Author: Suzanne Conboy-Hill

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In search of the ‘bommsittit’

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

You know those lyrics that you can’t quite make out and so you do your best with a phonetic rendition? A classic is the six year old belting out our national anthem and translating the less comprehensible ‘long to reign over us‘ as ‘the long train ran over us‘. An urban myth, possibly; but my sister’s stab at ‘Guantanamera‘, rendered as ‘one ton o’ metal‘, is definitely true. I was there and took merciless older sister advantage of her ignorance. Another mysterious distortion emerged recently in the conversation of two radio presenters. Which two, I have no recollection, but it reappeared during a transmission from Glastonbury, so maybe it was 6Music. The ‘bommsittit‘ or ‘bomsytit‘ was evidently an … Continue reading In search of the ‘bommsittit’

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nano fiction2 Comments

Recycled #4: Prunella – Queen of the Dessert

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

Prune-Ella, Queen of the Dessert Cynicism. A withering of the heart through repeated, constant, undeserved criticism of genuine and meritorious effort? Well not desolation or abuse that’s for sure; those give rise to defeat, hatred, uncomplicated self-destruction by the slow degrees of personal deconstruction. No, cynicism has a sense of survival to it, vengeance even. It is veiled power, happy to bide its time, content to stalk its target until the moment and the words are most apposite. Cynicism is miserable nastiness out in a posh frock and allowed to mix with its targets. Ah but bitching, that’s a much … Continue reading Recycled #4: Prunella – Queen of the Dessert

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learning disability, writers, writing2 Comments

Winterbourne abuse scandal

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

Writing is writing, right? Someone in ‘Good Will Hunting’ said that, if you can do it, you should, on behalf of all those who can’t. Well this link to my other blog, my other life, is my writerly way of speaking for those who can’t. Others have done the same. Journalists have made erudite comment. The BBC gave us the material. But we all knew it was happening, somewhere in our souls, our collective psyche. We knew that we could not always trust humans to act with humanity, or decency, or even just plain neglectfully. We knew that some would see an opportunity for … Continue reading Winterbourne abuse scandal

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disability2 Comments

Winterbourne’s Silent Majority

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

In 1981, I went on placement as a clinical trainee to a large mental handicap hospital in Surrey. I had never encountered people with learning disabilities before, and I was shocked to the core. But I was a qualified general nurse, and I was used to clearing up the messes bodies make when they’re ill or distressed. I was also used to pulling curtains around people on bedpans, to chasing doctors out of the women’s wards while personal care was being delivered, and to helping people to eat when they had forgotten how. I saw how morale was raised by giving patients a wash and set before visiting. … Continue reading Winterbourne’s Silent Majority

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academic, MHID1 Comment

Joint Congress of the European Association for Mental Health in Intellectual Disability & IASSID Challenging Behaviour & Mental Health SIRG

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

This is a first-of-its-kind conference; a joint enterprise between the Division of Clinical Psychology (British Psychological Society) and two European specialist learning disability associations. It is hosted by the DCP’s Faculty of Learning disability, which comprises psychologists working with people with learning disabilities, primarily in the NHS but also through local authority and third sector provisions. Sussex Partnership is well represented. Peter Baker is presenting his work  on positive behaviour support: Positive Behaviour Support Clinical and Process Outcomes: The P-CPO project. Nicky Gregory (with Celia Heneage) a workshop: Group work with people who have learning disabilities; sharing ideas from clinical practice. And I am presenting our findings for … Continue reading Joint Congress of the European Association for Mental Health in Intellectual Disability & IASSID Challenging Behaviour & Mental Health SIRG

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nano fiction6 Comments

Recycled #3: The Marmite Trilogy

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

An inadvertant excercise in perspective writing Narrator ‘I hate it, it’s horrible!’ ’There’s nothing wrong with it. Get it down or there’s no afters’ ‘But Dad!’ ‘Sammy, I’m warning you!’ ‘Jason says it’s witches’ poo!’ ‘Samantha!’ (‘Samantha‘– that meant trouble) ’Finish it now or you go to your room with no TV, understand?’ Sammy’s mouth turned down at the edges. Her bottom lip started to protrude and quiver. Her shoulders started to chug up and down and her fists tightened on the Sunday tablecloth. She sucked in a huge breath though distress-flared nostrils and she howled. It was an eyes-screwed-up, face … Continue reading Recycled #3: The Marmite Trilogy

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mothers day4 Comments

Mother: More Than Just Neosporin and Band-aids. (via Writing Under Pressure)

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

Mothers’ Day in the UK was in April so, when the US gets going on theirs, I always think I’ve forgotten and start clicking around the chocolates and Interflora sites. I used to phone but now there is no conversation; just bland scripts or sudden bursts of unaccountable distress. Dementia has stolen the person my mother once was and left behind a husk. Our memories are confined to black and white photos and the oral accounts handed on by earlier generations. These will undoubtedly become fragile and subject to contraction and distortion over the time. Old age is not always … Continue reading Mother: More Than Just Neosporin and Band-aids. (via Writing Under Pressure)

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local politics4 Comments

Local elections comedy sketch

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

It’s been polling day here today. Not for national government, but for our local councils. So it’s the time when people who might have been doing quite a good job, get a thorough kicking because of unpopularity at the top. This year, two parties are up for a drubbing because we have a coalition, so if Labour doesn’t do well, Ed Miliband should really pack up and go join his brother in political limbo. We’re also voting this time in our first referendum since 1975. Then, it was about joining or not joining the European Economic Community (we joined). This time it’s about Alternative Voting (AV) as a replacement … Continue reading Local elections comedy sketch

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Uncategorized6 Comments

Recycled#2: Gross Expectations

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

Gross Expectations Eloise hoisted open the flimsy door and paused on the threshold, screwing up her nose and holding onto the urge to vomit. Somebody already had, it seemed, and she surveyed the cramped and stinking landscape with a tactical eye. How to accomplish the necessary without acquiring more sewage than she was hoping to leave behind? Not for the first time, Eloise wished Glastonbury had a Business Class section. ©suzanne conboy-hill 2009 Continue reading Recycled#2: Gross Expectations

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academic, high impact journal, impact factor, publication1 Comment

What does it mean when a research journal is ‘high impact’?

Suzanne Conboy-Hill

Ok, so I’m on leave and taking a break from writing a 2000 word creation-myth story, as you do. I was at two meetings recently where the impact of research was discussed. The first was to do with demonstrating the value of research to organisations; the second was with a group of service users with learning disabilities (Powerful Trainers). Not surprisingly, the prevailing interpretation of ‘impact’ in these two discussions differed significantly, and the problem of resolution has been bothering my thinking genie ever since. As a clinician whose main output has been what might be termed ‘armchair’ discussion items … Continue reading What does it mean when a research journal is ‘high impact’?

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