Toward Health Care that Treasures All
After witnessing the barriers in accessing mental health care faced by people experiencing homelessness, Matthew Brayford became determined to help transform the health care system from within. His Buddhist practice gave him the courage to challenge his own limitations and develop as a compassionate leader, with the determination to create health services that truly value each individual.
I started practicing Buddhism at the age of 28. I was working in a service supporting people experiencing homelessness, where I often saw how hard it was to access mental health services.
The year before I started practicing Buddhism, a 24-year-old man I worked with closely ended his life. I was covering the night shift that night, and I was the one who found him. We had been trying, unsuccessfully, to get him the mental health support he needed. That night had a profound effect on my life.
Determining to Make a Difference
The following year was very difficult for me. I wasn’t coping at work and was facing dismissal on capability grounds. One day, a colleague wrote the phrase “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo ” on a piece of paper and told me that practicing Buddhism could help me turn everything around. I didn’t believe that chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo would work but felt I had to try it. I have never stopped chanting since that first time.
Seeing the challenges faced by people experiencing homelessness, I started to feel that I had to do something about it. Complaining or waiting for someone else to act was no longer acceptable.
The following year was very difficult for me. I wasn’t coping at work and was facing dismissal on capability grounds.
Around this time, I read a quote from second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda that encouraged young people to make determinations that seemed almost impossible. So, I did just that: By the age of 40, I would either be in a leadership role in homeless services or have retrained as a qualified health professional so that I could be in a better able to really make a difference.
Working to Make the Impossible Possible
To say that these goals seemed impossible at the time would be an understatement! However, I graduated as a mental health nurse at the age of 35 and, in 2019, five days before my 40th birthday, I stepped into my first permanent leadership role. At this time, I also made a determination to work for a health service that truly treasures both staff and patients alike, particularly those patients from disadvantaged backgrounds.
My new role involved setting up an Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) service for 14- to 25-year-olds. Around this time, I started having severe anxiety attacks. Despite this, I felt I was able to build a new team based on compassionate leadership, where staff members were treasured and empowered to take ownership of developing and improving the service. We made it as easy to access as possible for people from disadvantaged backgrounds. The service has come to be highly regarded around the UK, despite the challenges thrown up by COVID-19 at the time.
Setbacks Became Opportunities to Grow
In 2021, I applied for a new role supporting other health boards across Wales to set up their own EIP services, but I had the worst interview of my life and didn’t get the job. I was also unsuccessful in getting a place on a leadership development program.
I felt so disillusioned. I started to consider leaving the health service altogether. Maybe I had reached the limit of my capability. Maybe my panic symptoms meant I wasn’t cut out to be a leader. Maybe I was just meant to set up the one service. I chanted to understand this situation and gain clarity on what the next step was in trying to transform the health service.
During this time, I applied for the Florence Nightingale Foundation Leadership Scholarship, an 18-month program providing personalized leadership development for nurses and midwives. I thought the program would help me improve my confidence and manage my anxiety. To my amazement, I was offered a place. Life seemed to change very quickly after that!
Learning from the Best
I was assigned a senior leadership mentor who had extensive experience in service improvement in the National Health Service (NHS) in England. I was given opportunities to learn from the most senior nursing leaders in Wales. I had public speaking and influencing training with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, which, alongside my Buddhist practice, helped me to learn to control my anxiety and panic symptoms.
When staff members are cared for, they can deliver truly compassionate care to the people who need it.
I’ve since been able to present at conferences without having uncontrollable anxiety.
In 2022, I received national recognition for my work developing the EIP service. I also received recognition for developing a digital inclusion project to address inequalities in health care. It felt like an incredible year of tangible results beyond anything I could have imagined.
Putting My Vision of Change Forward
At the same time, I was applying for jobs that I saw as a logical next step in my career. Each time, I received positive feedback after the interview but was not successful. But I kept going, challenging my negative thinking. Then, I saw a job that looked perfect for me. This time, I chanted with strong determination that I would be successful; I went into the interview feeling confident and was open about how crucial I felt it was for health services to change, and how I could contribute to making that happen.
I was offered the job! I was offered a role supporting leadership development across mental health services in Wales. It involves establishing compassionate leadership, fostering capable leaders and developing successors through nurturing and development opportunities. I learned how to do this through my Soka Gakkai activities, inspired by the encouragement of my mentor, President Daisaku Ikeda, who calls on us to become agents of change, irrespective of our circumstances.
The Ripple Effect
Today, I have the opportunity and the responsibility to help create health services that truly treasure people. I have come to understand that when leaders are nurtured, they can effectively and compassionately support staff members. When staff members are cared for, they can deliver truly compassionate care to the people who need it, including those who struggle to access services, such as those experiencing homelessness.
In October 2023, I graduated with a master’s degree and, in 2024, became the first mental health nurse selected to lead the Lamp Procession along with two other nurses at the Florence Nightingale Commemoration Service in Westminster Abbey in London. I feel truly honored to have played a small part in carrying forward Florence Nightingale’s legacy, thanks to my Buddhist practice.
I would like to share a quote from President Toda:
“No matter what situation you find yourself in, when you base yourself on deep and powerful faith, you’ll be able to overcome everything. When you change, grow, and take responsibility, you can win in all things. It all comes down to you.”
Adapted from an article in the February 2024 issue of the Art of Living, SGI-UK.
