We are coming to the end of a year that has been like no other in recent memory. The Tier 4 restrictions that were imposed over the weekend will have a significant impact on the Christmas plans of many of us. We have to hope that the sacrifices we’ll all endure in the coming weeks will result in a reduction in infections in our communities and a lessening of the load on our hospitals.

At our Trust, we’ve not quite reached the peak of the first wave, but we are heading in that direction. As the number of Covid-19 patients has continued to rise, we have taken the painful decision to postpone non-urgent operations and all, non-urgent, face to face outpatient appointments. We need to free up as many staff as possible to look after those most in need. 

Our staff are, understandably, struggling and exhausted. Just like the population they care for and live amongst, they know people who have been killed by this virus. Some have also been seriously ill themselves. Their wellbeing is a priority for our senior leaders and it was something my colleague Kathryn Halford wrote about in an opinion piece for the Nursing Times. 

The resilience of our staff, as they’ve responded to the pandemic and to winter, was captured in a recent article in the Evening Standard. This was a follow up to one written in June when colleagues reflected on their experiences during the first wave.   

As the pressures have increased, so too has the collaborative working of our many health partners in north east London. The term ‘system working’ can sometimes feel like an abstract concept. In recent weeks it has delivered concrete outcomes. We are working, for example, with the North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) to use their capacity to free up some of our beds that are in short supply. 

Given all these pressures, and the way the new variant of the virus is spreading so rapidly, it is very heartening that we have been able to play our part in administering the Covid vaccine. I am proud of the fact more than half of those we vaccinated last week were care home workers and those who work for NELFT and the East London Foundation Trust who regularly visit homes. We have also been vaccinating our vulnerable staff and those employed by Sodexo, Mitie, Barts Health, the Homerton and St Francis Hospice. This week we will be extending our service to colleagues from the London Ambulance Service. 

The vaccine offers us a path out. It’s an optimistic thought as we mark a very different Christmas and as we focus on, and wish for, a 2021 where the pandemic doesn’t continue to dominate our lives. 

I hope you have a safe and restful time in the coming days, and I will be back in touch in the new year.

Best wishes,  

Tony Chambers

Chief Executive