Dear colleague, 

We’re two weeks in since the launch of our new electronic patient record. Staff are doing a good job in getting used to a new way of working and the patient record and digital prescribing are working well. The launch has exposed some underlying problems with some of our older systems and teams are working hard to resolve them.

We have planned a lower level of activity in some services right through to Christmas, and it is likely to take a couple of months to get everything properly up and running across all services. I’d like to apologise to anyone who’s been affected by delays. 

Improving healthcare for women

I was pleased to welcome Margaret Mullane, MP for Dagenham and Rainham, to Queen’s Hospital. Following the announcement of the Amos inquiry into maternity services (you can read my response on our website) she was impressed when came in to visit the team to learn about the improvements they have made for women. She heard how we’ve invested heavily in additional midwives and medical staff (including over 38 whole time equivalent posts); that we now have no senior doctor vacancies in obstetrics and gynaecology; and in two years, our midwife vacancy rate has decreased from 16% to 4%.

Rightly so, the team are proud they have reduced the number of stillbirths over the last year by 44%, something they achieved by offering more consistency in the midwife/ team looking after women from our more deprived areas; improved support for vulnerable women; and better use of interpreters.

I appreciate it’s too late for some of our women and we don’t always get everything right for every family – it’s why we’re determined to continue learning from our mistakes and being open and transparent when we get things wrong. 

We’re also improving care for women through a national research study that our clinicians have been supporting, aimed at improving how endometriosis is diagnosed and treated. It affects around one in ten women, yet too many wait years before getting an answer, and it can have a serious impact on their lives.

Three patients came in for keyhole surgery, a diagnostic laparoscopy, as part of Espirit2+, a study led by the University of Edinburgh looking at whether blood tests and advanced ultrasound scans can detect the condition earlier and more accurately. If this research leads to faster diagnosis, it will be an important step forward. I’m grateful to our teams for the role they played and for their continuing focus on improving care for patients whose conditions are often overlooked or misunderstood.

Supporting victims of sexual assault

This week I visited the Sexual Health and HIV teams at Barking Community Hospital to award them a You Made a Difference award.

I nominated them in recognition of the work they did with the police and victims in the case of Jonathan Carl, who was convicted for rape and for reckless transmission of a sexually transmitted disease. This award is our way of thanking them for the work they did on this case and recognising the vital role they play in helping our patients lead safer, better lives.

This was a very disturbing case, and with the stigma around HIV and its transmission among gay and bisexual men, many victims may be put off coming forward. I have no doubt this team will continue to make a real difference in people’s lives, and I hope will help make other victims feel supported and more able to speak out.  

HSJ award finalist

And finally, last night was the Health Service Journal Awards. While we didn’t win, the fact that we were a shortlisted finalist is a significant achievement, reflecting the progress we’ve made over recent years. We still have a long way to go, but I’m proud that our staff have been recognised for the improvements they have made for patients. In this video they bring to life how we’ve made our Trust a better place to work and to deliver care.  

However, it was a double win for two of our healthcare assistants - Christine Murphy and Alvin Condeno – who were recognised at this year’s Capital Clinical Support Worker Awards which celebrate the invaluable contribution of clinical support workers across London’s NHS.

Best wishes,

Matthew Trainer

Chief Executive