Hello everyone, welcome to this week’s blog.
As ever, it’s been a busy and interesting week – nothing new there! However, it began with something quite different when we hosted a demonstration of a surgical robot in our new Fairhurst Building in Burnley Teaching Hospital. It was a great event and the people who attended especially, or who were just keeping an appointment, were given the opportunity to try the machine out and see how it works, and how it looks from a surgeon’s point of view. They could see first-hand just how incredible the technology is. There were plenty of comments such as ‘It’s amazing’. I hope we can repeat this, perhaps early next year. Watch this space!
It was our public Trust Board meeting this week and I was reminded that ‘little things really do mean a lot’ by the patient story we heard. It was a detailed account of a patient with, at that time, complex needs. He was generally very satisfied and the negative issues he highlighted were all very simple, but hugely impactful on his experience. For example, he talked of being embarrassed at hearing medical details of the patient next to him because there was only a curtain in between, simple communication matters during pre-op and the importance of phone calls being returned. It really brings home the usefulness of the patient story at the Board and the importance of us acting on the feedback that patients provide us.
The NHS has been in the headlines (again) this week with a focus on performance. I want to say a massive thank you to all our staff for everything you do to try to meet the incredibly challenging standards that we are set. We must keep doing this. Your efforts really are appreciated and they do make a difference. The ‘Perfect Week’ exercise was a success and everybody responded. We have seen an improvement in our 4-hour standard performance over the last couple of weeks, and that adds up to a lot of time not waiting for a lot of people. Performance is better than this time last year, and compares positively to others. That said, we are only now beginning to enter the ‘Winter’ period (in case you didn’t know!) so let’s brace ourselves. One way to help is by getting the flu jab. This is the best way to protect yourselves, your colleagues, patients and families against this deadly disease. So, check out upcoming flu vaccination dates at RBTH, BGTH, Rossendale and St Peters (ELHT staff only )and ‘take one for the team!’
We’re coming up to the final deadline for completing the NHS Staff Survey. We’re not far off reaching our target of 50 per cent completion and, if you haven’t completed yours, I urge you to check your emails (Junk folder?) or have a chat with The Well Team who are on hand (wellteam@elht.nhs.uk) to assist you to complete your survey. I cannot stress enough the importance of this survey and the information it provides. Please, fill it in! Have your say, we are listening.
Christmas is a magical time of year and it certainly will be at ELHT! You’re all invited to join in the big Christmas Light Switch-on in the RBTH Main Reception (Monday 25 Nov, 3.30-5pm), visit the ELHT&Me Christmas markets which start at 9am on the same day and book your Staff Christmas Lunch or Christmas in a Box treat lovingly prepared by our Catering Team (see intranet for booking details). There’s so much going on!
Well that’s it for this week, so, have a great weekend. And, if you are working – thank you.