I hope this finds you well.

The pressures of winter are already challenging, and we know the coming months will get tougher. Our Emergency Departments (EDs) are incredibly busy and our staff are doing a fantastic job keeping patients safe and seeing them as quickly as possible.

However, we know that patients are waiting too long and we value your support in helping our communities understand where to get the best care for non-life threatening conditions. Please do remind residents to call or visit NHS 111 in the first instance.

Our upgraded Critical Care Units (CCU) will be crucial in helping us manage during this period, making sure our sickest residents get the care they need.

I was delighted to welcome the Romford Recorder for a tour of our state-of-the-art CCU at Queen’s Hospital, to show the progress being made.

We’re investing £11.5m on our CCUs at Queen’s and King George hospitals. At Queen’s, we’re transforming the unit into a 15-bed facility, with flexibility to increase in size during busier spells. At King George, we’re adding four additional beds to our existing CCU, creating a 12-bed unit. Both units are scheduled to open in the new year.

Another investment that will be key in the months ahead is our upgraded ED at King George Hospital. It will open in January and it’s one of the best designed emergency departments I have seen.

During the Recorder’s visit earlier this week, I also enjoyed sitting down for an interview to discuss our plans to improve ED waiting times, as well as other very important topics. If you’ve not seen it, please do take a read.

Supporting our workforce

With the pressures of the last year and the tough winter ahead, I’m very keen to make sure we build the resilience of our staff and boost their morale.

In recent months we’ve refurbished staff rooms, improved the food and drink options at both hospitals and also introduced a bigger discount at our restaurants. I’m also looking forward to launching our Christmas wellbeing programme next month, which I hope will make our staff feel valued and appreciated.

I’m also pleased that we have committed to paying the new London Living Wage to all of our staff, including contractors.

Whatever you choose to do, I hope you have a restful and enjoyable weekend.

Kind regards,

Matthew Trainer
Chief Executive