MUCH of the talk this week has been about the Prime Minister’s message to the nation on Sunday outlining some of the changes to the lockdown rules that we have to take into account from this week.
The changes have come into force as the numbers of people receiving treatment for Coronavirus are beginning to show a decrease and a desire to move a small step closer to some form of normality.
At the same time we cannot forget that we all fully expect Covid-19 to be with us for quite a while yet and we must not get complacent, as a society or as an individual.
As such please remember to follow the guidelines and continue to do what you can to stay safe and protect yourself, your colleagues and your families. I’ve said this a few times now but please, please keep to the social distancing guidelines and don’t feel afraid to challenge colleagues in the event it slips.
One of the main reasons why we have seen some loosening of the restrictions has been the excellent response from the NHS and the commitment and flexibility of the NHS workforce.
The amazing workforce, coupled with the adherence to staying home and social distancing by the general public, has meant the NHS managed; it was not overwhelmed. Everyone who needed hospital treatment, including intensive care, got it (and this continues of course). We have introduced some new ways of working – for example more people working from home, virtual clinics and consultations. Even the Board joined in and did their first ever Microsoft Teams meeting this week which went well. These changes have been done quickly and more importantly they have
been done well so please keep them going and please continue to look to make changes in other areas that we can take into the future.
Finally I had the pleasure of attending the Thursday night “Clap for Carers’’ at BVH last week and it was fantastic to see so many people there. The support shown to us by all our local population and partners has been simply amazing. I have been stunned by the generosity shown by individuals, small firms and large firms and that has been amazingly heart warming.
CELEBRATING STAFF
THE last two weeks have seen a number of days where we have had the chance to celebrate staff.
This week we have had International Nurses Day and National Operating Department Practitioners Day while last week saw the International Day of the Midwife.
It is great that these days give us the chance to pay our tributes to these groups of staff and although the Covid -19 situation has meant we haven’t been able to do our usual fully blown celebration events I am glad to see that we have been able to mark the occasions in some way, especially on social media.
I would like to pass on my thanks to everyone who works in the above areas, and all areas of the Trust of course, for all they do on a daily basis. You make a massive difference every day and you should be amazingly proud of what you do.