Our Emergency Departments (EDs) continue to be under a lot of pressure and Monday was one of the busiest days on record in our Children’s ED at Queen’s Hospital, as we saw a lot of children whose families were concerned about Strep A.

Most infections are mild and easily treated with antibiotics. Take a look at the symptoms and advice on where parents should seek care if their child is unwell.

Yesterday (8 December) the BBC spent the day at several EDs across the country, speaking with patients about their experience while we battle winter pressures.

They spent some time at King George Hospital (KGH) and I apologised for the long waits and explained some of the challenging conditions our staff are working in.

You can read my thoughts on the BBC website, which were added at 13:46 on the live reporting column.

This week also marked the two-year anniversary since we started vaccinating residents against Covid-19 across north east London (NEL).

Since then, more than four million jabs have been given across NEL and as a Trust, we have provided more than 175,000. You can still protect yourself and have your Covid-19 booster and flu jab.

Changing Places facility opened at King George Hospital

KGH has been boosted by the opening of an accredited Changing Places facility, which will ensure our disabled patients have the equipment and space they need to use toilets safely and with dignity.

I was delighted to join our Chief Nurse Kathryn Halford, patients and partners at the facility’s opening this week and I was reminded by one service user why Changing Places are crucial.

John Watson, who cares for his son Michael, told me that Changing Places are not a “nice to have”, they are a necessity that he revolves his day around.

We now have Changing Places at Queen’s and King George hospitals and I know they will make a big difference to so many people.

Radiography training academy launched

In our efforts to recruit, upskill and retain the best staff for our patients, radiographers across NEL are set to benefit from fantastic development opportunities with the launch of the North East London Imaging Academy,

The Academy is based at KGH and is a collaborative project which will see student radiographers from our Trust, Barts Health and the Homerton develop their skills in MRI, CT and Plain Film.

It’s vital that we give trainee and experienced radiographers the best equipment and opportunities to develop, so they can enjoy their job and continue to provide an excellent service to our patients.

It’s been a tough couple of years for radiologists and the team have worked extremely hard to reduce waiting lists. Radiology services at our Trust have a bright future, with more MRI and CT machines and a proposed diagnostic centre at Barking Community Hospital.

Best wishes,

Matthew Trainer

Chief Executive