Just before Christmas, I welcomed 97 new colleagues to our Trust. It’s something we now do every two weeks to ensure that on their first day they feel at home and receive a comprehensive introduction to the organisation. I told them I loved working somewhere that made a difference to people’s lives and I was pleased they wanted be part of our drive to make it an even better place.

When Caroline Clarke, the Regional Director of the NHS in London, visited us recently she spoke of how there was an energy about the place. We are building confidence in our ability to deliver change and we’re making demonstrable progress, as I hope is clear from this report. Our latest adult inpatient survey showed we had improved in nine out of the 10 areas where we were assessed. We’ve moved from the bottom 20 per cent of all trusts, to the middle 60 per cent of trusts who are performing at the same level.

We’ve all been horrified by the Letby trial. In the words of the judge, Mr Justice Goss, she acted “in a way that was completely contrary to the normal human instincts of nurturing and caring for babies and in gross breach of the trust that all citizens place in those who work in the medical and caring professions.

Many of the complaints I receive are about delays, so it’s heartening that I can report some encouraging improvement in our A&E performance. The national standard is that 95 per cent of patients should be seen, treated and either admitted or discharged within four hours. A recovery target of 76 per cent was set last year with the expectation it will be hit by March 2024.

There is understandable and growing public disquiet about ongoing delays to treatment which have been exacerbated by the pandemic. It is a source of pride for our organisation that by the end of March we had reduced to zero the number of people waiting more than a year and a half to be seen

“Works for staff. Works for patients. Works for the taxpayer. Impressive!” This was the judgment of Chris Hopson, NHS England’s Chief Strategy Officer, after he spent time at our Elective Surgical Hub at King George Hospital (KGH). Another visitor who left impressed by what he had seen was NHS England’s Chief Operating Officer, Sir David Sloman, who spoke of how our Trust was doing some “brilliantly innovative things”.

I hope you had an enjoyable and peaceful Christmas. Celebrations at the Trust included a party, organised by our charity, for more than 70 children we’ve looked after and a visit by West Ham players to the children’s wards. The relationship with the Premier League club is an invaluable one that we’re keen to deepen.

The independent report into maternity services in East Kent is a profoundly depressing and sobering read. The failings it identifies serve as a reminder to this Board of our responsibility to listen to the women and families who use our service; to ensure the care we provide expectant mothers is safe; and to be fully aware of the culture in the department.

The cost of living crisis and a looming recession are on everyone’s mind as we deal with the impact of rising prices. The need to spend money wisely is also, quite rightly, a Trust priority.

We are involved in several long-term projects with our partners that represent a significant investment in healthcare in north east London (NEL). They will have a transformative impact on the lives of patients and staff in the years to come.