Dear colleague,

Our new Women’s Health Hub has seen its first patients. The Hub will provide key services including community midwifery, gynaecology care and menopause support.

It will help us treat women in our communities who have been waiting too long. They make up 79% of patients waiting more than 52 weeks, with many needing gynaecological appointments.

The Hub is one of the many services in the new Ilford Exchange Health Centre which are being run by our local partners.

The centre will create extra capacity for GP services to help meet growing local demand alongside community blood testing, podiatry and sexual health services, care for long term conditions, mental health support, children’s services and adult social care.

Diagnosing HIV quicker  

From April to October, we conducted an average of 6,857 HIV tests every month across Queen’s and King George hospitals. It’s all thanks to the opt-out testing we’re doing in our Emergency Departments (ED) as part of a national programme.

This is increasing month by month and many patients have tested positive helping them get the treatment they need sooner.

As Poonam Ranchan, our Sexual Health Lead, said: “We've had many patients come where they wouldn't ordinarily have been tested. Patients are getting diagnosed earlier meaning they can start the treatment they need sooner. 

“Early HIV diagnosis enables patients to engage in care earlier, resulting in better long-term health outcomes. Early detection allows patients to take control and make informed decisions about their health.”

The team started the month celebrating the work they do on World AIDS Day which they also used to raise further awareness amongst staff and patients.

Preparing for winter 

This winter is already proving to be a challenging one across our hospitals with the increasing number of patients attending our EDs.

In November alone, we saw an extra 100 patients a day when compared to November last year. Towards the end of the month, an average of 1,000 patients were attending the departments every day.

Our Virtual Ward is continuing to help keep patients out of hospital and in their own home, and our teams at our new Ageing Well Centre are delivering much needed care for the older people in our communities. Our challenge is to sustain our recent improvements and ensure patients get the right care in the right place and keep well over the winter months.

I’d encourage everyone eligible to get their flu and Covid jabs and for those in the borough, Havering Council has recently launched its Winter Support Scheme for residents. You can also find out where to get the best care for you on our website.

Have a good weekend.

Best wishes,

Matthew Trainer

Chief Executive