I’m sure I’m not alone in believing that now, more than at any other time, we must treasure the NHS and those who work for it.

I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to lead an organisation with so many passionate staff and so much potential.

We have all been able to savour the gradual return of much cherished freedoms we lost temporarily as we responded to the pandemic.

It is a great pleasure, after the year we’ve all lived through, to start my report with some positive news.

Our CEO, Tony Chambers, delivers his March 2021 Board report.

I am sure I am not alone in starting this year very conscious of the two conflicting emotions of hope and sadness

2020 has been a really tough year for all of us and I would like to acknowledge the pressures our staff are under and express my gratitude for all they are doing to keep our patients safe and well cared for.

In this report I will reflect on the ongoing impact of Covid-19, on our efforts to restore the services that were affected during the first wave of the disease and on the root and branch transformational work we are undertaking to improve the experience of those who attend our Emergency Departments (ED).

I will be forever grateful to all staff and partners who helped us navigate a way through the first peak of the pandemic.

In the two months since we last met, our Trust, our country and our world have been “changed, changed utterly” in the words of W B Yeats.