Dear colleague,

The 72-hour junior doctor strike takes place next week, starting at 7am on Monday 13 March and continuing for 72 hours until 6.59am on Thursday 16 March.

Services at our hospitals will be affected, in some cases to a serious extent and while both hospitals will be open, we are cancelling a large number of outpatient appointments and planned surgery so that senior doctors can help us keep core emergency and inpatient services running. We are prioritising our most urgent patients, such as our cancer patients and those who have waited a very long time for treatment.

We are working hard to try to cover A&E at both sites throughout the strike. We have more gaps in our rotas than we would like, and we are asking people to think very carefully before they attend Queen’s or King George hospital. The reality is they will face longer waits due to reduced staffing, and people who are not unwell enough to need emergency care may be asked to go elsewhere.

As I have said before, I have sympathy for the concerns junior doctors have over their pay and conditions. They are a hugely valuable part of our workforce and are the future of the NHS. I hope they can reach a settlement with the Government and avoid the need for industrial action.

NHS Staff Survey 2022

The national NHS Staff Survey 2022 results have been published today.

The survey, which is confidential, runs from October to November each year, and in 2022, 39 per cent of our staff shared their experiences of what it’s like working in our hospitals.

I know we need to do more to make our Trust a better place to work, and the detail in the report makes it clear it will take us a number of years to address everything and ensure a better experience for all staff working at our Trust.

I’m glad we have seen some promising improvements since the last survey. After a very difficult two years of the pandemic, and the subsequent challenges in tackling waiting lists and emergency care, I’m pleased staff feel more supported in maintaining a healthy work/life balance.

They also reported that they are more involved and able to make improvements across our hospitals, and are set clear objectives. The initiatives we’ve introduced over the last year such as our support with the cost-of-living crisis, and launching our Shadow Executive to empower staff, will have played a role in this.

It was saddening, however, to see staff morale has gone down; and that more colleagues are thinking about leaving our Trust than in the previous year, and the number of staff who would be happy with our standard of care if a friend or relative needed treatment, continues to decline.

Our focus now is acting on what our staff are telling us, such as improving morale and a sense of pride in coming to work; staff wellbeing; and career development. We’ll also be focusing on reward and recognition - in the coming weeks we’re launching a new scheme for colleagues to recognise their peers for going that extra mile for patients and staff.

Long-term, sustainable change needs the voices and the input of colleagues from across the Trust.

A newly established staff experience steering group, including clinical colleagues, staff network leads and trade union members, will oversee actions based on feedback, and all staff will have the opportunity to engage with, and inform, our improvements.

I’m determined that next year, our staff will tell us that we’re moving in the right direction and that overall, their day to day experiences of working in our hospitals is a lot better.

Elective Surgical Hub accreditation success

I’m delighted we have received formal notification that our Elective Surgical Hub at King George Hospital has been accredited. This is fantastic news for residents and for our staff who have worked tirelessly on addressing long waiting times for patients. We’re one of just eight in the country to be accredited in a scheme that NHS England will now look to roll out to other sites.

Best wishes,

Matthew Trainer
Chief Executive