Hello all, and welcome to this week’s blog.
This will be my last blog before Christmas! What a rollercoaster of a year it has been, one that I’m sure you’ll agree has been an ‘annus horribilis’! All of our lives have been turned upside down, or put on hold, both at work and at home. However, we must not forget that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, we have continued to record some amazing achievements. From performing new procedures using our surgical robots to winning national awards, I am so proud of all of you. Reflecting on the year, I have been truly humbled by how strong we are as a Trust and how as individuals you have all come together to support each other through the work and personal challenges you have faced.
Another positive is the COVID-19 vaccine, which we begin administering this week. The first person to have the vaccination at the Trust was one of our invaluable volunteers, Norma Roe. Many of you may recognise Norma who has volunteered on the main desk at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital for over 14 years.
A huge amount of preparation and coordination has been needed to ensure the safe and effective running of this programme, so I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the different teams involved. I would also like to sincerely thank Norma for agreeing to be the first over the threshold of our new vaccination hub!
While the vaccine is being administered, the pressures on the system still do remain, and we must continue to do what we are doing, and more. This year, as every year we issue a plea to make sure no one spends longer in hospital than they need to over the festive period. So, we have launched our mini ‘Home for Christmas’ campaign. The campaign does exactly what is says on the tin – we want to get of many patients as we can, safely home in time for Christmas Day or sooner, if possible. As part of this, we have devised a simple checklist of things that you can all do to help us in our quest. You can find this on our staff intranet, OLI.
No one wants to be in hospital over Christmas and we are hopeful that these simple steps will start to make a positive impact on discharges, patient flow and bed capacity over the next few days and weeks. This will also move us into a more comfortable position to cope with the usual Christmas time activity. We ask you all to focus your efforts on this and to prioritise any actions you may have concerning discharges. Everyone can play a part.
Now, whilst Christmas is a time of reflection and change, some people, unfortunately, struggle to adapt to significant changes in their lives. Our armed forces veterans do such an amazing job but sometimes what they have witnessed in the line of duty or just the transition from military to civilian life can take its toll.
Here at ELHT, we strive to be an exemplar of the best care for veterans and their families and we encourage all patients to let us know if they have ever served in the UK armed forces so that we can best support their care needs.
We have signed up to be a member of the Veterans Covenant Hospital Alliance (VCHA) and as part of this work, we are delighted to introduce Fiona Lamb as the Trust’s Veterans Champion. Fiona works in our Emergency Department and we will be introducing her properly very soon. Fiona has already initiated some fantastic initiatives and supported work across East Lancashire such as Healthier Heroes based in Burnley. She has also compiled a support pack detailing the services that are available for veterans locally and within ELHT to enable staff to assist our Veterans in need. This can be found on OLI.
I do understand how hard this Christmas period is also going to be for everyone in ELHT and I just want to repeat a message I gave a few weeks back - please do look after yourselves and protect your resilience too. Our Health and Wellbeing team and the Spiritual Care Centre offer numerous ways in which they can support you through this time. Please use what's available to you and tell us if there is anything else practical that would help. But also remember to take your breaks, stay hydrated, rest and take your leave. And importantly, keep yourselves safe while at work - stick to the social distancing rules; wear all appropriate PPE. Your health and wellbeing are important to me, the board and your colleagues.
One big change that the Trust is going to see is a change in leadership for our Medicine and Emergency Care Division. Divisional General Manager Jillian Wild retires from the post today after many years of devotion in making sure our patients receive the very best care possible when they are faced with an emergency. We will be extremely sad to lose Jillian but I am delighted to say that she will be back to take up a part-time role in the New Year. Thank you for everything you have done for the Trust and the residents of East Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen, Jillian. I hope you get some well-earned rest and I look forward to seeing you again soon.
Finally, it is with great sadness that today we paid our collective tribute to Yvonne Grimes, a Diabetes Research Nurse, who has been with the Trust for over 44 years. Yvonne passed away on 8 December after a short illness, and her loss will be felt deeply by many of her colleagues and friends at ELHT, particularly those in the Directorate of Education Research and Innovation. We were honoured to have had the opportunity to pay our respects to her today as her funeral cortege passed through the site with staff lining the route, socially distanced, at her family’s request. Yvonne will be remembered for her commitment to patient care, her kindness and as a valued friend and colleague to many at ELHT. We send our deepest and heartfelt condolences to Yvonne’s husband, Allan and their family.