Date:
19 April 2024
Page URL:
https://ntk.eastamb.nhs.uk/news/we-are-eeast-briefing-thursday-17th-june-2021.htm?pr=
We Are EEAST Briefing - Thursday 17th June 2021
The latest We Are EEAST Briefing features Marcus Bailey, Chief Operating Officer.
Hi, a very good afternoon everybody, Marcus Bailey Chief Operating Officer, I hope you are well, we’ll give colleagues a minute just to join us as well. Obviously, I think I’m going to stop saying this at some point, but in terms of this in the Q and A, obviously we’ve got the question function. You’ve got me today, and just me, as colleagues are on other business as such, so you’ll have to just bear with me when I look through the questions that you send in, I will be staring at the screen in order to view and answer those, so please bear with me when I do that.
Ok, we’ll make a start, please feel free to add the questions in and I’m sure colleagues will continue to join us. So, I just really wanted to start again by saying a big thank you. It is busy, it is really busy, and it is tough. I’ve done some regional calls this week in how it feels for people and some of the national information coming out, there is clearly a really big use of urgent and emergency care.
We see that in terms of increase and increase from previous months as well, and most health and social care teams are measuring 2019 as opposed to 2020 because of the lockdown and the affect that may have had on people accessing services as well.
We need to have a think about how we are able to approach that, what additional steps we can take and how we try and share that support across the system. Because it won’t just be us, it’s also about the hospitals, it’s also about primary care and it’s also about some of the community services as well.
We know that the coastal impact, we know all of the mobility of people. The current data talks about 80%, sorry 90%, of mobility back to pre-Covid levels, so we know that people are out and about, we know that lockdown is easing, and we know that activity being here on an absolutely consistent basis, and I think for me, I don’t think we’ve know this for many, many years where we’ve had such a sustained level of increase.
We know that it has a difficult impact to everybody, and the balance at the moment in trying to do a number of things in terms of supporting and improving. We’ve seen the organisation has gone back up to REAP 3 based around the pressure. We’re seeing a generally around 10% sustained activity across the day, and with the Trusts in the country, about 10% as well, so generally an ambulance sector experience is probably not the best experience any of us would want, but it is the experience we’re seeing.
So, we are looking at a range of actions in order to support and bolster carefully balancing, and this is the dilemma that we have every day really, is abstractions and supporting other things such as learning and development educational pathways, as well as our response to patients. We’re focusing on trying to ensure that we move forward with the C1 driving licence, blue light driving, so a number of things that are within our gift to do, we are absolutely focusing on.
The other side is also now trying to work community wise, what are we able to do, what are we able to with regards to any further assist developments. If everyone is feeling the pressure, perhaps is there something that we are able to do in order to assist and be able to deliver as a system as well.
So, I think, you know, it’s a picture, and the steps we take to try and address that in both short, medium and longer term actions as well. Some of this is the discussions we are having about longer term funding and investment, others are also around how we as immediate actions, because as I said dilemma wise, everything is a balance thing. Everything around what we can we be doing around with regards to balancing and prioritising almost every single day, but also trying to regain a bit of that with regards to some of that forward planning, and also some of that additional resourcing.
Q1 - Why is there not a consistent approach to HALO recruitment for NQPs? In some areas NQPs can apply and in others they can't?
Q2 - What is the future of the Cromer and North Walsham RRVs? Happy to contact my MP if it helps.
- View answer
- Read answer
Q3 - Why is the North Walsham RRV not a 4 x 4? The new car is not suitable for the local geography.
- View answer
- Read answer
Q4 - What are the plans for Advanced Paramedics in urgent care?
Q5 - What is being done to ensure that career progression is a fair process?
- View answer
- Read answer
Q6 - What is being done to deal with bullying and harassment in management - being encouraging and supportive to staff?
Q7 - Only 800 people completed the survey - this is a very small percentage of the organisation.
Q8 - Can the management course on evolve be available to all to allow staff to start working on developing their management skill rather than having to already be in a management role?
Q9 - PTS are under significant pressure and have been since March as activity has increased at a drastic rate, and we don't feel or see any support from a senior level. There is no recognition to the extreme difficulties we are facing as we have returned to 'business as usual' but are still having to adhere to social distancing, we are providing an awful service to our patients and this escalation has now been pushed back to our CCG's. What level of care to wellbeing is this demonstrating to the high pressured environments that PTS managers and PTS staff are facing. In addition to this when we ask for support from UTV crews those staff are reluctant to work for PTS as they feel 'downgraded' working for PTS and i strongly feel that there is a lack of recognition and importance seen from above and therefore lack of understanding in the service PTS provides. The current PTS structure does not work and leaves the Service Delivery Managers feeling incredibly alone with very little support or lack of guidance as to who to go to for guidance, is this structure likely to be addressed in the future?
Q10 - If the Skoda is the standard car why has there been no risk assessment regarding the loading of specialist kit into this vehicle please. With ECP kit there is loose kit in the vehicle and potentially not safe – hence why there was a larger vehicle used – we have had such a vehicle for almost two decades because of the terrain and kit carried. The off road side is used a lot in North Norfolk - well tried and documented.
Q11 - It would be great to see the numbers of staff participating in surveys and if its improving , as i think that will show people that they have been heard and things are being done.
Q12 - Do you feel it’s acceptable for a member of staff to be under full pay and suspension for 10 months and wanting to be back at work and they are doing what they can to be back and it’s taking so long?
Q13 - How are you going to protect student paramedic supernumerary hours please? Third person shifts are being cancelled which means students are not getting their practice hours.
Q14 - Is it a contractual thing between the trust and hospital to book in patients or is it just a things that has just always been done for us to help the hospital by booking in?
Q15 - Can trust guidance review the usage of AGM's/LOM's GM wording, on training/policies/ NTK and EEAST comms, we dont all report to those levels and it makes the focus very A&E based. Can it simply say 'your immediate line manager', or 'your senior line manager'?
Published 21st June 2021