I hope you had a restful and enjoyable Bank Holiday weekend. Whilst the weather wasn’t great, I spent the weekend feeling positive after a rewarding week, not just at our Trust but also across north east London.

One million vaccinations

You may have seen the news last week that one million Covid-19 vaccinations have been given in north east London. This is a fantastic achievement, so thank you to all involved. The dedication shown by health and care staff, partners and volunteers across our communities has been remarkable.   

We continue to read positive news with Covid-19 cases dropping, normality slowly returning and many of our services continuing to gradually restart.

However, we know that the vaccination programme is key to help us get back to doing the things we’ve missed so much. If you’re eligible for the vaccine but haven’t booked your appointment yet, please do as each jab makes north east London a safer place to live and work.

Thank You Week – a great success

From my previous update, you may recall that last week was Thank You Week at our Trust. It was our way of recognising and thanking our incredible staff for everything they have done to care for our patients and each other during the toughest of times.

Our staff have done an amazing job caring for our communities during a year like no other. Throughout the whole pandemic we’ve had to ask so much of them and I’ve been so impressed by their resilience and dedication.

We held a number of activities for staff to enjoy including kickboxing, Pilates, yoga, a healthy eating webinar with West Ham United’s first team nutritionist and a virtual ‘get moving and motivated’ session with Mr Motivator himself!

We were also treated to a visit from the Metropolitan Police’s East Area Basic Command Unit, who brought horses and wellbeing dog Dexter for an animal therapy session. And for those who like to dance, we were also treated to live music with performances including steel drums, African drumming and a gospel choir.

As part of the week, we also gave our workforce an additional annual leave day, which we’ve called a ‘thank you day’. We are encouraging staff to use it to focus on their wellbeing, so I was delighted when I saw on social media that one of my colleagues has already booked her day off and she will spend it with her dad who she has not seen for 17 months. This is just a reminder of the sacrifices our staff have made throughout the pandemic.

On top of an extra day off, we’ve also treated our staff to a BuyaGift voucher so they can choose from over 2,000 experiences to enjoy with a friend or family member as services reopen. We’ve included Mitie and Sodexo colleagues in this gift, as we must recognise the huge contribution they have made.

I must thank each and every one of my colleagues who made Thank You Week possible and also our partners who sent us their own messages. Take a look at the best bits in our round-up video.

While we celebrated our colleagues during Thank You Week, we know that we must continue to offer the support they need. A variety of wellbeing measures continue to be rolled out at both of our hospitals, as staff wellbeing continues to be a priority for us.

Careers conference

Last week, I was fortunate to be involved in our two-day virtual careers conference, which more than 450 people logged in to.

Everyone had the opportunity to learn, share experiences and network, while listening to fantastic talks from our guest speakers, including Prerana Issar, NHS Chief People Officer, and John Marshall, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, at the University of East London.

Day one was aimed at students and those in the early stages of their NHS career, while day two looked at how experienced NHS staff can excel in their careers.

There is a place for everyone in the NHS, no matter where you are in your career. I really enjoyed speaking at the conference because as an 18-year-old student nurse, I never thought I would end up as a Chief Executive. In our careers we must be optimistic and take control to shape our future.

The careers section on our website has a variety of roles, so please do share with loved ones looking for their next challenge.

Best wishes. 

Tony Chambers
Chief Executive