We continue to be encouraged by the steady reduction in cases we see in our weekly Covid-19 figures for our Trust.

Although brighter days are ahead, it is crucial we stay vigilant in the coming weeks and months. While we can be excited by the roadmap out of lockdown, let’s not forget the current measures in place – Stay Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives.

Keeping you safe

We will be living with Covid-19 for some time to come and some members of our communities have told us there is a nervousness to visit our hospitals, so I wanted to provide reassurance about the measures we have in place to keep you safe.

It’s vital people remember that their health and wellbeing is paramount and it really is so important to get checked if displaying any symptoms of an illness.

Our hospitals are not just for Covid patients.

I must stress that we are doing all we can to keep you safe, which is why we have a number of national infection, prevention and control guidance measures in place. On arrival, our patients, visitors and staff go through a screening process, which includes having their temperature checked and being asked a series of questions, as well as being reminded to wear a face mask and to clean their hands with alcohol gel.

Other measures we have in place to keep us safe include zoning sections of our hospitals, creating new entrances and restricting public access and staff movement. We of course also continue to follow national guidance in regard to Covid-19 testing and isolation protocols.

We’ve also had to adapt the way in which we provide our services to ensure they are Covid-safe. These have included telephone appointments, virtual clinics and interactive videos.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been delighted to tell you how we have restarted endoscopy services at Queen’s Hospital, reopened the Birth Centre at Queen’s Hospital and started to carry out some of our higher priority planned surgeries. As we reintroduce more services, we will continue to do this in line with national guidance when it is safe to do so.

Knowing the hard work that has gone into making people feel safe in our hospitals, it was heart-warming to read the thoughts of one of our incredibly brave patients, Georgina Dutton, about how she has felt when visiting us. Speaking on World Cancer Day, she said: “Do not stay quiet, even if you only have one symptom. I have felt very safe entering the hospital during the pandemic. There are so many procedures in place to keep people safe.”

Echoing the words of Georgina, I cannot stress enough, if you are unwell or displaying a symptom of an illness, please don’t ignore it.  

Building works at our hospitals

Patient experience is not about treatment alone; the environment we care for them matters too. I am delighted to let you know we have significant building works taking place at both King George and Queen’s hospitals.

At King George Hospital, we are relocating the Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) out of our Emergency Department (ED) which is great news as it means we will have more space in our ED. These particular works started in September 2020 and should be completed soon.

We are also improving the Children and Young People’s Assessment Unit (CYPAU) at Queen’s Hospital, which will increase the capacity to deliver a more sustainable service. These works should be finished by the end of May.

Take a look at our website for more details about these works.

Family donation in memory of beloved nan

While the grief and sadness we feel when losing a loved one can never be forgotten, reading beautiful stories in times of darkness can often make us feel a little better.

Frances Nolan sadly died of Covid-19 at Queen’s Hospital last April, aged 82. Her family were so grateful for the care she received and how supportive our staff were, they wanted to give something back.

The family knew exactly what deserving cause was extremely close to their beloved Frances’ heart – our Children’s Diabetes team, which supported her grandson, Jude, following his diagnosis with type 1 diabetes when he was eight.

They raised over £300 and used the money to purchase indispensable tools for parents of children with diabetes, including Carbs and Cals books, food weighing scales, and insulin pump pouches. Read the heart-warming story in full on our website.

Praise for Clinical Engineering

Since the start of the pandemic, we know that there are many unsung heroes throughout our Trust.

One of those is Clinical Engineering, the team responsible for procuring equipment for our hospitals. Since the start of April 2020, the team has deployed more than 3,000 pieces of equipment across our Trust, often working beyond their usual hours to ensure we have the machines we need to treat our patients.

As our Chief Nurse Kathryn Halford so rightly said, “there are thousands more people in our Trust who have been excelling to ensure we deliver the best care possible and this is just one example of the work that goes on behind the scenes at our hospitals.”

Our “shining star” phlebotomist

I take great pride in sharing positive individual stories about my colleagues, especially when they have a significant impact on the experience of our patients.

Jaydi Charles, a senior phlebotomist at our Trust, was described as a “shining star” by a public health midwife after putting a pregnant patient at ease when taking her bloods.

The woman had struggled to attend her first scan appointment due to agoraphobia, PTSD and anxiety. However, it was Jaydi’s friendly, professional and amiable nature which relaxed the patient without making her feel patronised.

Thank you Jaydi – keep up the great work!

Please do all stay safe and have a great week.

Best wishes.

Tony Chambers
Chief Executive