conclude the January Blues are a common experience, but they don't have to define your year. By implementing these strategies, you can navigate this challenging period with resilience and optimism. Remember that it's okay to seek professional help if your symptoms persist or worsen. With the right support and self-care, you can overcome the January Blues and look forward to a brighter and more fulfilling year ahead!

A Christmas and New Year e-mail to the Dene Team from our Director

Written by: Craig Arnott

Good morning all,

With Christmas and the New year approaching I wanted to take the opportunity to quickly recap on another amazing year for Dene Healthcare and thank you all sincerely for your phenomenal work ethic, commitment and drive.

The creation and growth of Dene Healthcare has been amazing to witness and something I am incredibly proud to have contributed to. I hope you are able to take the same satisfaction from your part in the Company’s growth and appreciate each of your colleagues value too.

Over the years Dene has seen and overcome its fair share of obstacles and setbacks; everything from market crashes and server lockouts right through to the loss of key staff and a pandemic.  Regardless the trajectory and improvement in all departments has been a constant.

2023 started with what could have been another disruptive change via the acquisition of Dene Healthcare by Rocialle. While it inevitably caused unrest and uncertainty in the initial period (for me as well) I am delighted to say that we all quickly reverted to type and carried on doing what we all do so amazingly well; making Dene Healthcare a better Company for General Practice and a better and more secure place for us all to work!

It doesn’t matter to me if you’ve been at Dene for 15 plus years or you’ve just joined, you are here now for the same reason, because I believe you can make this Company even stronger next year and in the years that follow.

I’m delighted to report that we’ve managed to achieve all but 2 of our Company objectives for the year and 1 of those was missed by a single percent! (Our live chat had 99% satisfaction rating, not 100%).

I’m also delighted we were able to send Ricky back to New Zealand to see his parents for the first time in 7 years and I hope in the future we can do something meaningful for all of you.

We will achieve our financial forecasts for 2023 (barring disaster), we’ve taken the prize of Medical Supplier of the Year for the 5th time, we’ve won the Excellence in Primary Care Award at the Primary Care Impact Awards, we’ve achieved our Investors in People accreditation, significantly reduced our carbon footprint, donated and helped plant 500 trees and I believe dramatically increased the strength and resource of key teams and therefore the Company as a whole.

Thank you so much everyone! You make it a pleasure coming to work, I hope you feel the same and if not, please let me know why so I can try to improve things and get better at my job.

I’m incredibly proud of everything we’ve achieved so far and I consider it an honour to work with you all, you are all brilliant people who make one hell of a team and I can’t wait to see what we can deliver in 2024.

As a small token of appreciation you’ll shortly receive some M&S vouchers via email by way of a thank you.

I wish you and your families a merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Kind regards,

Craig

Dene Healthcare

Tel: 01132 50 50 70

Lionesses have brought it home!

Written by: Georgia Dossis

I’m sure that everyone can agree that history was well and truly made last night in the most spectacular way!

Not only was the 2-1 win from the Lionesses their first time winning the Euro’s since it’s begun, but it was also the first big time win for the England teams for 56 years. An absolutely stunning victory.

The extra time goal scored by Chloe Kelly, will forever change football and adds to the timeline that hasn’t exactly been straight forward.

Did you know that women’s football was banned in 1921? It was actually considered unsuitable for women to play football. This changed by the end of the 1960’s when they formed the WFA (Women’s Football Association) but imagine if this hadn’t been the case? There’d have been no representation of women in the sport and last night would’ve just been an ordinary Sunday night.

The players within the whole of the association should be proud, not only to represent England, but for inspiring younger generations everyday as they represent change and inclusion which is so very much important.

Celebrations are being held in London today between 11:00 – 14:00 for all fans and is well deserved after the efforts put in. A huge congratulations to bringing it home!

The Positivity Card!

Written by: Craig Arnott

First things first; welcome to Dene Healthcare’s blog, specifically written for those working in or interested in the crazy and chaotic, yet wonderful world of General Practice! 

My name is Craig Arnott, I am the Commercial Director at Dene Healthcare and have been working in and studying the sector in depth for the last 15 years.  In that time I have learned more acronyms than I ever thought possible (although subsequently forgotten the majority), read more white papers and directives than any human could be expected to action and gained a deep understanding, as well as respect, for all those working in General Practice (well – certainly the vast majority).

The Doctors and Nurses by default have my admiration and appreciation, as anyone who devotes their lives to the care of others should.  They are the ‘heart and soul’ of General Practice!  This blog, however, is for the ‘mind and body’ (for lack of better metaphors), in other words intended to be targeted more toward the Practice and Business Managers, as well as all operational and administrative staff.    

