I was very proud to see us celebrate our wonderful nurses and midwives to mark International Nurses Day on Tuesday (12 May).

Of course our celebrations were a little more low-key than planned due to Covid-19, however, that didn’t stop us from doing everything we could to show our nurses and midwives just how much we appreciate them, which is especially important during these unprecedented times.

Our 3,000-plus nurses, midwifery and support staff each received a special gift box, which included items to mark the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth such as a tea light to represent her iconic lamp.

We also held special services to mark the occasions at both our hospitals.

Nurses make up a huge section of our workforce, as do our BAME colleagues and, in light of the emerging data that BAME groups are more severely impacted by Covid-19, looking after these colleagues is more important than ever.

As well as introducing a specific risk assessment for BAME colleagues, we’ve also established a dedicated working group which will inform our ongoing plans to address these concerns. Our Ethnic Minority staff network is also playing a key role when it comes to understanding how our BAME colleagues feel, and what would help them to feel safe and reassured.

And with such a huge focus nationally, we’re delighted that Joan Saddler, one of our non-executive directors, is featured in the HSJ, talking about NHS Confederation’s latest briefing that outlines a range of actions that health and care organisations could take to safeguard BAME people. You can also watch the independent Chair of our Integrated Care System Marie Gabriel’s webinar.

As we continue to deal with this pandemic, I’m pleased to inform you that a further 144 patients with, or suspected to have, Covid-19, have been discharged over the last week. These included Arun who had spent a month in our hospitals, you can see him placing his bee sticker on our tree of life on Twitter. And you can see a video of Robert Neal sticking on his bee before heading home to his wife and dog.

Sadly, over the last week the number of confirmed Covid-19 deaths rose by 30, to 384.

At this time, we know it’s extremely hard for our patients and their families not to be able to see each other. In April we launched our Thinking of you programme to help families stay in touch, and we’ve now extended it, inviting anyone to send a message to a patient who may not have family or friends to write to them. Read more on our website.

We’re also hugely grateful to the many families who are fundraising for us to buy iPads so our patients can keep in touch with their loved ones. Jennifer Riches was inspired to do this after our nurses allowed her and her family to speak to her mother via their iPhones, before she sadly died of Covid-19. Read Jennifer’s story.

To keep our patients entertained we’ve also introduced activity packs on our wards, which include a range of games and quizzes such as crosswords, Sudoku and others.

A big priority for us now, having moved through the initial peak of the pandemic, is to plan for the next phase, looking at how we manage our regular elective work, while also continuing to deal with Covid-19. We’ll keep updating all service changes on our website, so please ensure you check there regularly.

Take good care.

Tony Chambers
Chief Executive