Change Day: a call to action

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Margaret Mead

This post is a short one, like a siren or a flare. It’s your special invitation to be part of something big. It’s your call to action.

I’ve talked quite a bit in previous posts about Change Day and my original phone call with the NHS in the UK where, without thinking too much, I said ‘yes’ to the question “Mary, do you think Australia would like to be involved in a global effort to improve the quality of health services?” There was no other answer, was there ?

From that serendipitous conversation with my colleagues in the UK and subsequent telephone calls we have rallied a small group of health professionals and educators from across Australia who are set to make this happen in March 2014.

Here’s all your questions answered about Change Day – Overview

Change Day isn’t a business, it isn’t party political and it isn’t about knocking what we have in Australia- a world class health and aged care system. It is about individuals, organisations and departments making a decision that on one particular day in March 2014 they will join together and make a change that will result in a better outcome for patients, clients and consumers. From those small actions we will see massive improvement. It is a chance to celebrate the wonderful work of your service by doing something better , together.

… it is Cam who is greeted by staff, he is looked in the eye and loved and respected, there is real care for his whole being rather than just the organ, from the nurses doing dialysis to the tea lady who encourages Cam to eat more and gain weight. ( Sandi, a mother talking about her son’s experience in a South Australian country hospital)

We have a website that will be fully live by 4 November www.changeday.com.au 

It’s going to be BIG and it is going to be 6 March 2014.

Here are a few things that we need:

1. We will be launching the website and the effort in Adelaide on 4 November at 10am at The Hub, 5 Peel Street. If you live or work in Adelaide and want to know more we need you to come along and bring anyone else who cares about creating a day when patients and clients and consumers will benefit from our collective actions. Register here.  It is free !
2. We need you to send this blog to everyone on your contacts list with a note. You could say : Have you heard about Change Day? It sounds like something we should support. Your CEO, manager, director, colleague, neighbour or friend – we need all of them.
3. We need you to join our mailing list so we can keep you linked in to your collective progress as you build the biggest quality improvement day in Australia. You can do this by either signing up for my blog or emailing us at info@changeday.com.au and asking to be on our mailing list.
4. We have done all of this with the financial generosity of freerthinking and the abundant goodwill of a small group of passionate and motivated individuals who really care about improving patient and client outcomes. We need financial support. If your organisation would like to become a sponsor of Change Day please contact me.

Thank you to all the people who have contacted the working group in the last few weeks to say “Count me in!”

I know you will do the same.

Be the change !