Tony Sumner | Durham University (original) (raw)
Papers by Tony Sumner
Sustainable development goals series, 2024
In a prescriptive, top-down approach to healthcare development and configuration the narrative of... more In a prescriptive, top-down approach to healthcare development and configuration the narrative of the system can dominate the stories of the marginalised that could inform and enable improvement. Digital storytelling is a methodology used in health and social care, education and quality improvement in which the creation and ownership of stories moves from the system to the marginalised (by age, dementia, etc.) service users. The digital storytelling process has inherent benefits to the storyteller beyond the creation of the storied product, as the verbs of engagement change from harvesting or capturing the stories of the excluded to facilitating and empowering them.
Hardy and Sumner introduce the background and history of the Patient Voices Programme, which they... more Hardy and Sumner introduce the background and history of the Patient Voices Programme, which they co-founded, establishing the historical context and identifying some of the forces at work in the fields of education, technology, and the politics of healthcare. They set out their twin aspirations of transforming healthcare and developing an innovative educational resource—promoting deep reflection through the authentic stories of patients, carers, and clinicians—before tracing the early development of the Programme. Reflecting on some of the important lessons they learned along the way, such as the centrality of good listening, the authors consider the ethical implications of creating digital stories in the healthcare context and the realisation that process and product are equally important in the world of digital storytelling.
People before numbers 'If there is one lesson to be learnt, I suggest it is that people must alwa... more People before numbers 'If there is one lesson to be learnt, I suggest it is that people must always come before numbers. It is the individual experiences that lie behind statistics and benchmarks and action plans that really matter, and that is what must never be forgotten when policies are being made and implemented.'
In 2004, a MORI poll conducted by Ben Page found that the issue that ranked most highly in servic... more In 2004, a MORI poll conducted by Ben Page found that the issue that ranked most highly in service users' concerns was being treated with respect (Page 2004), reflecting-in the views of service users-the recognition by legislators of a need to define human rights more widely. Article 8 of the Human Rights Act (HMSO 1998) gives the right to respect for private and family life, home and correspondence. Privacy and
pilgrim.myzen.co.uk
Touching hearts and bridging the emotional, physical and digital divide to eight storytellers, wi... more Touching hearts and bridging the emotional, physical and digital divide to eight storytellers, with two facilitators to support the process) had created and shared, commented and reflected upon their own and each other's stories. Two stories were of skinned knees from ...
education, 2012
A collection of digital stories would form the central core of an online resource accessible via ... more A collection of digital stories would form the central core of an online resource accessible via the RCN learning zone. Having viewed a story, viewers are able to self-assess their knowledge regarding a specific clinical condition and then apply this knowledge to ...
Hardy and Sumner introduce the background and history of the Patient Voices Programme, which they... more Hardy and Sumner introduce the background and history of the Patient Voices Programme, which they co-founded, establishing the historical context and identifying some of the forces at work in the fields of education, technology, and the politics of healthcare. They set out their twin aspirations of transforming healthcare and developing an innovative educational resource—promoting deep reflection through the authentic stories of patients, carers, and clinicians—before tracing the early development of the Programme. Reflecting on some of the important lessons they learned along the way, such as the centrality of good listening, the authors consider the ethical implications of creating digital stories in the healthcare context and the realisation that process and product are equally important in the world of digital storytelling.
Background: Communities within the EU are aging. For some religious communities this is not just ... more Background: Communities within the EU are aging. For some religious communities this is not just a demographic effect, but one influenced by changes in recruitment rates to the order. As communities age, the tacit knowledge and experiences members carry within them – the stories of vocation and calling – are amongst those most vulnerable to loss, and yet also some of the most valuable and powerful delineators of what it is to be ‘community’. This paper describes a project intended to help the members of a retirement community of nuns in northern England recollect and share their stories. Methods: The Patient Voices Reflective Digital Storytelling process was adapted to suit the needs of the group, using experiences gained in working with elderly patients and service users in health and social care settings. Results: A set of some twenty stories was created with members of the community, in several workshops. Ages of participants ranged up to 101 years. One storyteller returned sever...
