When you Suddenly Have to Take Time Off Work

We’ve all been there. Either you or your child is unwell, your car breaks down, or there is a family crisis of some kind.

You can’t be in two places at once. You can’t be present on a Zoom/Teams call, and continuously checking on the kids to make sure they are ok when you yourself are feeling like crap!

FYI - My youngest has type 1 diabetes, my middle daughter has the kidney condition Nephrotic Syndrome and my eldest has asthma so it's like waiting for a ticking bomb to go off!

So the sensible thing to do, as hard as it may be when you run your own business or lead a department, is to prioritise what matters most. My family. My health. My most IMPORTANT client tasks.

So here is what I do:

1. Communicating the situation to my team

2. Delegating as much as I can to my team and trusting them to get on with things.

3. Cancelling and rescheduling all non-essential meetings and explaining the situation to my clients.

4. Spending a bit of time on my email to ensure everything is as it should be and filed away and actioned accordingly.

My clients are amazing and I know they will 100% understand although I can't help but feel a little stressed when i'm not there for them and my team.

From one parent to another, from one CEO to another, from one contractor to another, this is life behind the scenes.

And FYI I do not do 95% of my social media posts. My Marketing Manager Sophie does as the show must go on….. right!?! 😊

A quick guide to continuity planning

I'm Tara; I am the founder of THC Primary Care, an award-winning healthcare consultancy specialising in Primary Care Network Management and the host of the Business of Healthcare Podcast, where we have now published over 250 episodes. I have over 20 years of project management and business development experience across the private and public sectors, and I have supported over 120 PCNs by providing interim management, training and consultancy. I have managed teams across multiple sites and countries; I have an MBA in Leadership and Management in Healthcare, I'm published in the London Journal of Primary Care, and I am the author of over 250 blogs. I have 3 children. My eldest has Asthma, my middle child has a kidney condition called Nephrotic Syndrome,

and my youngest daughter has Type 1 Diabetes, so outside of work, healthcare plays a huge role in my life.

Find out more about THC Primary Care at www.thcprimarycare.co.uk

And follow Tara on Twitter @THCPrimarycare