WELCOME to my first notes for 2020. I’d like to start by wishing everyone a very Happy New Year and hope you all have a lot to look forward to in the 12 months.
I also want to share my personal thanks and express my gratitude, to each and every one of you who worked over the Christmas period. It was an incredibly busy time and I’d like to thank you for the huge efforts you made on behalf of our patients. We know these demands will continue over the next few weeks.
This is a time of year when the pressure is on the entire health and care system are at their greatest and the demands on our services, and on your own working lives, can seem relentless as we continue to see those who are at their most vulnerable.
In an effort to ensure we provide the best care possible in these challenging circumstances we are running an extensive campaign between now and January 20th that will be similar to the “Perfect Weeks’’ we have undertaken before to reduce the use of escalation wards, patients being cared for in outlying beds and overcrowding in our emergency department.
Perfect weeks offer an opportunity to rapidly try something different with the aim of improving patient care by improving patient flow and all staff (clinical and managerial) are asked to focus on rapidly reducing all patient delays and trying something different without having to constantly seek permission. I am sure you will all do what you can to support this campaign.
Looking further ahead the next 12 months are set to be very busy for the Trust as we embark on our quality improvement plans that will cover a wide range of areas we know we need to develop in particular relation to: Urgent and Emergency Care, Mortality Reduction, CQC Improvement Plan and Planned Care.
This is a big piece of work that has yet to be finalised but will give the Trust clear objectives moving forward. Once the plan has been approved there will be extensive communications with staff and partners and we will be asking staff for their views throughout.
OBE for inspirational ward manager
Sabila Johnson
I love hearing about the success of staff members and teams and I was absolutely delighted to hear the news this week that Sabi Johnson, the ward manager of Ward 25 at BVH, was named in the New Year’s Honours List.
Sabi was awarded the OBE for services for nursing which is wonderful recognition for the work she does for her patients and the support she gives her staff and colleagues.
It is always nice when one of your own gets recognised in national honours lists and Sabi should be quite rightly proud of her achievements. I know by the volume of congratulatory messages she received on social media that Sabi is an extremely popular member of staff and I am sure you will all join me in sending your best wishes to a special member of staff.