Episode #71: “Always keep people at the center!” With Dr. David Morris and Geoffrey Roche

Dr. David Morris trained as a physician in Ireland. He is currently the CEO of Verity Barrington, an Executive Healthcare Leader and medical educator. Geoffrey Roche is the director of Workforce Development (North America) for Siemens Healthineers, and “Son of a Nurse, Leading with Heart and Purpose.” “What we really need is people to start coming forward with solutions, driving with action, changing the culture, actively being on the ground, and doing it!” says David, launching our thought-provoking conversation. Geoffrey adds, “What I’ve always been reminded of is the power of relationships. There’s nothing like a human-centered relationship, and I think that’s what in many ways we’ve missed in healthcare as it’s become larger, and it’s what we really need to get back to, the human-centered connection!” David offers his insights into both the public and private healthcare system in Ireland, what’s working well and what’s not. Geoffrey speaks to the power of the apprenticeship degree in healthcare, and our present crisis in leadership. We discuss the global generational culture of medicine, and kick off an eye-opening conversation about boards. Geoffrey inquires, “Where are the boards? Where are they to care about these issues?!” I ask how we can start to hold boards accountable. What steps can we take?Geoffrey speaks to universal healthcare and health equity, with David responding. “Each one of those people is a person with a story that needs to be cared for, that needs to walk out the door feeling like they’ve had care. They’ve been able to heal, or get something done that makes them better. It’s not a widget factory, and we need to bring healthcare away from that!”