The human behind the digit (a poem by Elaine Freeman)

Summary

This is a poem written and read by Elaine Freeman, Patient Safety Partner (PSP) at Lincolnshire Community and Hospitals NHS Group.

Elaine and her PSP colleagues shared their poems with the Group Chief Governance Officer, her deputy, and the new Chair of the Group, inviting reflection on the importance of patient-centred care.

The PSPs chose poetry as a powerful and personal way to express their experiences, insights, hopes, and concerns, and to highlight the human story behind the numbers. Two other poems they shared are included at the end. 

The video has been created by Patient Safety Learning. 

Content

The human Behind the Digit

I am the person behind the number,
The face behind the case,
The story in the spreadsheet,
A name you can’t erase.

I’m more than just a metric,
A target or a trend,
I’m a mother, father, sister,
A neighbour and a friend.

When you look at columns,
And data on the screen,
Remember there’s a heartbeat,
And a life that’s lived between.

So, as you make your choices,
And the digits start to climb,
Don’t lose the human spirit,
In the pressure of the time.

Other poems by the Patient Safety Partners

Can you hear me?

By Ruth Krampf

Can you hear me?

You told us that my partner needed to come in for some tests.

You told us that my partner’s future was grim.

My partner was frightened.

Can You Hear Me?

We came to you. 

I told you my concerns about my partner.

I told you about  my partner’s condition.

Can You HEAR Me?

You put my partner on Nil by Mouth.  Nobody told me.

Doctor take your eyes away from your tablet and look at us. 

Listen to us!

CAN You HEAR Me?       

My partner is not a metric, they are confused.

My partner is not a tick box, they are anxious.

My partner wants to come home.

CAN YOU HEAR Me?

My partner is not just another statistic to put a tick against.

My partner is a spouse, parent, sibling and friend.

My partner is loved.

CAN YOU HEAR ME?

The Human Behind the Digit (2)

By Elaine Freeman

The screen is filled with rows of green,
A grid of targets, met and signed.
But in the spaces in between,
What of the souls we’ve left behind?

A metric is a frozen thing,
A snapshot of a process done,
But safety is the life we bring
To every daughter, father, son.

A 'tick' is not a healing hand;
A 'box' is not a life restored.
We need a Board to understand
The truths that live beyond the board.

For outcomes are not found in ink,
Or graphs that track a steady line,
But in the time we stop to think:
“Is this a person, or a sign?”

So let the data find its place,
But let the patient lead the way.
Put back the name, the story, the face,
Into the words we choose to say.

True success is not a score,
Or how we’ve played the system’s part;
It’s when we open up the door
And lead with data—and with heart.