Cultivating Compassion, 2018
Hardy and Sumner, co-founders of the Patient Voices Programme, set out their approach to reflecti... more Hardy and Sumner, co-founders of the Patient Voices Programme, set out their approach to reflective digital storytelling, grounding it firmly in the ‘classical’ model developed by StoryCenter. The authors make a helpful distinction between story, narrative and anecdote and discuss the role of the ‘dragon’ in stories of any importance. Hardy and Sumner then outline what happens in a typical Patient Voices workshop and explain the adaptations that may be necessary for working in the healthcare context. They highlight the need for agile, adaptive and reflexive facilitation and the importance of hospitality as a means of recognising, acknowledging and respecting both our similarities and our differences—our shared humanity. Finally, they advocate appropriate supervision to ensure the safety of storytellers and facilitators alike.
In this concluding chapter, Sumner and Hardy draw out some of the lessons from preceding chapters... more In this concluding chapter, Sumner and Hardy draw out some of the lessons from preceding chapters and synthesise the learning, particularly in relation to the key themes of involvement, impact and improvement; transformational learning; the healing power of the process; gathering the evidence of experience and co-production. They link this learning with the aspiration of Patient Voices to bring greater humanity and compassion to healthcare and set it within the context of the Patient Voices journey from stories to improvement, highlighting the centrality of stories in the healthcare endeavour. Sumner and Hardy conclude with a discussion and some examples of the ways in which digital storytelling and digital stories can—and do—contribute to greater compassion in healthcare and reiterate the potential of digital storytelling to bring about transformation.
This chapter describes one of the longest-running Patient Voices digital storytelling projects an... more This chapter describes one of the longest-running Patient Voices digital storytelling projects and a long-standing collaboration between an NHS organisation delivering mental health care for people living in Bolton, the city of Manchester, Salford and Trafford and a wide range of specialist mental health and substance misuse services across Greater Manchester, a university, and Patient Voices. Cahoon, Haigh and Sumner describe how Greater Manchester Mental NHS Foundation Trust has been working with Patient Voices to help mental health service users and their carers create digital stories of their experiences of care. The stories have been used in induction, education and training, to influence discussions and decisions at Board level, to support clinical transformation, to raise awareness of mental health issues in the community, to understand quality from the perspective of the service user and to recruit new staff who share the organisation’s values. The authors describe the proje...
People before numbers 'If there is one lesson to be learnt, I suggest it is that people must alwa... more People before numbers 'If there is one lesson to be learnt, I suggest it is that people must always come before numbers. It is the individual experiences that lie behind statistics and benchmarks and action plans that really matter, and that is what must never be forgotten when policies are being made and implemented.'
Hardy and Sumner describe the development of, and learning and results from, a five year digital ... more Hardy and Sumner describe the development of, and learning and results from, a five year digital storytelling project with service users and carers within the UK NHS mental health care system in Manchester. They share how the digital storytelling process is experienced by, and reviews the support needs of, digital storytellers who are mental health service users. They suggest adaptations to digital storytelling processes that ensure best service user experience and explore the role, responsibilities and risks of digital storytelling facilitation with service users and its evolution to provide optimal experiences for storytellers and safety, support and resilience for digital storytelling facilitators working with mental health service users.
Karen Deeny, Pip Hardy and Tony Sumner summarise their shared experiences and reflections of the ... more Karen Deeny, Pip Hardy and Tony Sumner summarise their shared experiences and reflections of the ‘DNA of Care’ staff digital stories project. They bring a great breadth and depth of insight into healthcare staff and patient experiences, improvement methodology and research into improving experiences of care.
Background: Latest medical education guidelines in the UK stress the need for doctors to be capab... more Background: Latest medical education guidelines in the UK stress the need for doctors to be capable reflective practitioners. However, traditional cultures and methods within medical education departments develop and deliver reflective programmes that are mechanistic and ineffective. This paper describes two programmes run for medical students at two different UK universities based on Reflective digital storytelling principles, and their outcomes. Methods: The Patient Voices Reflective Digital Storytelling process was used to provide reflective opportunities for medical students at the University of Leicester (N=5) in 2008 and Kings College London (N=4) in 2014. In both cases the normal process was adapted to suit student timetables, examination schedules, etc. Experience running Patient Voices Reflective Digital Storytelling workshops for newly-qualified nurses, etc. was used to inform facilitative approaches. Different adaptations were needed in each institution. Results: In both ...
Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities
Severe developmental disability in children affects the life of the child and entire household. W... more Severe developmental disability in children affects the life of the child and entire household. We conducted a qualitative study to understand how caregivers manage severe developmental disabilities in children in rural Africa. Families and six children (out of 15 children) who had serious permanent sequelae from a cerebral infection in Handeni, Tanzania, were contacted and invited to a workshop to recount their experience living with severe developmental disabilities. After consent, individual interviews were conducted first through recording of individual digital stories and then through individual semi-structured interviews. Pre-determined key categories were used to analyse the data. Our results showed that developmental disabilities required constant care and reduced the autonomy of the children. Schooling had not been attempted or was halted because of learning problems or inability to meet specialized school costs. Parents were under constant physical, emotional and financial...
Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 2013
Care and compassion are key features of the NHS Constitution. Recent reports have identified a la... more Care and compassion are key features of the NHS Constitution. Recent reports have identified a lack of compassion in the care and treatment of older people. Nurses draw on aesthetic knowledge, developed through engagement with the experience of others, when providing compassionate care. Patient Voices reflective digital stories are used in healthcare education to facilitate student engagement with the patient experience. Digital stories were made with seven people with early-stage dementia as part of a learning package for student nurses. In this paper the authors reflect on their experience and observations from facilitating the 4-day digital story-making workshop. Social theories of dementia provide a theoretical framework for understanding these reflections. Despite considerable challenges in developing a story, and anxiety about using the technology, reading and speaking, all participants engaged in creating their own digital stories. Positive changes in the participants' interactions were observed. These improvements appeared to be the product of the person-centred facilitation and the creative process which supported self-expression and a sense of identity. Nurses working in this way could facilitate ability of the person with dementia to participate in their care, and improve their sense of well-being by supporting self-expression.
Medical teacher, Jan 1, 2012
The skill of reflection is essential for all doctors but can be a difficult concept for students ... more The skill of reflection is essential for all doctors but can be a difficult concept for students to understand. We established a Special Study Module (SSC) in the final year working with the Patient-Voices project to enable students to reflect on their clinical experiences by producing a digital story. Using prospective qualitative methods, we tracked the progress of the students during this SSC. Post-course students took part in a focus group and completed an evaluation questionnaire.
Sustainable development goals series, 2024
In a prescriptive, top-down approach to healthcare development and configuration the narrative of... more In a prescriptive, top-down approach to healthcare development and configuration the narrative of the system can dominate the stories of the marginalised that could inform and enable improvement. Digital storytelling is a methodology used in health and social care, education and quality improvement in which the creation and ownership of stories moves from the system to the marginalised (by age, dementia, etc.) service users. The digital storytelling process has inherent benefits to the storyteller beyond the creation of the storied product, as the verbs of engagement change from harvesting or capturing the stories of the excluded to facilitating and empowering them.
Hardy and Sumner introduce the background and history of the Patient Voices Programme, which they... more Hardy and Sumner introduce the background and history of the Patient Voices Programme, which they co-founded, establishing the historical context and identifying some of the forces at work in the fields of education, technology, and the politics of healthcare. They set out their twin aspirations of transforming healthcare and developing an innovative educational resource—promoting deep reflection through the authentic stories of patients, carers, and clinicians—before tracing the early development of the Programme. Reflecting on some of the important lessons they learned along the way, such as the centrality of good listening, the authors consider the ethical implications of creating digital stories in the healthcare context and the realisation that process and product are equally important in the world of digital storytelling.
People before numbers 'If there is one lesson to be learnt, I suggest it is that people must alwa... more People before numbers 'If there is one lesson to be learnt, I suggest it is that people must always come before numbers. It is the individual experiences that lie behind statistics and benchmarks and action plans that really matter, and that is what must never be forgotten when policies are being made and implemented.'
In 2004, a MORI poll conducted by Ben Page found that the issue that ranked most highly in servic... more In 2004, a MORI poll conducted by Ben Page found that the issue that ranked most highly in service users' concerns was being treated with respect (Page 2004), reflecting-in the views of service users-the recognition by legislators of a need to define human rights more widely. Article 8 of the Human Rights Act (HMSO 1998) gives the right to respect for private and family life, home and correspondence. Privacy and
pilgrim.myzen.co.uk
Touching hearts and bridging the emotional, physical and digital divide to eight storytellers, wi... more Touching hearts and bridging the emotional, physical and digital divide to eight storytellers, with two facilitators to support the process) had created and shared, commented and reflected upon their own and each other's stories. Two stories were of skinned knees from ...
education, 2012
A collection of digital stories would form the central core of an online resource accessible via ... more A collection of digital stories would form the central core of an online resource accessible via the RCN learning zone. Having viewed a story, viewers are able to self-assess their knowledge regarding a specific clinical condition and then apply this knowledge to ...
