We are the disrupters!

You know, the thing about being a volunteer activist in healthcare is that it’s sooo frustrating.

There are various mantras around…

Nothing about us without us…

Do it with us not to us…

But we’re always fighting against an imbalance of power. Against a hierarchy where we are at the bottom, if even not in it at all.

We attend meetings where the agenda is set by the organisation, the hierarchy.

We make our points, we challenge, we suggest, we want to “work with” to get change.

And we’re told…

Well that’s not altogether true…

We can’t do that…

Our staff are sick of action plans, we can’t do any more…

Staff are sick of innovation and change projects…

So we are squashed into submission, because of course we don’t have the power.

Most healthcare (and other) organisations are old power hierarchies. They do to people…