Published on: 3 July 2020

Kevin McGee.jpgThis is quite a special week for the NHS and our Trust.

Firstly, we achieved the 95% target for the first time since July 2014. That means at least 95% of patients arriving at our A&E Department were seen, treated, admitted, transferred or discharged in under four hours. Of course, these are still unusual times in the NHS but this performance strongly reflects how well the whole system is working. Hospital, primary and social care, mental health, ambulance and all the many other services coming together successfully as a team for the benefit of our patients. I’m very proud of this achievement and how – no matter what our circumstances are - we continuously aim to improve our quality and performance.

The last six months have arguably been the most challenging period in the history of the NHS and the COVID pandemic has put enormous pressure on everyone who works in the organisation. As always the response you have provided has been magnificent and I am pretty sure that Nye Bevan, who founded the NHS all those years ago, would have been very proud of the way everyone has come together.

Saturday 4 July, will be a moment of remembrance and reflection, a chance for everyone to come together for those who lost their lives during the pandemic. As part of this collective memorial, and as a mark of respect, iconic landmarks across the country will be illuminated in blue. For our own part, we will be lighting up the main hospital buildings at Blackburn and Burnley.

The buildings will be lit again on Sunday to commemorate the NHS’s 72nd birthday. The whole country will once more come together at 5pm to applaud all those who have been helping us through the pandemic. It is so important that as a Trust we recognise the vital community connections that have enabled us come into work and continue to do our jobs. It is a chance for us to say a big thank you to everybody who has helped our Trust, our workforce, to continue to do its job in the face of the biggest health challenge it has ever faced.

I would really encourage all staff to mark the event where possible - following social distancing advice of course. And, you can watch our own special ‘Thank You’ tribute on our website here. It will also be published across our social media platforms on Sunday so you can like and share it from our own accounts.

And finally, continuing the theme of giving thanks, I received a wonderful letter of gratitude from a Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS FT consultant based at Pendle View on the Blackburn site. The Doctor shared his appreciation of the support he received as a COVID patient from the Trust’s Imam, Fazal Hassan. It was uplifting to hear that after the combined care provided by Fazal and medical staff, the Doctor was discharged after a week feeling not only physically fit but also spiritually refreshed. The Doctor remarked that he received the best of care possible from all the professionals (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, support workers etc) and top-class professional chaplaincy support. Well done to everyone involved!

So, a huge ‘thank you’ goes out from me to all of you! The service you provide, no matter what role you are in, makes a positive impact on our patients.

Kevin