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There wasn't much a hospital could have done for William Wallace in the end. Yet the irony of having an executioner's yard standing just outside St Bartholomew's (priory then, NHS Trust now) might not have been lost on the crowds who came to watch him meet a grisly demise.

When did I last listen to an argument and say to myself, “Good point. I hadn’t really thought of that”? As views become increasingly polarised, entrenched and echoed, there is a real need to hear fresh and different perspectives. Kaleidoscope is helping to make that happen.

If the future is collaboration, where are we now, and how do we bridge the gap? If we’re genuine about the high aspirations we have for primary care networks, integrated care systems, etc, do we know how big a challenge that is?

A ‘feel good’ factor in a project may have a lot of appeal, but it is not as sustainable or useful as some solid evaluation findings. Measuring impact can be a challenge but here are three ways we find evidence that what we do is making a difference.

We are doing so many meetings and events digitally now, Lydia Paris reflects on how we have made them as accessible as possible. Here she shares her 10 top tips for an engaging and inclusive digital event.

Six months ago, we brought together more than 100 people from across health and care and beyond to take part in our Super Melting Pot conference. Over two days, we challenged participants to see how the world looks from outside healthcare and to talk about what we don’t talk enough about. 

This week I returned to clinical work. Its been more than 100 days since I last saw a patient in real life. More than three months since I touched a patient, delivered their baby or looked to see if they had cancer.

The NHS and I have grown up together, changed together, matured together. I love the NHS, but let’s face it – just because you love something, or someone, doesn’t mean you can’t feel immensely irritated with it at times.

At Kaleidoscope improving health and care is why we’re here. Yet when we thought about how to join the chorus of thanksgiving for the NHS’s 72nd birthday, we had to pause. It might seem hard - even heretical - to stop and think, but our gratitude comes with some caveats.

How do you find out you’re wrong? No, not a rhetorical question. Take a moment, how do you? It is not easy. We’re programmed to want our views to be confirmed. Which is a shame, as there’s no shortage of evidence about the benefits of opening up to different views.