Hardy and Sumner introduce the background and history of the Patient Voices Programme, which they... more Hardy and Sumner introduce the background and history of the Patient Voices Programme, which they co-founded, establishing the historical context and identifying some of the forces at work in the fields of education, technology, and the politics of healthcare. They set out their twin aspirations of transforming healthcare and developing an innovative educational resource—promoting deep reflection through the authentic stories of patients, carers, and clinicians—before tracing the early development of the Programme. Reflecting on some of the important lessons they learned along the way, such as the centrality of good listening, the authors consider the ethical implications of creating digital stories in the healthcare context and the realisation that process and product are equally important in the world of digital storytelling.
Background: Communities within the EU are aging. For some religious communities this is not just ... more Background: Communities within the EU are aging. For some religious communities this is not just a demographic effect, but one influenced by changes in recruitment rates to the order. As communities age, the tacit knowledge and experiences members carry within them – the stories of vocation and calling – are amongst those most vulnerable to loss, and yet also some of the most valuable and powerful delineators of what it is to be ‘community’. This paper describes a project intended to help the members of a retirement community of nuns in northern England recollect and share their stories. Methods: The Patient Voices Reflective Digital Storytelling process was adapted to suit the needs of the group, using experiences gained in working with elderly patients and service users in health and social care settings. Results: A set of some twenty stories was created with members of the community, in several workshops. Ages of participants ranged up to 101 years. One storyteller returned sever...
Cultivating Compassion, 2018
Hardy and Sumner, co-founders of the Patient Voices Programme, set out their approach to reflecti... more Hardy and Sumner, co-founders of the Patient Voices Programme, set out their approach to reflective digital storytelling, grounding it firmly in the ‘classical’ model developed by StoryCenter. The authors make a helpful distinction between story, narrative and anecdote and discuss the role of the ‘dragon’ in stories of any importance. Hardy and Sumner then outline what happens in a typical Patient Voices workshop and explain the adaptations that may be necessary for working in the healthcare context. They highlight the need for agile, adaptive and reflexive facilitation and the importance of hospitality as a means of recognising, acknowledging and respecting both our similarities and our differences—our shared humanity. Finally, they advocate appropriate supervision to ensure the safety of storytellers and facilitators alike.
In this concluding chapter, Sumner and Hardy draw out some of the lessons from preceding chapters... more In this concluding chapter, Sumner and Hardy draw out some of the lessons from preceding chapters and synthesise the learning, particularly in relation to the key themes of involvement, impact and improvement; transformational learning; the healing power of the process; gathering the evidence of experience and co-production. They link this learning with the aspiration of Patient Voices to bring greater humanity and compassion to healthcare and set it within the context of the Patient Voices journey from stories to improvement, highlighting the centrality of stories in the healthcare endeavour. Sumner and Hardy conclude with a discussion and some examples of the ways in which digital storytelling and digital stories can—and do—contribute to greater compassion in healthcare and reiterate the potential of digital storytelling to bring about transformation.
This chapter describes one of the longest-running Patient Voices digital storytelling projects an... more This chapter describes one of the longest-running Patient Voices digital storytelling projects and a long-standing collaboration between an NHS organisation delivering mental health care for people living in Bolton, the city of Manchester, Salford and Trafford and a wide range of specialist mental health and substance misuse services across Greater Manchester, a university, and Patient Voices. Cahoon, Haigh and Sumner describe how Greater Manchester Mental NHS Foundation Trust has been working with Patient Voices to help mental health service users and their carers create digital stories of their experiences of care. The stories have been used in induction, education and training, to influence discussions and decisions at Board level, to support clinical transformation, to raise awareness of mental health issues in the community, to understand quality from the perspective of the service user and to recruit new staff who share the organisation’s values. The authors describe the proje...
