I hope this finds you well and enjoying the cooler weather after last week’s heatwave. However we know the British summer never lasts too long, and we are already putting plans in place to ensure we are ready for winter.

Funding for our Emergency Department

Many of you may have read the news about the £4.1m funding we have received for our Emergency Department at Queen’s Hospital to upgrade facilities ahead of the winter. We know that our four hour emergency access standard performance has not been at the standard we expect over recent weeks. One of the key ways we can address this is to improve flow through the department. With this in mind we plan to spend the funding on providing Point of Care Testing (POCT) and reconfigure the department to expand the current Rapid Access and First Treatment (RAFT) area.

Introducing POCT, effectively laboratory blood tests performed outside of the lab, will mean our patients’ results are immediately available, cutting down treatment delays. Expansion of our RAFTing enables us to increase the number of patients who can be assessed at the same time while ensuring two metre social distancing can still be observed. It will also help to reduce the time it takes for ambulance crews to handover patients. As a result of this funding we can free up the necessary capital to invest a similar amount to upgrade facilities at our Emergency Department at King George. Work starts early in the new year so we can be ready for the winter peak.

A national first for our radiotherapy patients

I’m incredibly proud that we are once again leading the way in cutting edge technology for our cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. We’ve upgraded one of our Varian radiotherapy machines, making us the first in the country to offer Ethos therapy, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to find the exact location of the tumour in a patient’s body on each day of their treatment, so that radiation is targeted in that area. In essence the AI adapts to our patients, rather than our patients adapting to our treatments. It can be delivered in a standard 15 to 20 minute appointment slot and means patients no longer have to undergo certain invasive procedures to prepare for treatment. It is at the cutting edge of technology. We treated three prostate cancer patients on its first day in action, including grandfather Stephen McTaggart, who was first to be treated – read more about Stephen’s experience and about the system. In 2017 we were the first in the UK to have a Varian Halcyon treatment machine, which cut treatment times while also improving patients’ comfort, and in 2018 we were the first in the world to implement high-quality imaging on Halcyon.

Interventional radiology

I recently shared an update on our new seven day mechanical thrombectomy service.  The procedure, which removes blood clots from the brain of acute stroke patients, is undertaken by our interventional radiologists. You may recall Loren Dixon, 25, who was saved from locked in syndrome and recently featured in the Daily Express.

Sarah McSweeney is one of our lead interventional radiographers and has worked at our Trust for over 25 years. Interventional radiology isn’t a service that is familiar to everyone yet the team, based in Theatres, are integral to successful patient outcomes. Sarah is hugely passionate about what she does and shares the work of her team in our latest news story.

Our staff put us in good stead for future waves

Like Sarah, the passion and innovations of our staff never ceases to amaze me, and it gives me confidence and reassurance me that we are well placed to deal with any subsequent waves of Covid-19. Our team of clinical nurse specialists who work with children with asthma started their posts between June to October last year, and were just getting established when the pandemic hit. For three months they provided a seven-day service, rather than the usual Monday to Friday, and the digital revolution proffered opportunities to do things differently, from training sessions with primary care colleagues to holding webinars with schools and rolling out the Asthma Friendly Schools initiative. Find out more about the work of the team and how to get in touch with them.

Dr Louise Daniels, Clinical Lead for Rheumatology, also led her team to rise to the challenges faced through the pandemic. In her latest blog, Louise talks about the different ways patients were supported, such as establishing a specialist blood service and continuing with biologic infusions by relocating to Spire Hartswood. Some of her relocated staff were even able to use their skills and experience of dealing with rheumatology drugs to contribute to valuable COVID research.

Sad news about a member of staff

It would be remiss of me not to mention the tragic death of Esther Egbon, a popular HCA at King George who leaves behind four children. Our thoughts are with her loved ones.

Plasma donation

To manage the pandemic we all have the opportunity to pay our part, through social distancing, and following good hygiene practices. There are also other ways to help us prepare for further peaks. NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is urgently appealing for people in Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge to donate convalescent plasma. Overall, the recent weeks have seen a welcome decline in new infections, and this means every potential donor is now even more valuable. A successful trial will enable the plasma to be an additional line of protection during any second wave as it can be transfused into people who are still unwell and struggling to develop their own immune response which could stop the virus spreading. Please do please offer to donate by calling or 0300 123 23 23 or visiting the www.nhsbt.nhs.uk website.

Covid-19 – not the only health concern for people

Whilst we cannot underestimate the role we all play in helping to reduce occurrences of the virus, I urge you to continue to encourage people to attend our hospitals to get the care they need for other conditions. It is crucial people look after their health needs - the risk of ignoring them can lead to more acute problems. I can absolutely reassure you that we have plans in place to keep them safe, whether that is as an emergency patient or for planned procedures and surgeries.

I hope you all have a good week ahead.

Tony Chambers
Chief Executive