Thread by @ChrisHopsonNHS

Proud to be @NHSEngland exec sponsor for @NHSMuslimNet. Completed my #NHSRamadanChallenge last Thursday – fasting (no food or liquid) between 0505 & 1933. I learnt a lot along the way which I thought it would be worth sharing in one of my tweet threads. New thread 🧵. 1/24

I’ve deliberately set out information on Ramadan first (about which I knew very little) and then shared my personal experience of the impact of fasting on me. Recognising that I only fasted for one day and fasting for a whole month over all of Ramadan is very different. 2/24

Ramadan is the 9th month in the Islamic calendar and one of the holiest months in the year for Muslims. As the Islamic calendar is based around the lunar calendar, Ramadan rotates by c.10 days each year. It isn't clear, in advance, exactly when it falls (see below/attached) 3/24

This year Ramadan ran/runs from approximately 23 March to 22 April. Precise dates are based on the sighting of the crescent moon. For Muslims Ramadan is a time of spiritual reflection, self-improvement and worship as well as fasting from break of the dawn to sunset. 4/24

Why fast? Fasting is the 4th pillar of Islam (the others are declaration of faith, prayer, charity and pilgrimage). Muslims abstain from food, drink (incl. water), smoking, chewing gum and sexual activity. The act of fasting allows individual Muslims to draw closer to God. 5/24

Fasting also enables individual Muslims to understand the suffering of those who live in poverty and famine. This leaves the individual feeling more grounded and grateful for what they have, and have been given by God. However Ramadan is more than just fasting. 6/24

It is also a time for reflection, discipline, abstaining from bad habits, extra prayers, charity, acts of kindness & connection with family and community. Ramadan ends with Eid Al-Fitr which is announced at the sight of the new moon in the sky. It’s a celebratory festival… 7/24

…Which Muslims celebrate by attending special morning prayers outdoors or in mosques and then gathering with loved ones for a special meal. It’s also a time for forgiveness & making amends. But the precise timing of Eid Al-Fitr can’t be known in advance… 8/24

…It depends on the the sighting of the moon. Muslims in most countries rely on news of an official sighting, rather than looking for the moon themselves. But this brings issues for those Muslim colleagues who want to take leave from work to celebrate Eid Al-Fitr. 9/24

As one Muslim colleague put it to me: “It’s a really hard conversation to have with a line manager. ‘I may or may not want to take leave on x day. It depends on whether a holy person sees the moon. And if it’s not that day, can I have the next one please?’. 10/24

They went on to say that many Muslim colleagues don’t even bother to start the conversation as they think it may adversely impact their career. The link between Ramadan and an uncertain lunar calendar therefore brings important issues that we need to think about. 11/24

Fasting for #NHSRamadanChallenge between 0505 and 1933 last Thursday made me personally think about some other things too. Like what I was going to eat/drink before I started fasting and how I was going to end the fast. Remembering that it was just one day. 12/24

It also made me reflect on what line managers need to do to support staff who are fasting and observing Ramadan more widely. Including an increased focus on prayers, which is a particularly important feature for Muslims, especially in the last 10 days of Ramadan. 13/24

There is a good guide produced by @NHSMuslimNet here: nhsmuslimnetwork.co.uk/ramadan-and-ei… which I found really useful to build my understanding. Below are some issues/thoughts I’d highlight based on my personal experience last Thursday as I did my one day #NHSRamadanChallenge fast. 14/24

My concentration and productivity definitely dropped towards the end of the day. So it feels important to collectively think about work schedules. Collectively meaning those fasting, line managers and, in cases where team working is essential, work colleagues. 15/24

Recognising that this will require team flexibility around work planning and rostering. And that getting the right work schedules for teams requires a number of things including good advance planning, team commitment and mutual understanding and support from all colleagues. 16/24

It’s also important to remember that the days are getting longer. That means that the length of time fasting each day will increase over Ramadan. And Muslim colleagues tell me that it’s much harder to do successive multiple days as you get progressively more tired… 17/24

….And there isn’t the opportunity to recover, which I obviously had immediately. I didn’t need to get up at c0430 next day to prepare & eat the early breakfast needed to ensure I could fast for that day. And that time (incl. 30 mins eat/prep) is c0350 by end of Ramadan. 18/24

I found it helpful to tell people that I was fasting and why I was doing it. Particularly given that I wasn’t eating and drinking unlike other @NHSEngland Board members when we were together between our private and public board meetings. But that made me think….19/24

…What must it be like for Muslim colleagues to have to continually tell others about their fasting? We can support Muslim colleagues by taking time to understand what Ramadan involves and what it personally means for those who are observing it and fasting. 20/24

As one Muslim colleague put it: “It would be preferable if line managers and colleagues assumed that at least 1 in 20 colleagues are likely to be fasting and applied due thought on that basis”. Recognising that not all Muslim colleagues will be fasting,….21/24

…As there are some exemptions (e.g. those with serious or long term illness; pregnant or breast feeding women if they are unable to – p.6 of the @NHSMuslimNet guide). And we should be mindful and sensitive about Muslims who are eating/drinking over Ramadan. 22/24

I’ve always thought that we all have a duty to enable all our colleagues to bring their best selves to work, so everyone can give of their best, as we would want to. There is so much that each of us can do to support our Muslim colleagues during Ramadan. 23/24

I am very much looking forward to the @NHSMuslimNet Eid Al-Fitr celebrations, as Ramadan ends. There’s also plenty of time left before April 22 for any colleagues who want to join me in completing the #NHSRamadanChallenge! 24/24