If you’re looking for some Christmas cheer, something to brighten your day and warm your heart, well I’m going to do my best to share it in today’s blog.
But before I do, let me again acknowledge how hard things are at the moment, not just in East Lancashire Hospitals or the wider health and social care system in Pennine Lancashire, but in the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System generally and across the NHS in England as a whole.
It’s tough – no doubt – and whilst we’re determined to do everything possible for people who need our help and support, it’s important we’re realistic, open and transparent about what we are dealing with every day and night too.
And the truth is I do have an enormous amount of things on my ‘worry list’, as you might expect. Two really stand out.
The first is urgent and emergency care (UEC) which includes A&E and the emergency department in Blackburn and the urgent care centre in Burnley and, whether you work in the Trust or not, you cannot fail to know that this part of the NHS has been under significant and unprecedented pressure for quite some time.
Now, I know throughout the pandemic we have used the word unprecedented so many times that it has become diluted but let me put this demand into numbers for you. In November, on average, the Trust saw around 630 people a day come into urgent and emergency care. As operational colleagues remarked – we haven’t seen this kind of sustained pressure ever before.
It is having and will continue to present a series of critical risks – to staff working under these conditions, to the experience of our patients and, the most important element, to the safety of everyone involved.
For these reasons we do now need to start doing things differently than we have done before and I have asked colleagues from across the Trust to look at everything available and imaginable to improve the position, including considering actions that might previously have been unpalatable but might help us to manage our risks as best we can.
This comes with the added backdrop of a very difficult financial position that I alluded to last week. We have no other choice but to balance the books at the same time.
The next four months are going to be very difficult indeed, but I will reiterate something I have said before and that is that no matter how tough it gets I simply will not compromise safety. If you are a colleague or a patient – please know that this is a hard and impenetrable line that I will not cross.
Here I want to say, simply, please look after yourself.
As a colleague we recognise the impact of these challenges on your physical and mental health and there is a comprehensive occupational health and well-being programme in place for everyone who works at ELHT. Ask for help if you need it, please.
For local residents I would reiterate the same message but from a different perspective. There is lots you can do to manage your own health and well-being and to prevent many health conditions in the first place. If you do need urgent or emergency care we are here for you, but it could be there’s a more effective alternative, which you can check here.
Only by working together, each doing everything we can, will we get through this.
Which brings me to some much-needed joy, which I promised I would bring throughout the festive season wherever I could.
Despite the ongoing difficulties I am trying to still get out and see colleagues as much as I can. It is brilliant that people value this and seem pleased when I drop in to say hello, so I am prioritising it where possible.
Last week I called into Burnley General Teaching Hospital and spent time with the teams from Family Care as well as in the Elective Centre. I want to thank everyone who took the time out to show me their work and provide updates, ask questions and give feedback – it really is so useful and appreciated.
It feels good to chat to people face to face and there is such a wealth of talent and expertise in the Trust, of great people doing great things, and it is such an enlightening, invigorating and worthwhile experience for me. I wish I could do it every day.
In particular I want to mention Alison Anderson, Family Care Medical Secretary, who is retiring today after completing 45 years of dedicated service to ELHT. On behalf of everyone at the Trust, Alison, thank you for all your hard work, loyalty and dedication. It is valued and appreciated by your colleagues and friends across ELHT.
I was also privileged to attend a celebration hosted jointly by ELHT and the Prince’s Trust to mark five years of working together as part of the ‘Get into ELHT’ initiative which encourages and supports young people who live locally in East Lancashire to take up a four-week placement with the Trust which will hopefully lead to a full-time role.
In fact – amazingly – what we heard at the event was that 100 young people had undertaken a placement, none had dropped out and 86 had secured a job with the Trust. I could not be happier or more proud of this. We heard from 10 young people about their experience as part of the ceremony and it absolutely blew me away. Thank you to everyone in the team which has supported this and everyone who has taken up the opportunity, it’s just brilliant.
You’ll remember I mentioned that we also asked colleagues to nominate their ‘Christmas Crackers’ at work for the chance to win a festive hamper every day this month, sponsored by the hospital charity ELHT&Me. We have had close to 1,000 entries from people right across the Trust telling us how great their teams are. I nearly said it was unbelievable, but if I’m honest, it’s not really when you think how many great people work at ELHT.
Talking of great people, this would seem as good a point as any to announce that I have appointed Kate Quinn to the Executive Team and Trust Board as Executive Director of People and Culture. Kate has worked as part of the team for some time and I want to congratulate her on a well-deserved promotion. She will take up the post in the next week when Kevin Moynes, Executive Director of HR and OD, retires. Kevin has been a brilliant colleague and friend and I speak on behalf of everyone at ELHT when I say thank you and good luck for the future.
Two more colleagues that epitomise ‘joy’ and who most people are always happy to see are our therapy dogs Jasper and Alfie – and, of course, their handlers David and Rachel. In the middle of a difficult day last week I got a photograph of them visiting colleagues in Burnley and it just made me smile. Their impact at ELHT cannot be underestimated… and if you’re a fan I would urge you to check out a special video to be published on Trust socials on Christmas Eve.
I won’t spoil it by saying any more but it’s part of a festive campaign which has raised some important messages in the run up to Christmas, brought our operational priorities into focus for people and tried to improve morale. A Ho Ho Home for Christmas video has been posted every day and if you haven’t seen them, they’re well worth a look. They include patients as well as staff and are really touching messages about what really matters in life and keep us going in dark times.
Watching them has reminded me this is a joint effort, that we’re all in it together and we will get through it, even when we think we can’t or won’t.
This is my last blog before Christmas as the Trust Chair Shazad Sarwar will be sending season’s greetings next week, so I will sign off and say thank you to colleagues for everything you have done and continue to do. To everyone who is working over Christmas and New Year – it is much appreciated. For those who have some time off, please enjoy it with your family and friends.
I’ll be back before New Year with the traditional good wishes for 2023 and reflections of 2022. Until then, take care of yourself and each other.
Martin