I hope you are all keeping well.

Divisional nurse recognised in Queen’s birthday honours

I’m particularly pleased to be writing to you in Tony’s absence this week as I am in the very proud position of sharing that one of my divisional nurses, Michele Elliot, was recognised in the Queen’s birthday honours.

As Divisional Director for Emergency Medicine and Anaesthetics, Michele was instrumental in ensuring there were enough critical care beds, equipment and staff to care for seriously ill patients during the pandemic. I have no doubt her incredibly varied career history helped her to manage such a challenging and ever-evolving situation and to support her team. Her extensive background covers a wealth of high profile, global events - from treating patients from the London Bridge terror attack in 2017 and being on shift when the Grenfell Tower fire took place, through to caring for those in need in Gaza post-ceasefire, to working in a spinal injury rehabilitation unit in Nepal following an earthquake which killed thousands and injured thousands more.

Michele accepted the award on behalf of all the staff that responded to the COVID19 pandemic and I am sure you will join me in congratulating her on her success.

Good Morning Britain

Our staff were praised once again in another tribute, this time on Good Morning Britain by Anil Patel, one of our longest staying patients after being struck by Covid. Anil transferred to a rehabilitation facility recently to continue his recovery and was filmed with two of our critical care nurses talking about his experience and giving viewers a stark warning of the effects of not following good hygiene and social distancing practices, and of not wearing a facemask. Please do watch the interview – it was wonderful to see not only our staff being recognised for their care, but to see how well Anil is recovering.

Update on BONES week!

Last week Tony shared with you the success of our recent Perfect Week – or BONES (BHRUT Orthopaedic NHS Elective Surgery) week as I am often hearing it being labelled! I am delighted that on final collation of the data, we have done even better than we had first thought. We saw 250 patients get the surgery they need in just seven days, including 31-year-old Natasha Mercer, who had a total hip replacement and was able to go home safely that same day.

We undertook 135 joint replacements and 88-day case surgeries, as well as 27 spinal procedures carried out by our neuro surgeons. It was a fantastic team effort, between various Trust teams and our colleagues at the North East London Treatment Centre.

The week formed part of our preparation following King George Hospital being chosen as one of several surgical hubs being created across north east London, focusing on high volume, low acuity work. At King George we will deliver all six specialties, covering a range of surgeries such as hysterectomies, tonsillectomies, and hip and knee replacements. These specialties account for around 50 per cent of the elective backlog across north east London and will help to get patients back on the road to health and recovery, and reduce the numbers waiting for surgery.

Covid-19 brought a silver lining to new mums

I hope many of you will have seen that we are now able to offer more flexible visiting arrangements for new mums and their partners. Interestingly one of the benefits we saw when restrictions were first imposed was more of a community develop among the new mums – and in turn we have seen our breastfeeding rates shoot up. Angela Braafi, ward manager on the Postnatal ward, said in our latest news story: “It’s been lovely to see them encouraging each other, and for something positive to come during the pandemic.” She also talks about the community-feel extending beyond hospital stays, with some new mums even exchanging phone numbers. I’m very pleased and encouraged that some good has come out of what we know have been difficult times for women and their families.

Best wishes,

Kathryn Halford
Chief Nurse and Deputy Chief Executive