Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 10 June
June 10, 2022
As we move on from the long bank holiday weekend I firstly want to say “thank you” to everyone who is continuing to work hard to keep patients safe. We are in the Spring to Summer season and the pressure on our urgent and emergency care services has not eased, and at times it has become even more intense. It is no consolation, but we are not alone. Many of you will have seen in the news the nurse at another hospital having to face her overcrowded emergency department to explain the very lengthy waits that patients would be experiencing. Coupled with the rising pressure on our ambulance service, this is an incredibly difficult period for all working in our acute services. Your commitment to treating patients safely, under immensely challenging services is commendable and I know it is taking its toll.
This is not a situation that is solely affecting acute, front-line teams. Everyone here has a role to play. Our community services and primary care teams are vital in the treatment they provide for patients at home and in community settings. This is helping to avoid hospital stays and providing better quality of care for individuals. Community beds and wards too are focused on discharges and working with partner organisations to get arrangements in place as early as possible so that moving back home or to a more suitable care location is prompt and seamless.
We all have risks to assess and mitigate in these circumstances. We all strive to provide very high quality care, but when our front doors are under such pressure, then we must follow our planned action cards to prioritise safety. This means that patients ready to go home can sit out to allow for beds to become available for other patients. Following this policy is essential.
I am very proud of our teams for all you do. We are in a better place than some, but let me be clear, that this is a system, regional and national issue. The boundaries between organisations are immaterial for the patients who need care and working collaboratively and supportively with others remains a priority.
We have been celebrating Volunteer’s Week recently and I know that you will all join with me in our admiration and appreciation for these individuals, who selflessly support our colleagues and our patients. During COVID-19, whilst we moved volunteers from most clinical areas and supported clinically vulnerable volunteers in staying at home, many volunteers remained and continue to remain providing additional assistance particularly on the front doors of our buildings. Their role i supports patients and visitors in navigating our fairly disparate sites and helping people get where they need to be. Volunteers are beginning to be returned in greater numbers to clinical areas as our COVID-19 restrictions ease. Please take the time to thank our volunteers for their valuable support.
Next week we kick off our Strategy Week where we aim to make our new strategy, and particularly our three strategic objectives (the three Ps – Patients, People and Population), very clear for all colleagues. Look out for handy new materials in your areas to be displayed and shared with your teams. There are four staff Q&A sessions coming up as well from Monday – all colleagues welcome – so do book on to find out more.
Our strategy is supported by a number of plans that set out “how” we are going to achieve these five-year objectives. A really important feature of our Trust is our thriving research and development programme. Jilly Croasdale is leading work to help advance the non-medical research capability of our organisation. We know that organisations that engage in high quality, person-centred research activity have higher patient satisfaction, reduced mortality, improved CQC performance and improved organisational efficiency. It also improves department working and helps individuals improve skills, confidence and job satisfaction.
A short (10 minute) survey is being carried out as a benchmarking exercise to see where we are now with our Nurses, Midwives, Allied Health Professionals, Healthcare Scientists, Pharmacy staff and Psychologists (NMAHPPS) research. The survey is for non-medical staff and covers any levels of research you are doing, from presenting posters at conferences to running clinical trials. The results will help develop a research strategy to look at providing research training and opportunities at our Trust. Please follow this link to complete the survey – https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/NMAHPPS/
We all want to provide the best treatment to our patients. And to do this, we need research