Dear colleague,

Last month marked our best performance in a month since July 2020 for All Types.

Of all patients attending A&E, 75.08 per cent were seen and treated within four hours. This is despite the number of patients coming through our doors increasing every month – we had 7,000 more patients this February when compared to the last.

This puts us on track to hit the national 76 per cent recovery target for overall performance by the end of March, with the help of PELC, a GP cooperative which runs our urgent treatment centres.

We’ve also seen progress in waiting times for those patients who are most seriously ill with our Type 1 performance jumping over 20 per cent since January 2023, to 52.6 per cent.

However the reality is we are still struggling with crowding in our A&Es, particularly at Queen’s Hospital where over 600 people a day are coming through a department designed for 300. This means too many older people are spending the night on beds in corridors, and we have lots more to do to reduce waits for everyone.

Our teams have also been working hard to tackle our waiting lists. In our recent ‘Gynaecology Week’, we carried out 60 operations in just six days – including 38 major surgeries.

2023 NHS staff survey

Our latest staff survey results showed many improvements when compared to last year.

I’m pleased that our staff feel comfortable raising concerns, are more motivated and more would now recommend our Trust as a good place to work.

While we are moving in the right direction, the survey highlights several areas where we need to take action.

Many staff spoke about facing unrealistic time pressures, experiencing burnout and inequality in career progression.

And too many of them told us they face discrimination, sexual harassment and violence, issues that no one should have to experience when they come into our hospitals, whether it’s to work or to receive care.

We have already started addressing this with the launch of our No Abuse No Excuse campaign and by signing up to NHS England’s sexual safety charter.

I’d like to end by wishing my Muslim colleagues and members of our local communities a happy Ramadan.

Best wishes,

Matthew Trainer

Chief Executive