In the week of International Nurses Day (Sunday 12 May) we celebrated our nurses by delivering fruit baskets to our wards, while teams held their own celebrations. At our Trust we have more than 4,000 nurses, nursing associates and healthcare assistants from 111 different countries.

Romford MP Andrew Rosindell has pledged his support for a new and improved A&E at Queen’s Hospital after a visit to the site earlier today.

Sinead Skelton, a senior nurse, and radiographer Oluwole Adeyiga, known as Baba, were invited to a Buckingham Palace Garden Party this week – an experience they’ll remember forever.

Dying Matters Awareness Week (6 to 12 May) focuses on ‘how we talk about dying matters’. This year’s national week comes as we’re a few months into a new project between our Palliative Care and A&E teams to improve care for palliative patients.

In the week of International Day of the Midwife (5 May) our Trust joined other healthcare organisations in highlighting the vital role of midwives. We employ 494 midwives and maternity care support workers who come from 54 different countries of origin.

Louise Hulbert, who had a stroke 10 years ago and now volunteers as a patient partner at our Trust, has raised £900 for our charity by completing a 5k walk in San Sebastian, Spain.

On Saturday (27 April), our sickle cell team held an event at Queen’s Hospital focussed on educating parents and carers about the disease. It provided essential information on how to care for children affected by this condition.

Steve Powis, National Medical Director of NHS England, and David Hargroves, National Clinical Director for Stroke, visited Queen’s Hospital to hear how we’re working with partners to improve access to mechanical thrombectomy for patients across north east London.

As the nine-month tenure of cohort two in our Shadow Exec ends, it's time for cohort three to step up. To pass the baton, a special lunch was held, hosted by our Chief Executive Matthew Trainer and members of the Shadow Exec team, to allow staff from each cohort to share their experiences and aspirations.

The Shadow Exec is made up of staff from across the Trust who provide a fresh perspective on the decisions made by our Executive team, and an understanding of how these decisions impact on colleagues. The newest group is made up from 13 colleagues from a range of departments across our Trust.