We held our second No Meetings Day on Friday 29 July – cancelling or postponing all meetings except those which were clinically urgent – giving our staff time back in their diaries to do what they do best.

While some meetings are necessary, they can dominate our staffs’ time and we know it benefits everyone’s wellbeing to take a break from them every once in a while. That’s why we held our first ‘no meetings’ day in April and, after 75 per cent of colleagues told us it was a great opportunity to catch-up with colleagues or reconnect with patients, we decided to hold them more regularly.

For Jeff Middleditch (above), Divisional Manager for Cancer and Clinical Support, it gave the opportunity to get out to see staff in several areas he covers, including pathology, nuclear medicine and our Sunflower Suite. He was able to provide reassurance on any issues and even helped sort out a replacement piece of equipment in our Radiotherapy department.

He said: “I usually have around six to eight meetings in a typical day and I know I’m not the only one. It’s then difficult to find time to get out and see the teams.

“The No Meetings Day was a chance to get out onto the floor in a number of different areas and see lots of staff. These interactions can give us a better understanding of any issues, and I was even able to do some mentoring with one of our therapists. I loved it. I also got to interact with patients, which is really rewarding, as well as finish some paperwork, including an evaluation of our mortuary refurbishment, which enabled me to look at improvements and lessons learned.”

In Maddie Glover’s (above) case, our Matron for Haematology and Oncology, she spent the No Meetings Day with patients, hearing about everything from what they think of the food to how we can improve care for sickle cell patients.

She said: “As I usually have at least four meetings a day, I try to keep some clinical time free in my diary, however, as the week goes on that can get filled up with everything else, like urgent things, interviewing or sorting HR bits.

“On a No Meetings Day I like to go to the ward and hear from our patients, what they think of the food, do they understand why we ask some of the questions we do, how are they coping in the heat? I also like to speak to outpatients, such as patients who are receiving chemotherapy, to hear about their experience, and I’m always on the lookout for more patient partners to join us and play a role in improving services.

“It’s also really important to catch up with our sickle cell patients. These are a group which are most likely in and out of hospital for the rest of their lives, so we can make a big difference if we get it right for them. We need to listen to what our patients are saying, and not assume everyone wants the same.”

We now plan to hold No Meetings days, allowing our staff some extra headspace, monthly.

Ann Hepworth, our Director of Strategy and Partnerships, who championed the No Meeting Day, added:

“I found the day really helpful as it allowed me to travel to a couple of our sites including a trip to Barking Community Hospital to see our new CT facilities.  Overall, I relished the time to think.”