Different but the same

As a non-executive Director at an Academy Primary School, I see lots of parallels between the school Governing body and the CEPN board.

Both:

• Require investment in one’s own personal time

• Enable you to meet and work with new people

• Require you tp develop solutions for either patients/pupils

• Enable you to be more active in your local Community

• Require you to navigate around the ever-changing public policy

• Utilise your skills enabling you to give back to your local Community

• Involve becoming part of a positive change

• Require you to make progress amidst uncertainty

And as academies move to a more networked approach and work with other schools, again the benefits of working together are shared across the Health and Education Sectors.

Benefits:

• Common teaching and learning practices across GP practices/ schools

• Partnership working with providers to develop top quality Education/Health outcomes

• A common quality assurance professional development programme

• Efficiencies in education and training functions and joint procurement delivering value for money

• Improved Leadership, Management, and Governance that impacts directly upon patients/pupils 

• Enhanced reputation for excellence which aids recruitment and retentions and growth of staff

Whilst it is easy to disregard differences between sectors, people, and situations, by looking a little more closer,  there may be more similarities than you think, and a different perspective may enable you to address a challenge in a way that you haven’t considered before.