Hello everyone, my name is Sharon Gilligan, and I am your Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive. You may recognise me as DJ Shazza and my deafening shoutouts on Teams Brief. It’s one of my favourite parts of my week, being able to publicly recognise my colleagues for a job well done, excellent patient care or for improving services. I apologise if they make you jump but make no apologies for celebrating my ELHT family!
When I was asked to write this blog, I thought long and hard about what it was that I’d like to share with you. I could talk about the plethora of performance targets and why they matter to our patients because they do. I could talk about the fact that we should constantly question whether the care we provide would be good enough for our mother and do everything we can to ensure that it would be. I thought about the importance of looking after yourself and accepting that’s it’s ok not to be ok.
All of these are equally important, then I reflected on events of the past week which included a personal hospital appointment, a recent walk about and the fantastic achievement of the inspirational England women’s football team and knew it had to be about teamwork. It is the glue that hold us together and helps us deliver care good enough for your mother, achieve the performance targets and support each other.
It is often said that teamwork makes the dream work, and there are probably not many people who have not heard the story of the NASA Space Centre janitor who, when asked by President Kennedy what he was doing, replied “I’m helping put a man on the moon, Mr President.” The janitor understood the importance of his contribution. He truly felt he was a valuable part of something bigger than himself and his attitude created a feeling of self-confidence in his mission. He truly was a member of 1962 NASA Space Team.
This mindset is reflective of ours at ELHT – ‘everyone plays a part’. I saw this myself when I recently underwent an endoscopy procedure. Everyone who was involved with my care was exceptional. From the moment I arrived and spoke to the friendly and welcoming receptionist, to the efficient and professional nurse who took my details and ran through my history, to when I entered the procedure room and observed the WHO checklist being followed. The question “is everyone happy to proceed” was asked and all voices where heard.
I didn’t observe or hear very much after that as the very proficient anaesthetic did a cracking job and so you will be glad to know I am not to go into anymore details about my colonoscopy and I awoke sometime later in recover to yet another warm and friendly face making sure I was comfortable, letting me know I was ok and that everything went well. Thank you again – you passed my mother test with flying colours!
There are, of course, many other people involved in making a procedure or operation happen. Our Patient Services Assistants keep our environments clean and germ free and make sure patients are moved around the hospital safely and with dignity. The sterile service team work through day and night decontaminating all the surgical instruments that are used, in theatres or in clinics, making them available so patients can have their procedure. Through their vital work, they make sure surgical procedures remain life-saving rather than life-threatening.
And behind office doors there are numerous teams who are checking operating lists, setting up clinics, paying bills (and us!), checking policies up to date, responding to patient’s concerns, providing governance advice and so much more.
The more I think about the hospital environment, there really is every type of job, and a job for everybody. And the key to all this is that everyone plays in their position. It's like a perfectly choreographed dance, where every movement is synchronised and purposeful. This precision isn't just for show – it's what makes the team a force to be reckoned with. Playing in position isn't about confining individuals; it's about channelling their unique strengths into a collective powerhouse.
When each player embraces their role and plays to their strengths, the team's effectiveness skyrockets. Defence becomes impenetrable, attacks are strategic and the entire game plan unfolds with elegance. Just as a puzzle's pieces fit together seamlessly, each position in a team completes the bigger picture. Playing in position isn't just about individual skill; it's about unlocking the team's true potential and achieving greatness together.
The England women’s football team (GO LIONESSES!) is a perfect example of this, they showed great resilience and strength of spirit to reach the finals of the world cup. They won every game they played, nine in total, right up to the very last one. Unfortunately, they were defeated, but that was not because they didn’t play well or try, it was despite that. On the day Spain was the stronger team, deserved the win and they raised the revered cup with pride.
Some days we feel as though we aren’t winning, despite all the hard work we are putting in, but we must remember that we are always improving, moving the organisation forward, supporting patients and colleagues in some way. Winning isn’t always the ‘goal’, but doing our best and being proud of that is.
My DJ Shazza shoutout this week on Live Teams Brief was about a team who have done just that. I visited C2 last week on a Patient Safety walkaround with Richard Smyth, Non-Executive Director, and colleagues from the ICB and Healthwatch. We were welcomed by Sister Sam Davies, (with her amazing eyebrows!), and were just blown away by the teamwork displayed and the commitment they all shared for caring for their patients. We spoke to several of the patients who had lots of lovely things to say about the ward and the fabulous team. I was also told that an issue had been raised by a patient, but they felt assured it would be resolved quickly, which was pleasing to hear. Sam Davies is also becoming quite the Cerner expert if anyone needs a hand!
Teamwork experienced at ELHT isn’t isolated to when a patient is moved through different stages of treatment or between different departments within our hospitals. It is also experienced through our partnership working and collaboration within the system. Each Tuesday as part of the Executive Meeting, we spend half an hour hearing about an improvement project and this week we listened to Catriona Logan, Divisional Director of Operations, Mandy Griezans, IDS Service Delivery Manager and Louise Shaw, CAST team leader. They spoke with passion about how they are working tirelessly to help our patients return to their place of residence and are creating care bundles to support patients to remain in their homes or are working with patients relatives to agree the best next steps for their loved ones.
The constant dialogue, exchange of information and seamless interactions between internal and external services, colleagues and families, helps to prevent lapses in treatment and reduces the risk of misunderstandings and poor patient experience. It is not easy, but their holistic approach helps ensure that the patient's journey remains as smooth and coherent as possible.
The teamwork between colleagues in the Emergency Department and the Ambulance Service means that, despite the fact Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital is the biggest blue light Emergency Department in the Northwest, we do not routinely hold patients in ambulances.
Teamwork is the bedrock which successful healthcare delivery is built on. The collaborative efforts of our many multidisciplinary teams lead to improved patient outcomes. By leveraging our diverse expertise, promoting efficient communication, enhancing decision-making, responding with pace to changes, offering emotional support, we are all supporting the continuation of safe, personal and effective care for our patients and their loved ones.
No matter what happens in the future, as the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, the significance of Team ELHT will remain unwavering in its ability to provide the best possible care for our patients in their time of need and to support each other.
Every team within the ELHT family makes a significant contribution and makes me immensely proud to be your COO and Deputy CEO.
Thank you for reading, and if you have teams who would like me or any of my executive colleagues to visit, please let us know. By sharing best practise, we will learn, grow, adapt, and improve. Remember - Together Everyone Achieves More!
Take care of yourselves and each other.
Sharon