Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 21 August

August 21, 2020

I start off this message by urging those of you who are registered health professionals to put yourselves forward to become a peer vaccinator as we get ready for our annual flu campaign. This year, we’ll be taking a different approach to how we administer the flu vaccine and will have our very own Flu-per Troopers representing areas right across our Trust. I am told the training only takes 30 mins all on ESR. COVID-19 caught us all off guard but we know the flu is coming, it’s preventable and we already have a well-tested quadrivalent vaccination on offer. Over the next few weeks you will begin to see our ABBA inspired campaign across the Trust. Get involved and play your part, after all, that’s the name of the game! Contact Bethan Downing to express your interest bethan.downing1@nhs.net

It’s been a week since we issued our first weConnect quarterly survey of the financial year. The survey has gone to colleagues in system transformation, nursing services, community medicine, paediatrics, ophthalmology, admitted care and imaging. If you are part of this sample, I do urge you to respond. We have been through some challenging months, it would be good to hear your views about your experiences and how we can make improvements across our workplace. You have until Friday 4 September to have your say.

Next month will mark a year since we installed Unity, our electronic patient record, which significantly changed the way we work for the better. It’s great to see many of you embrace it and indeed continue to support optimisation by contributing to the Unity Tip of the Week. Next Wednesday evening (26 August) from 10pm through to the next day Thursday 27 August we will see Unity go through one of its biggest updates since launch. All the changes are in the background and ward staff are still be able to give medications, document patient details and record observations as usual during this time. The processes you have learned will not change and when you log on the system will look almost completely the same. However, much of the underlying code that manages Unity will be updated to take advantage of improved processes delivering a much more stable and safer experience for all. Details have been shared in today’s communications bulletin and watch out for further communications next week.

The implementation of Unity involved learning for many of us. Learning is an important part of how we grow and develop as an organisation. In recent weeks, colleagues have completed apprenticeships under challenging circumstances dealing with COVID-19 as well as juggling their studies to get ready for their End Point Assessments. Well done to all our learners, it’s a fantastic achievement. Remember apprenticeships are not just for the young, contact Libby Marshall or Maxine Griffiths to find out what opportunities are available to you.

Cheryl Shepherd, Senior Sister on AMU was yesterday named this year’s recipient of the Shiela Lorimer Award (presented to a nurse on the acute medical unit in memory of Acute Medicine Nurse Practitioner, Shiela Lorimer who sadly passed away in 2013). This award is given yearly in recognition of nursing excellence and Cheryl clearly shone through with her passion and patient centred work within ambulatory care as well as her phenomenal resilience throughout the pandemic. Well done Cheryl.

Your health and wellbeing remains paramount. The past few months will have taken a toll on many of us mentally and physically. Do remember to take advantage of the services we have on offer – you can see all the services available on Connect. This week’s Star of the Week has made a contribution to our wellbeing offer. Carl Bellamy, e-Learning Manager is recognised for filming and editing a series of wellbeing videos which became a regular and important feature in our COVID-19 bulletins at the peak of the pandemic.

I end this message with the plea for all of us to ensure we do all we can to keep each other safe. As the threat of a second wave continues and cases rising in the community, it is vital that all of us follow the rules of wearing a face mask at all times whilst in clinical areas of our main hospital buildings.

Where social distancing is not possible then this remains important during handovers, breaks and with ward based teaching. Hand hygiene is equally important. The reason for this is clear, we need to remain vigilant against the transmission of COVID-19 and do everything we can to keep our patients and colleagues safe from infection. Complacency is our enemy, so we must all work together to continue to fight the spread.

David Carruthers, Acting Chief Executive