I hope this finds you well.

Our hospitals continue to be under a lot of pressure and our Emergency Departments (EDs) are treating an extremely high number of patients – last week we saw record numbers.

I’d like to thank our staff, who are working incredibly hard to help care for our residents in very challenging circumstances, my executive colleagues and I are doing all we can to support them and keep themselves and our patients safe.

This week we’ve introduced operational site leadership teams at each hospital, with specific responsibility for managing flow, patient safety and our four-hour performance.

These teams will be in place throughout winter until the end of March and will be supported by Aleks Hammerton, Acting COO for Emergency Care, and Dr Ayo Ahonkhai, who was recently appointed Winter Director to help deal with pressures.

While we continue to do all we can to provide the best possible care, we also need your help in encouraging residents to protect themselves and their families this winter.

So far this month, 75 per cent of patients with Covid-19 in Intensive Treatment Units (ITUs) across north east London were not fully vaccinated.

We are seeing a high number of cases across our boroughs and one person who knows only too well about the impact Covid-19 can have is 16-year-old Areeb Khan.

With no underlying health conditions, Areeb has been in hospital since 10 August and almost died when collapsing at home with Covid-19 symptoms. If you’ve not seen it yet, please do watch her interview with the BBC.

Areeb has been with us at Queen’s Hospital since October to continue her rehab and her story is a stark reminder of just how important it is to protect ourselves. Areeb tested positive just days before the vaccine was made available for her age group and she hopes her story will encourage others to have it, as do I.

Many of you may also remember Anil Patel, who spent 149 days with us in 2020, before many weeks in rehab during his Covid-19 battle.

Anil is a big West Ham United fan and in a recent interview with the Metro, explained how a call from Hammers striker Michael Antonio helped him during a tough period in his ongoing recovery.

Anil’s recovery has been incredibly slow but has said he’s getting better and is feeling optimistic.

I’m sure you echo our very best well wishes to Anil and Areeb, who both highlight how important it is to have the vaccine.

If you’ve not had yours yet, please do get vaccinated and encourage your family to do the same. It’s also really important to have your flu jab too.

As always, I will continue to keep you updated in these newsletters and my video diaries.

I hope you have a restful weekend. Stay safe.

Kind regards,

Matthew Trainer
Chief Executive