Dear colleague,  

There was a brilliant atmosphere around King George Hospital (KGH) as we officially opened our new state-of-the-art theatres that will cut waiting times and reduce our backlog. 

Caroline Clarke, Regional Director for the NHS in London – who cut the ribbon – spoke of how ‘what’s going on here is really special. It’s all about the team and the people who work here, who have put their heart and soul into making it happen.’ 

Wes Streeting, the MP for Ilford North and Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, spoke of how the work at our Elective Surgical Hub was ‘nationally leading’ and all of the innovation was being led by front line staff.  

After the ribbon cutting, guests were taken on a tour. This £14m investment will allow us to carry out 100 extra operations a week for patients across north east London. It’s doubled the number of recovery beds, and the expanded space means patients can recover better with more room to themselves. BBC News also covered the new theatres and spoke to one of the first patients who had surgery in the new facility. 

It’s great for our teams to be getting the recognition they deserve and we’re all excited to see the beneficial impact our new theatres will have on our patients. 

Increasing pay for our lowest paid staff 

This week we announced that we’re increasing our bank pay rates in line with the London Living Wage (LLW) for our lowest paid staff, as well as uplifting our apprentice rates.  

The LLW, which is above the minimum wage, rose to £13.15 per hour from the start of April, meaning our staff will earn a salary which reflects the real-world cost-of-living.   

This commitment shows how we value everyone who works with us, ensures we can attract and retain the best people at our Trust across all levels of roles.  

We are working with our suppliers to ensure they meet the LLW and are applying for the Living Wage Foundation accreditation this month. 

This is important as the foundation lists all employers who pay the LLW, helping us to attract staff to come and work with us.  

We also published our annual plan for 2024/25 which sets out the work we’re doing towards improving patient care and staff experience through our six annual goals and executive priorities. We will be keeping you updated throughout the year on how we are performing. 

I hope you have a great weekend. 

Matthew Trainer 

Chief Executive