People before numbers 'If there is one lesson to be learnt, I suggest it is that people must alwa... more People before numbers 'If there is one lesson to be learnt, I suggest it is that people must always come before numbers. It is the individual experiences that lie behind statistics and benchmarks and action plans that really matter, and that is what must never be forgotten when policies are being made and implemented.'
Hardy and Sumner describe the development of, and learning and results from, a five year digital ... more Hardy and Sumner describe the development of, and learning and results from, a five year digital storytelling project with service users and carers within the UK NHS mental health care system in Manchester. They share how the digital storytelling process is experienced by, and reviews the support needs of, digital storytellers who are mental health service users. They suggest adaptations to digital storytelling processes that ensure best service user experience and explore the role, responsibilities and risks of digital storytelling facilitation with service users and its evolution to provide optimal experiences for storytellers and safety, support and resilience for digital storytelling facilitators working with mental health service users.
Karen Deeny, Pip Hardy and Tony Sumner summarise their shared experiences and reflections of the ... more Karen Deeny, Pip Hardy and Tony Sumner summarise their shared experiences and reflections of the ‘DNA of Care’ staff digital stories project. They bring a great breadth and depth of insight into healthcare staff and patient experiences, improvement methodology and research into improving experiences of care.
Background: Latest medical education guidelines in the UK stress the need for doctors to be capab... more Background: Latest medical education guidelines in the UK stress the need for doctors to be capable reflective practitioners. However, traditional cultures and methods within medical education departments develop and deliver reflective programmes that are mechanistic and ineffective. This paper describes two programmes run for medical students at two different UK universities based on Reflective digital storytelling principles, and their outcomes. Methods: The Patient Voices Reflective Digital Storytelling process was used to provide reflective opportunities for medical students at the University of Leicester (N=5) in 2008 and Kings College London (N=4) in 2014. In both cases the normal process was adapted to suit student timetables, examination schedules, etc. Experience running Patient Voices Reflective Digital Storytelling workshops for newly-qualified nurses, etc. was used to inform facilitative approaches. Different adaptations were needed in each institution. Results: In both ...
Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities
Severe developmental disability in children affects the life of the child and entire household. W... more Severe developmental disability in children affects the life of the child and entire household. We conducted a qualitative study to understand how caregivers manage severe developmental disabilities in children in rural Africa. Families and six children (out of 15 children) who had serious permanent sequelae from a cerebral infection in Handeni, Tanzania, were contacted and invited to a workshop to recount their experience living with severe developmental disabilities. After consent, individual interviews were conducted first through recording of individual digital stories and then through individual semi-structured interviews. Pre-determined key categories were used to analyse the data. Our results showed that developmental disabilities required constant care and reduced the autonomy of the children. Schooling had not been attempted or was halted because of learning problems or inability to meet specialized school costs. Parents were under constant physical, emotional and financial...
Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 2013
Care and compassion are key features of the NHS Constitution. Recent reports have identified a la... more Care and compassion are key features of the NHS Constitution. Recent reports have identified a lack of compassion in the care and treatment of older people. Nurses draw on aesthetic knowledge, developed through engagement with the experience of others, when providing compassionate care. Patient Voices reflective digital stories are used in healthcare education to facilitate student engagement with the patient experience. Digital stories were made with seven people with early-stage dementia as part of a learning package for student nurses. In this paper the authors reflect on their experience and observations from facilitating the 4-day digital story-making workshop. Social theories of dementia provide a theoretical framework for understanding these reflections. Despite considerable challenges in developing a story, and anxiety about using the technology, reading and speaking, all participants engaged in creating their own digital stories. Positive changes in the participants' interactions were observed. These improvements appeared to be the product of the person-centred facilitation and the creative process which supported self-expression and a sense of identity. Nurses working in this way could facilitate ability of the person with dementia to participate in their care, and improve their sense of well-being by supporting self-expression.
Medical teacher, Jan 1, 2012
The skill of reflection is essential for all doctors but can be a difficult concept for students ... more The skill of reflection is essential for all doctors but can be a difficult concept for students to understand. We established a Special Study Module (SSC) in the final year working with the Patient-Voices project to enable students to reflect on their clinical experiences by producing a digital story. Using prospective qualitative methods, we tracked the progress of the students during this SSC. Post-course students took part in a focus group and completed an evaluation questionnaire.