I feel like I might become the living embodiment of the broken record analogy if I start this blog with the familiar words ‘it’s busy’ again, but in all honesty, that’s how it is.
There is no other word for it, albeit I can suggest various others for context if it helps. There would definitely be busy difficult, busy challenging, too busy and everything that sits in that general area of the dictionary is a given – but also I would add busy good, busy positive, busy team and busy helping, which all fit the bill too.
I know our experience here in East Lancashire Hospitals is mirrored by colleagues across the NHS as a whole, including in primary care and the wider health and social care system and that we’re not alone in feeling it.
But, as I said last week, I’m keen to share the operational challenges as openly as I can to help people understand what we’re dealing with and, particularly for patients, how it might feel if you come in.
As part of this I invited Non-Executive Director colleagues to come into Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital on Tuesday to see things for themselves, ahead of discussions at the November Trust Board meeting on Wednesday.
I am grateful to everyone who took the time to do this and to visit urgent and emergency care, in particular, to enable them to feedback to the group. Whilst I know other colleagues are in the department regularly, it can be helpful to hear a different view from someone with fresh eyes and ears.
The standout comments of the conversation that ensued for me showed understanding, empathy for both patients and colleagues, and started to suggest solutions to what is a very difficult situation indeed. I won’t attribute input to individuals as the discussion took part in a closed session, but one colleague put it perfectly when they said they wanted to reach out and give everyone a big hug.
That resonated with me. It is a challenging environment and I have written in this blog previously about the impact of it on patients waiting for treatment. To find a way to improve the situation whilst caring for record numbers of people, supporting colleagues at the coal face and delivering savings in our budget at the same time, is something that regularly keeps me awake at night.
Another colleague also recognised how difficult it is to be in A&E, where more than 100 people are often crammed into a department designed for 40, which inevitably leads to long waits and people being cared for on corridors. Again, the group agreed this wasn’t the quality anyone at ELHT aspired to deliver – whilst acknowledging that there isn’t really an alternative and the essential philosophy underpinning the NHS is that it does not turn anyone away in their time of need.
I have spoken before about the range of interventions we have put in place to try and ease the pressure on urgent and emergency care for patients and colleagues – and the Trust continues to live and breathe the idea that there is always more we can do, things we can change and improvements we can make.
I personally found it inspiring to hear that in amongst the difficulties of the department, colleagues experienced the good. There is fantastic work going on and an incredible amount of palpable pride from the team, who are coping admirably and calmly, without drama, and demonstrating an attitude that reeks of ‘yes, it’s difficult, but we’ve got this’.
If we were to adopt a motto in this moment, I don’t think this would be far off where we would land and, for me, there’s something very East Lancashire about accepting that of course it isn’t great, but we’re getting on with it as best we can.
I believe that’s something that everyone, in all services and settings, in every team in hospital or across the community, is committed to and that we are all pulling together for patients and their families and each other all of the time.
It always makes me so proud to see it, to feel it and to hear it. It is frankly humbling that so much good pervades even in the most difficult of times.
On this note let me share some of the ‘busy good’ things we’ve been doing this week.
Firstly, my congratulations to the team on ward C10 at Blackburn who I visited because they achieved a gold standard NAPF award (which stands for Nursing Assurance Performance Framework). For those outside of the Trust, this means the team was visited without warning by a separate and distinct group of colleagues who test and assess how they are doing – and they came out with the best possible result. Well done and thank you to the ward team and, indeed NAPF colleagues. For people to know we continue to achieve and value high standards in our care will never reduce in importance.
Secondly, also congratulations to the endoscopy team who have successfully been reaccredited under the ‘JAG’ programme which works with endoscopy services across the UK to improve the quality of patient care and ensure services can show that they meet best practice quality standards covering quality and safety and patient experience.
This achievement is a direct reflection of the talent and hard work of everyone in the team including Gemma Hedge, Venkat Mahesh, Chris Russell, Jackie Stanworth and Cath Marshall. Also, I want to mention Anne Howarth who I know does all of the ‘sorting out’ behind the scenes and as the team themselves said ‘we wouldn’t be able to do it without her’. Great news and congratulations to everyone involved, a real tribute to the work that is being delivered for patients.
I also want to mention Kara Walsh and Henry Parkinson, who are part of our wider estates and logistics team and November’s joint winners of the Employee of the Month Award. I presented them with a certificate after they came across someone attempting to take their own life on site and managed to intervene successfully, ultimately saving them. What an incredible thing to have done for someone and the ability to think and act so quickly when faced with something so difficult was moving to hear.
These are the kind of people we have as part of the ELHT family and I am so grateful to for everything they do day to day, as well as on this particular day, it’s just brilliant. I do hope the person they helped is now recovering well.
I also laid a wreath at Burnley General Teaching Hospital yesterday ahead of Remembrance Day on Sunday, which we always mark at the Trust, no matter how busy we are or what else is going on. It was poignant and a timely reminder of the sacrifices others have made on our behalf. I always value being able to take part and I know my colleague and Chief Nurse Pete Murphy joined a similar ceremony at Blackburn earlier today in the Garden of Memories too.
Lastly, a couple of real heart warmers to end and really dial up my assertion that it’s not all bad – because it really isn’t.
I promised I would give a shout out to the brilliant team of volunteers at Pendle Community Hospital in Nelson who held their Christmas Fair yesterday. This team – like all volunteers – help the hospital function all year round and I was happy to pop in and tell them how grateful we are for their ongoing support.
And I couldn’t end without mentioning our ‘Head of Happiness’ Alfie the apricot Cockerpoo therapy dog, who celebrated being two years old this week and spent his birthday with his handler Rachel visiting as many colleagues as they could.
In his short life Rachel and Alfie have done some amazing things together to raise morale and support the wellbeing of colleagues. You’ll remember he was named as a puppy by the Princess of Wales on a visit to Clitheroe Community Hospital with Prince William and made quite the debut into the world, capturing headlines around the world. The team was even asked to attend a health and wellbeing conference talking about what others could learn from his work and that of his older brother Jasper in supporting colleagues in times of need.
He is definitely one of my favourite colleagues – but then I am fortunate to have so very many to choose from. Thanks to everyone for everything we continue to achieve in these busy difficult times. It is appreciated – and I’ve no doubt that, even when it doesn’t feel like it, we have, definitely, ‘got this’.
Take care,
Martin