Chief Executive’s Message – Friday 24 January
January 24, 2025
Dear Colleagues,
I can hardly believe this is already my third Friday message to you all. I feel truly settled at SWB, and that’s thanks to the warm welcome you’ve given me.
Thank you to everyone who has shared your thoughts and feedback with me. I want to start this week’s message with some updates on a few key items.
Long Service Awards: Several of you have inquired about the long service awards program at SWB, which has been on hold since the COVID pandemic. The NHS thrives on the dedication, commitment, and hard work of our staff, and these awards honour the loyalty and exceptional service many of you have demonstrated over the years.
I am committed to reinstating these awards as soon as possible and ensuring that anyone who has not been recognised in the past five years will receive their award. We will communicate the details of this process in the coming weeks, and I look forward to celebrating the countless contributions and positive differences you make in the lives of your patients and colleagues.
TeamTalk: You may have noticed that we paused TeamTalk this month due to a scheduling conflict in my diary. I also want to use this time to revamp the session a bit. Historically at SWB, TeamTalk has been for those in leadership roles, but I am keen to make it an inclusive opportunity for everyone to attend and participate. We will share more information on this soon.
In the second part of my message, I want to focus on compassion and care—two pillars of healthcare and essentials in our daily interactions with colleagues, patients, and visitors.
It is our collective responsibility to foster an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and supported. Compassion is not just a value we uphold at SWB; it’s central to everything we do. By showing empathy and understanding towards one another, we can create a supportive and collaborative workplace. Simple acts of kindness, active listening, and offering help when needed can significantly improve someone’s day.
Our patients trust us with their care during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives, and it is our duty to treat them with the utmost compassion and respect. I understand the challenges, especially when dealing with frustrated and agitated patients, which sometimes leads to acts of violence and aggression. This is particularly true within ED and AMU at the moment. This week, I have been having discussions on how we can improve this and ensure we are doing everything possible to support our staff.
We have excellent security officers here at SWB, and just yesterday, they underwent their annual CPI restraint training. This training helps the team identify and understand aggressive behaviours, allowing them to create a safer environment from the start and de-escalate situations as they arise. We will continue to support our security team to ensure they have everything they need to help keep you safe.
The security office is located within the ED corridor, and their response time is some of the best I’ve seen. Additionally, we have a visible security presence within the department to reassure both staff and patients.
A violence and aggression working group focused on ED has been established and is currently looking at ways to improve the patient experience within the department. This includes adding more seating, clear zoning, digital screens for better patient information, and a food and drink offer.
We will also be launching a new #BeKind communications campaign, featuring the children of some of our colleagues. This campaign will highlight the important message that there is a person behind the uniform—someone with loved ones at home who comes to work to make them proud, not to be abused.
Physical and verbal abuse of our staff will not be tolerated. Please continue to report all incidents of violence and aggression and remember that we have a range of support options available through our health and wellbeing services.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
Diane