I‘m delighted to have this opportunity to introduce myself to you while Tony takes a well-earned week off.

In the five weeks since I joined the Trust, I have felt very welcome.  It has been touching to see the quality of care given by our staff during the most difficult of times for patients with Covid-19.

The communities we care for have been affected more than most and our staff are tired; they have sacrificed a lot and we owe it to them to look after them.

This is why one of our key commitments is to ensure that we continue in our drive to improve the way we care for our staff day-to-day, whether that’s ensuring they have access to emotional and mental health support, through to decent rest areas and nutritious food and drink around the clock.

Celebrating our staff

It’s also important to recognise and celebrate our staff. Here’s just a few of the highlights that encapsulate why, after just a few weeks, I’m proud to have joined this organisation.

A hat-trick for Leena

Congratulations to Dr Leena Sinha, Consultant Gastroenterologist, who has been elected to three national committees - the British Society of Gastroenterology’s (BSG) Small Bowel & Nutrition Committee; the BSG’s Gastroduodenal Committee; and the Royal College of Physician’s (RCP) Committee on Ethical Issues in Medicine (CEIM).

Leena was voted onto the committees by her fellow members and it’s great to see another of our consultants play a pivotal role in setting national standards and direction, ultimately in the driving seat to improve care for patients.

Swapping his suit for scrubs

Callum Oubridge, who works in our Education Centre, has swapped his suit for a set of scrubs, after being redeployed for an astonishing fourth time to help in the fight against Covid-19.  Thank you Callum!

From Barbados to BHRUT

Sharon Wright is used to much warmer weather than we’ve been experiencing!

Sharon usually lives in Barbados but has been unable to return home due to the lockdown - and is now one of our vaccinators at our hubs, rolling out the vaccine to the communities she first served forty years ago.

They grabbed their jab

Staying on the topic of vaccines, as the government announced yesterday that 15 million people have received theirs across the UK, I’m proud to let you know that more than 15,000 people have now grabbed their jab at our hospital vaccination hubs.

Raymond Saville works in the housing department at London Borough of Redbridge and had his jab at the King George Hospital Vaccination Hub, receiving the now obligatory box of chocolates!

Trust colleagues have been supporting our communities in other ways too. Magda Smith, our Chief Medical Officer and others have taken part in webinars to inform and assure residents and faith leaders and starring in short videos to help address concerns. Others have supported NHS England to produce videos in a wealth of different languages and dialects.

Patients go home to loved ones

Whilst the vaccine offers us hope, it is not an immediate panacea – we still need to observe ‘Hands – Face – Space’ and our patents are still very sick, which is why it is incredibly heart-warming to see them get home to their families.

Frederick Stratford was delighted to return home to his wife who had been recovering from Covid-19 herself at home while he had been in hospital. He said: “I’ve been married for 60 years and I cannot wait to get home and cuddle my wife. She means everything to me and it has been really hard not seeing her.”

It’s stories like these that make it all worthwhile and we’ll continue to share them with you.

Birth centre reopens

Lastly, I’m delighted to let you know that the Birth Centre at Queen’s Hospital has re-opened this week after a short period of closure while we responded to the pandemic.

I look forward to meeting many of you over the coming days, weeks and months.

In the meantime, please do all stay safe.

Best wishes. 

Ben Morrin
Deputy Chief Executive