I was delighted to be invited to be ‘guest blogger’ this week in Kevin’s absence for a number of reasons.
Firstly, it’s great to see colleagues taking a break from work to rest and recharge as we continue to experience huge pressure across East Lancashire Hospitals to care for a very high number of patients indeed.
Our staff have worked flat out, for a very long time indeed, whilst also managing the implications of the pandemic and restrictions in their own lives. There were times – and still are – when staffing has been very fragile and colleagues have worked extra hours, extra shifts, extra days and through holidays and rest periods. It has been the most monumental effort and something I am so proud to have been part of.
We describe ourselves as part of a family here at East Lancashire Hospitals and we have pulled together through this crisis like never before. We have lost colleagues and seen things that can never be unseen, but we have done so with integrity, grace and the most inspiring personal resilience. It is right that now, as we look towards recovery, we take a moment to rest and see our families too. We are encouraging all staff to take leave and breaks and rest wherever possible and that includes everyone – right up to the Chief Exec.
It is true that community infection rates are reducing across East Lancashire and we are starting to see the impact in the number of people coming into hospital with Covid each day. But I want to be honest too and put the numbers into perspective. We currently have around 250 Covid-positive patients, which is still a huge group of people needing care and support. In context, the highest number of inpatients during wave one last year was 143.
My message to everyone reading this is that no matter how hard lockdown has been this winter, the evidence is that it is working. Please continue to stay at home wherever possible. Don’t meet up with people outside of your household unless in your support bubble. If you need to go out maintain social distancing and wear a face mask. Keep washing and sanitising hands. This is the most effective way you can support the NHS. This is the way we will get back to normal and be able to restore our services.
I am proud to say we are seeing some restoration in services. From next week we will re-commence joint surgery at Burnley General Teaching Hospital and the Minor Injuries Unit at Accrington Victoria Community Hospital will reopen on Monday 22 February. We are only able to do this because of the reduction in people requiring emergency and critical care, which means we can reinstate wards and let staff go back to their normal place of work. It remains fragile, but we are determined to push on back to normal as soon as we can.
I have been working with colleagues from ELHT and across the healthcare system in Lancashire and South Cumbria to ensure the vaccination programme is as effective as possible as quickly as possible and we have now vaccinated over 13,000 people through our hospital hubs in Blackburn and Burnley.
In addition, the team has been at The Crypt at Blackburn Cathedral providing vaccines to the most vulnerable groups. I am aware that there were some challenges for those booked in for their jab over the weekend and I’d like to apologise to anyone who had a long wait, sometimes outside in the cold.
We have worked together to understand why this happened and the reasons included a technical glitch which resulted in a high number of appointments being issued for the same timeslot, as well as a dip in staffing numbers and our desire to vaccinate as many people as possible. We also observed people arriving early for their vaccination – in some cases two hours before their appointment – and joining the queue.
I want to reassure people that we have some new processes in place now which should ensure we don’t have these problems again.
The team has worked incredibly hard to get the vaccination centres up and running so quickly and effectively and I want to pay tribute to them for everything they continue to do. I know this is acknowledged within the community and thank you to everyone who has sent kind comments of thanks and support, they really are appreciated.
I know there are some nay-sayers among us who believe the vaccine to be neither safe nor effective. I also know there is some hesitancy to have the vaccine in our local population including amongst some within our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities who have been so affected by this terrible virus.
I want to encourage everyone who is called to have their vaccine to do so. It is safe and effective, and it is the only way to get out of this nightmare that has affected so many people in the most terrible way.
Although I have had my vaccine and I want to share with you that I was recently Covid positive, and after isolating at home, I am now back at work. But I have not been unwell, and I have worked as normal all the way through my isolation period. I have been able to do everything I would normally do, including running on my treadmill at home. If this isn’t testament to its effectiveness, I don’t know what is.
There is no doubt in my mind that had I not had the vaccine I would have been very poorly indeed and, after working in one of the worst hit areas for infections for almost a year, I hate to even consider what might have been in different circumstances. We have seen fit and healthy people overcome by the virus. Loved ones lose people when they never thought it possible.
Please, when you are called, come forward and have the vaccine. I am here to say: it is safe, and it is effective.
Lastly, it would be remiss of me not to mention and pay tribute to one of the most incredible and inspiring people to ever champion the NHS. It was with such huge sadness that everyone at ELHT learned of the passing of Captain Sir Tom Moore. What an amazing man, leaving such an amazing legacy. We have been fortunate to have received some of the £39million raised last summer and we are very grateful indeed. RIP Captain Sir Tom – you will be forever in our hearts.
Take care, Tony