10,000 reasons to be optimistic

I am absolutely delighted to announce that last week we vaccinated our 10,000^th person in the Queen’s Vaccination Hub. Robert Read works for NELFT in its Equipment Services department and his story demonstrates the difference the vaccine really is making to people, not just in terms of protecting them against the virus, but the vitally important psychological aspect. 

Robert said: “I had a heart attack last April and in August I had three stents fitted. I am classed as someone at risk so I am really grateful to have my first jab, as I want to get back to work and normality. To be honest, I feel quite emotional and overwhelmed to be the 10,000th person.” He added: “I must also thank my vaccinator, Sharon, as she was a lovely bubbly lady.” As well as receiving his first jab, Robert received a complimentary tub of Celebrations!

You can also hear directly from our staff sharing why they grabbed their jab in our latest video.

After a short delay, I’m looking forward to opening our King George Hospital Vaccination Hub later this week. Please do look out for, and share, our social media posts and news stories.

It was to be expected that people have a lot of questions about the vaccine, so I’m please Magda Smith, our Chief Medical Officer, had the opportunity to be part of Redbridge Local Authority’s public meeting. Magda joined other colleagues on a panel chaired by Council Leader Jas Athwal to answer questions on the vaccine – if you were unable to tune in, you can catch up on the event on YouTube.

Look me in the eye…

I find myself at times flabbergasted that many people still do not seem to take the virus seriously, and ignore the rules. I hope the latest advert will make people sit up and take notice. The vaccine alone will not get us back to normality; it takes all of us to play our part in keeping each other – and ourselves – safe. As you can see from this tweet, it features two of our patients, Mohammed and Anthony. I’d like to publicly thank them for agreeing to take part and I’m sure I speak for all of us in wishing them a speedy recovery.

Seeing the beauty in trauma

Through the hardship and the tragedy of the last year, today I was reminded today that it is possible, in the words of one of our chaplains, “to find moments of beauty within the trauma”.

Today we shared an incredibly insightful story about Alison and her role during this pandemic supporting staff and patients’ relatives. It’s extremely poignant and I urge you to read  more on our website on the invaluable service Alison and her colleagues provide to so many.  

Lucy saves a life when her natural instinct kicked in

I was also inspired this week by one of our security officers Lucy, who had no idea when she started her night shift last week that she was about to become a hero. It was thanks to her courage and quick thinking that she saved the life of one of our patients after they climbed up onto the roof at Queen’s Hospital. Read more about the difference Lucy made to so many, by saving one person.

It’s a very sad consequence of the pandemic that we have seen an increase in mental health issues and I hope that our support in sharing the resources that are available to those who are struggling right now is invaluable. 

Stay well, stay safe, and I hope you have a good week.

Best wishes.

Tony Chambers
Chief Executive