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Our Chief Executive Anthony May
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Introduction
from our Chief Executive
Dealing with Winter Pressures
Since joining the Trust at the beginning of September I have seen the excellence, passion and commitment of our staff who keep our hospitals running, and serving our diverse local population.
In recent months our hospital services have been operating under the kind of pressure that we would normally only see in the most difficult winter periods. As we get further into winter, continuing to provide the best care possible will require new ways of working, looking after our staff and informing people about what health options are available.
One of my key priorities is ensuring the timely discharging of patients from our hospitals. This is not only important in terms of freeing up bed space and capacity but can also improve health outcomes and overall wellbeing for people. Through measures such as the introduction of Virtual Wards we are able to support patients who would otherwise be in hospital and instead provide them with the acute personalised care, monitoring and treatment they need within their own home. We are also improving training for our staff on discharging patients, standardising the criteria and sharing best practice across all our wards. Our new Integrated Discharge and Transfer Hubs also enable us to work better with our partners.
Maintaining staffing levels is also essential during this period. We often see an increased level of staff absences during this time which is why we have sought to build resilience in our workforce with our winter vaccination campaign. This has included incentives such as drink vouchers for every staff member who got a flu jab and I am pleased to say we have seen a very large uptake. We are also acutely aware how the cost of living crisis is impacting our staff and we are supporting them through this with subsidised meals, discounted transport offers, as well as Staff Finance which provides advice and support.
Finally, we will continue to promote all the healthcare options that are available to people. If you need medical care or advice that is urgent but not an immediate, then NHS 111 advisors can tell you the best place to be seen quickly. Likewise, there is the Urgent Treatment Centre on London Road which is an alternative to attending
Anthony May, Chief Executive
our Emergency Department for life threatening injury and illness that needs treating straight away.
Using the correct services not only helps free up our capacity but also ensures you have shorter waits for the care you need.
I would like to thank the continued support of our patients, visitors, staff and partners as we work through this period.