I am a long-term admirer of the endurance, adaptability, and strength in the face of adversity that this largely hidden army embodies!  They drive the industry, navigate the many pitfalls and at present, take most of the hits, at least from the public (particularly readers of the Mail).

General Practice has always been an ‘easy target’ and has historically been blamed for pretty much everything as wide ranging as NHS backlogs, increases in A&E admissions through to lists of failings in the health and social care system too long to mention but recently, things have gotten worse!

The last 2 years have been crazy, and nowhere more so than in the wonderful world of General Practice, however a rather toxic mix of national pent-up frustration, combined with enforced restrictions, government miscommunication, public misunderstanding and poor reporting has led to the most negative and depressing period in General Practice that I have known.

All industry related news is discouraging, the directives – most likely unattainable, the expectations unrealistic and the negativity has become infectious, and for the first time I am witnessing the scars of battle on even the most resilient, bubbly, and strongest of characters in General Practice.

So, I’d like to propose that everyone in General Practice does what General Practice does best; band together, focus on the patient as you always do but take time for each other too.  Accept you can only do what you can do and start to break the vicious cycle of negativity contaminating your workplaces.

There are always exceptions to the rule but regardless, try to do one thing to make a positive difference to a colleague and if they thank you ask that they pay it forward (love that concept and the film but if anyone asks – I’m all about the Italian gangster films – Scarface etc).

Today, you should hopefully be receiving a thank you card from the staff at Dene Healthcare, regardless of you using or even knowing who we are and what we do.

Let’s defeat the negativity with the thing it hates most – positivity!

Thank you for reading, we’d love to hear from any aspiring bloggers who would like a guest slot.  We understand how precious your time is and we’ll be more than happy to compensate you accordingly.

Thanks again for your time and thank you, thank you, thank you for all the amazing work you do!

The Inbox Conundrum

Written by: E Metrodora

One of the issues I hear about from my PM colleagues is the colossal amount of emails we receive. You have to read them all too (well, to an extent) and I don’t know about everywhere else but our CCG have got into the habit of including important bits of information in various bulletins so if you don’t keep your eye out you could miss something important.

I’ve had PMs telling me they are drowning in hundreds of emails – and I get it because we do receive way too many, but I’ve found that by using a simple system that I can manage everything coming into the inbox without much hassle.

If there is one thing you can do every day to make your life easier, it’s to go through your emails and decide what needs to be actioned, what can be delegated, and most importantly what can be deleted.

I use a very simple system. I approach all emails with the same few questions when I do my morning scan through the list:

1) Do I need to read and digest this information? If yes mark it as unread

2) Do I need to action this email? If yes mark it with a flag

3) Can I delegate this task? If yes, send it on and move it out of the inbox and into a file (my system goes one file for the year and an individual file for each month. Everything is organised but it keeps the clutter out of the inbox)

4) Can I deal with it now? If its something small and quick I’ll action it then and there and either file or delete as needed

5) Can I delete it? If so, delete it and forget about it

I can go through hundreds of emails using this system and then I can clearly see what I need to action, what I need to read and even better I’ve got rid of everything that threatens to waste my time at a later date.

It’s easy to become overwhelmed when you see 100 or 200 or 300 emails in the inbox, but if we can take half an hour or even (dare I say it) a full hour first thing and do nothing but go through the emails you’ll have broken the back of what’s there and you can plan your day accordingly. Sitting on an email account with thousands of old emails in the inbox is demoralising and becomes depressing over time. If you allow yourself that space during the day to go through and see what there is to be done, rather than getting bogged down in the woe-is-me of the workload you may find that it isn’t as bad as those 200 odd emails led you to believe.

Also: top tip, if you’ve been away, when you get back from your holiday and have to go through the emails, start with the most recent. If you go back to the start of your holiday, the likelihood is you’ll send out emails for work that has been completed in your absence and all it will result in is you clogging up everyone else’s inbox as well as your own. Look at the most recent and work back, you’ll see what’s been done rather than what needed to be done a week ago. There’s nothing more irritating as a member of staff than your manager sending you things to do that you’ve already completed in their absence, so start at the top and thank them for everything they’ve completed and CC’d you into. Find the original emails in that conversation and guess what? You can delete them! Or you can file them if you’re one of those people who insists on keeping everything forever…as you may have guessed I do not belong to that school of thought.

Don’t be a slave to your inbox…get stuck in and show those emails who’s boss!