Thanks to everyone who reached out to me following last week’s blog, which you might remember focused on the results of the national impatient survey carried out by the health regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC) each year.
It was good to hear people felt I had been honest and open about where the Trust needs to improve the experience for those admitted into hospital, but also that highlighting where we get things right and providing some really tangible examples of this was appreciated too.
Balancing information and triangulating feedback from varied sources feels like it should be a bread and butter skill for any Chief Executive, but it is admittedly challenging when juxtaposed emotions like ‘disappointment’ and ‘pride’ play out in that way.
This week, I want to make an obvious but purposeful leap from a focus on the experience of our patients and their families, to the experience of colleagues across the Trust.
And, as ever, when I say this I mean people working in all services and settings, in hospital and out in the community and in every vocation represented in ELHT, including everyone equally no matter their skill, role or perceived position in the team. We are all important, equally.
For me, it is this sense of ‘all in it together’ towards a common purpose that underpins the spirit of ELHT and my hope is that this, in turn, leads to colleagues who are personally thriving. It is a mere hop then to a positive experience for patients and, of course, to our overarching success.
I have said before and repeat it without apology here, we are extremely fortunate to have thousands and thousands of brilliant people delivering a stella contribution every day and night. I am always beyond touched to see them wear their name badge and uniform with such palpable pride when I am out and about. It’s just so great to see.
I love this about us and indulge me as I say thank you not just for everything we achieve, but for the way that we do it, recognising we’re involved in something here that is so incredibly worthwhile.
I want to make the connection to that well known theory that ‘happy staff lead to happy customers’. Now, aside from the fact I despise the word ‘staff’ when it comes to describing colleagues and that people in the NHS will never be convinced to think about patients as ‘customers’ – I do buy into this. Certainly, I can vouch from personal experience that when I feel positive, valued and motivated – for whatever reason – you’re definitely going to get the best from me.
This in turn creates a loop that moves seamlessly from feeling happy and doing a good job, to doing a good job and feeling happy. And here’s where the positive impact on patient experience is created, with colleagues focused and energised, not only going above and beyond but enjoying it and taking enormous personal pride in being the best they can be.
To be fair, we see this ‘happiness effect’ in spades at ELHT, through the myriad feedback channels and the formal governance processes we have in place, including for example our Triple S visits to wards and the check and challenge frameworks we utilise to assess the performance of all teams.
But I am forever mindful of the influence the inevitable pressure and stress can have and for this reason I am generally on high alert to any dark clouds creeping in, whether specific to working in the NHS or just general worries that weigh people down day to day.
On the NHS side, we have to be overtly aware that the intense financial pressure we are currently facing, as a whole team, to significantly reduce spending and balance our budget before year end next April is making people feel unsettled and concerned.
It’s a huge task of the magnitude we haven’t really seen before and whilst I’m pleased we’re tackling it through improvement reviews and reconfiguration to provide better care and better value at the same time, I know it’s a worry for people about ‘how’ and ‘if’ we can.
Here let me just add some details about our approach which are designed to reassure and reiterate that we have established an IMT (Incident Management Team) using our improvement practice and that this has pointed to the places we can look to reduce costs – both in pay and non-pay budgets. So we can do it, albeit I accept it’s going to be difficult and nothing short of a whole organisational effort will be required. It goes without saying that any thoughts on how we can remove waste and become more efficient are most welcome at any time.
A really big and ambitious project we also have on at the moment includes all Trusts in Lancashire and South Cumbria, with the aim of bringing corporate services together more cohesively in a team which is called One LSC. By doing this we should be able to reduce duplication and variation in our work on a bigger scale, provide improved support services and, of course, make some savings for us all.
I know the vast majority of colleagues involved appreciate the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ of One LSC, but are understandably anxious about what it looks like for them. I hope the people in scope know they are a top priority for all of us and whilst it’s complex to deliver, their experience in how we do it is critical.
It is my wish that the health and wellbeing of the ‘ELHT Family’ – the experience of our own people – is always just as important as that of patients, the performance of the Trust or the programme to reduce the budget – with this trilogy only faring second to patient safety, which will not be pipped from the top post for me at any point.
To those who are in our communities reading this, the team is here to deliver safe, personal and effective services which make a difference to your lives. This is our organisational ethos, we believe in it and you will see it everywhere you go in ELHT.
To colleagues within the Trust, let me be clear that the same applies. I want the Trust to be a safe place for you to work and thrive, within a supportive and inclusive environment that creates opportunities to succeed, progress and deliver for patients, safe in the knowledge you’re important too.
In the weeks and months (if not years) to come, I will talk more about the ELHT Family as we encourage people to get together and play their part in always ensuring everyone is supported, valued and treated equally.
We know from the events of the summer, when people took to our streets physically and occupied our minds mentally with unacceptable rhetoric and actions, that this isn’t everyone’s lived experience.
ELHT is not immune from these attitudes or behaviours – from colleagues or patients and their families – and we continue to work to eradicate it from the Trust, actively challenging all forms of discrimination such as racism and encouraging others to do the same.
This is a separate and huge but inextricably linked theme and there is much more on it to come. Only then will we have balance that manifests itself squarely in equality and equity for everyone – leading to positive experiences for patients and colleagues alike.
Martin