As is often the way following a change in Government or leadership of any kind in any setting, we find ourselves in a moment where new colleagues are seeking to understand the detailed reality of where we are, where we want to be and how we will get there as quickly as possible, together.
Those questions are being asked of the NHS now as a fundamental public service and undeniably a huge part of everyone’s lives, which isn’t thriving as it should.
We have already heard that the new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting MP, will prioritise an independent review and, from that, will come action in the form of a 10 year improvement plan which delivers better care through more efficient services and reducing waiting times for treatment.
I think I speak for everyone in the Trust when I say we are 100 per cent behind this and already consistently challenging how we are doing things and how we could operate more effectively for our patients and their families.
Of course, there is lots to consider in that statement. Lots of services, settings and pathways which each bring their own microcosm of complex processes and procedures. I’ve no doubt, however, that in the detail we are identifying a myriad of ways we could switch things and try new ways of providing care to local people. The truth is I have to trust and rely on my colleagues to do this diligently and by this I mean the thousands of people who work in teams, delivering services to people across East Lancashire every day and night. They are best placed in my mind to hear feedback and identify those tangible improvements that really do make a difference.
This week, after the invigorating Star Awards ceremony where we celebrated all the positive things about the Trust, that strength and belief in the collective power of ELHT is strong. There are a lot of good things being done around here and it has prompted me to share some of it.
The first thing to note is an email I received from the husband of a patient who had been in A&E at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital recently. He shared with me she had been cared for on a trolley on the corridor and that the noise alone had caused him to be concerned she wasn’t getting the rest she needed to recover. He is right, of course, and I have touched on corridor care and apologised a number of times for the very fact it has become necessary as we support very high numbers of people in limited clinical space.
What I appreciated about this email was the honest and balanced way in which he shared his experience, ending with a warm acknowledgement of the team on duty who he said worked so hard despite the very difficult circumstances. He described being cared for by amazing people who openly recognised the environment was far from ideal and apologised to him and his wife as part of their care.
That these brilliant, humble people are within the Trust is positive and I was moved to hear colleagues recognise and openly ‘own’ that treating someone on the corridor is not OK, even when it’s the best option in the moment. Thank you to the team across all urgent and emergency care pathways for your human approach in such an alien environment. It is clearly valued and appreciated by everyone.
I want to also highlight a tremendous case involving colleagues in the radiology team who went above and beyond for a patient who needed a brain scan that we had never performed before and couldn’t get done by anyone else in the time frame.
They recognised it was a critical part of diagnosing the issue and treating it, so reprogrammed a machine, made sure it would do what they needed and then successfully scanned the patient – and this was all achieved within four hours.
Thank you to everyone involved in this, who didn’t give up or accept defeat but instead worked through the problem and achieved such an amazing result for this patient and their family. I am beyond proud to have you in the Trust.
And similarly – a couple of other ‘shout out’s’ for colleagues who not only embody the spirit of ELHT but actively keep it alive thanks to their hard work and dedication.
I received some particularly heart-warming feedback from a partner, GS Social Care Solutions, whose team attend hospital with children and young adults who have learning and physical disabilities to make sure they’re OK. This week they shared with me an experience with a young patient who was seen by surgeon Jennifer Binnington and the C side team in the Children’s Ward at Royal Blackburn.
They said: “They were nothing short of fantastic. They were understanding, asked for advice on how best to support him, gave him time to calm and process information and offered him lots of reassurance whilst always treating him as an adult. One nurse in particular, David, stood out because he took time to understand and worked with us to ensure the patient received the care and support he needed. When taken through to theatres, everyone was caring with an understanding attitude and on his return to recovery he was supported by a lovely and positive nurse, Karen. Karen was vigilant and caring, and not only reassured the patient, but us too. Due to some complex disabilities, there was potential for the day to turn to disaster but the correct approach with some reasonable adjustments put in place ensured a successful procedure.”
This is incredible feedback about how compassion, kindness, understanding and – perhaps above all else – professional skill and integrity can be found regularly across ELHT, helping people every day. Great work – and a huge thank you from me to everyone on the team.
I was fortunate also yesterday to be in Burnley General Teaching Hospital to deliver July’s Employee of the Month award to a colleague from the Estates and Facilities team, Mark Riley. He was nominated and recognised for his fantastic efforts on delivering our recently opened Heart Centre facility. When I spoke to him, Mark told me he’d also worked on a number of really key projects for the Trust recently and I couldn’t help but reflect that here was another brilliant colleague, flying a little under the radar, but doing amazing things every day. Well done Mark and thanks for everything you do.
Lastly, before I close for this week, let me just mention and welcome some new colleagues and explain a couple of changes designed to improve services. As ever with the NHS it’s complex but, In essence, ELHT is now providing some physical health services that were previously provided by Lancashire and South Cumbria Foundation Trust (LSCft) and they are now delivering some mental health services we previously ran. This is more in line with our specialist remits in a wider system of care.
The Trust has also taken over a facility at Albion Mill in Blackburn, which provides short-term care with medical, nursing and therapy support for people who are ready to leave hospital but aren’t quite ready to return home. This is a partnership with Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and primary care colleagues which has created 15 beds for nursing and rehabilitation therapy in the community.
Since April, the 0-19 universal health service has also been provided by ELHT and I know we had a celebration of this for colleagues yesterday. The service includes school nursing and health visiting, as well as providing public health advice and the national child measurement programme.
The important point on all of these changes is that the brilliant people delivering these services remains the same, meaning that patients will still receive the same excellent care, in the same place, by the same people. The only change will be the name of the provider.
Teams across the wider health and social care system have worked incredibly hard over the past few months to ensure a smooth transition and I want to say a huge thank you everyone involved in this.
I’ll close with this thought.
When it’s tough going, as it is at the moment, it’s important we recognise that great things continue to happen, with people going above and beyond to deliver safe, personal and effective care. This is what being a team in the NHS is about and I am sure any review we undergo will find it in spades.
Martin