Naomi Smith on creating spaces for meaningful conversations
A decade ago, a new movement in healthcare began with a conscious shift among professionals to change their questioning from ‘what’s the matter?’ to ‘what matters to you?’
The rationale behind this was to understand what is most important to patients in order to encourage better care partnerships and an improved patient experience.
This has since evolved to be used among healthcare employees in an attempt to address any workplace disconnection. At Capability Scotland we have recently partnered with What Matters to You (WMTY) Perth and Kinross Project Team to host workshops at our Upper Springland site in Perth.
The aim of these workshops and partnership is to bring different teams together and create a stronger cohesion across the site in collaboration with the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland.
Our approach has been simple to deliver and has already provided clear signs of improved engagement and interaction across the teams.
Following a series of employee surveys we have created spaces where staff can be heard, not just as workers, but as whole human beings. By introducing deliberately non-work-related ‘Start to Natter’ sessions, employees have come together for half an hour to celebrate individual stories and experiences over a cup of tea and cake.
What emerges from these conversations is far more than idle chit-chat. Through carefully designed workshops and surveys, we've uncovered deep insights into what truly matters to our staff - both professionally and personally.
The results are striking. Employees have highlighted the importance of teamwork, cultural understanding and genuine connection across different services and teams.
Their response has been equally impressive. Recognising that our workforce is wonderfully multicultural, we have plans to develop a diversity group to actively create opportunities for cross-cultural learning and appreciation.
Events celebrated include Sri Lankan new year in April (see main image), where colleagues shared their culture and customs while wearing traditional dress. These gatherings have created meaningful exchanges that not only acknowledge and celebrate the diversity across teams but also enrich the lives of the people we support.
Many of those we support haven't had the opportunity to travel abroad, but through these cultural celebrations, they experience authentic glimpses of different worlds – tasting traditional cuisines, admiring national dress and participating in traditional games alongside their friends and carers.
We've also established the Wednesday Walkers (Upper Springland Wednesday Walkers, pictured above) to bring together colleagues from different services with the people we support, encouraging physical activity and building connections in an informal setting.
These walks have become more than just exercise – they're opportunities for natural, unhurried conversations between staff and the individuals we support, fostering deeper understanding and trust.
WMTY is a journey we're excited to be on, and reflects a growing recognition of the importance of co-production in organisations to help shape and deliver more effective employee engagement.
While we're still in the early stages, we're already seeing how improved staff wellbeing and stronger team connections directly enhance the quality of care and support we provide. When our staff feel valued and connected, this naturally translates into more meaningful, empathetic interactions with the people we support.
The initiative's impact extends beyond immediate workplace satisfaction. By creating spaces for genuine dialogue, we aim to also develop resilience, empathy and mutual understanding. In a world that often feels fragmented, these conversations become small but powerful acts of community-building.
For charitable organisations, this approach is particularly potent. Our work, inherently focussed on supporting and empowering individuals, now extends that same principle to our own staff. We're practicing exactly what we preach: seeing each person's inherent individuality and potential.
As we continue exploring new ways to retain and support our workforce, the WMTY movement reminds us that true organisational health isn't about systems or strategies, but about creating genuine human connections together.
When we take the time to listen, to truly hear each other's stories and concerns, we create something far more valuable than any corporate strategy: we create understanding. And in that understanding lies the potential for positive, meaningful change.
Naomi Smith is the co-production lead at Capability Scotland, a leading provider of services for disabled people and their families across Scotland. For over 78 years, Capability Scotland has been at the forefront of supporting people to lead independent and fulfilling lives.
