We Are EEAST Briefing - Thursday 29th July 2021

 

The latest We Are EEAST Briefing and Executive Q & A comes from our Interim Chief Executive, Dr Tom Davis.

Good afternoon. Thank you for joining me for this afternoon’s Exec Q&A session. My names Tom Davis, the Interim Chief Executive, and thank you, as I say, for joining me, and thank you for those who have already submitted some questions. But those of you listening live please do use the Q&A box as well to ask me any questions and I’ll try and answer them or get the answer for you.

I wanted to start by recognising that the demand for emergency services, and the ambulance service in particular, across the country is unprecedented and I know we have used that word far too many times in the last 18 months, but it absolutely is the case at the moment.

In her recent communications to leaders across the NHS, the now announced new Chief Executive of the NHS has recognised in the first paragraph of her publication, the challenges to the ambulance sector, and in meetings that I have attended over the last couple of weeks at a national level, the national team have asked me to pass on my thanks to all of our teams, staff and volunteers, who continue to work tirelessly to meet that demand.

So, as I said, demand for the services is about 14% higher compared to last year, and whilst we have to absolutely focus on the safety of our patients, the wellbeing and safety of our staff is absolutely paramount to us at this time.

We’ve been talking, as I say, to the national team, it is a challenge across the whole ambulance sector, and we have been supported closely by our regional NHS England team as well. We are working very closely with them to increase staff numbers and recruitment into our AOC function as call handling and clinical, as well as increasing resources on the front line with ambulances and the driving and clinical skills to support that.

But what is also very important and a big focus of ours is wellbeing and support services across the region, both in the organisation, and more importantly, rapidly developing support from around the region to allow staff to be supported from a wellbeing perspective. So, we’re recruiting in to our central wellbeing team, but we’re also looking at engaging with a number of wellbeing hubs delivered by other Trusts and regulators and commissioners across the region.

We’re also looking to create and develop and support some wellbeing ambassador functions across the Trust. We’ve had an amazing number of 120 members of staff who have been doing this on an informal basis, and we want to absolutely support these colleagues in their support of other colleagues. So, we know this has had an impact, we know that colleagues helping each other has reduced sickness rates in some areas between 5-10%, and so we’re very keen to support the wellbeing ambassador role with further training development and support from an organisational perspective.

So, the program and supporting communications will launch in August, but in the meantime we continue to look at ways we can support staff, as I say, in these unprecedented times.

So that’s obviously had an impact on our people, and whilst we absolutely want to continue to support the work we’re doing around culture and behaviour, we know that at this time in REAP 4 we absolutely must focus on the wellbeing of our staff and their ability to deliver a safe service for our patients.

But the other work does continue and there are a number of pulse surveys that you’ll see in the next number of weeks. Shortly to close is another national quarterly pulse survey, and during August we will also have a pulse survey following up on the original workplace harassment survey that we did towards the end of last year. This is an important part of the work that we are doing with the Equality and Human Rights Commission action plan, and so we’d encourage everyone to take time to complete these surveys.

So, that’s, and thank you to those that have provided the questions through to the office prior to today. I don’t believe at the moment that we have any questions from the live audience, but please do pose your questions if you wish.

So, as I wait for that I just wanted to take a few moments just to reflect that this is my final Q&A as the Interim Chief Executive. I’m really excited and pleased to be joining Tom Abell from Monday as the Deputy Chief Executive and Medical Director, going back to my substantive post, and really excited that we have Tom joining us, and listening to his ideas over the last four to six weeks that he’s joined us at Melbourn on a Tuesday, I am excited for the months and years ahead for the organisation.

It has been a difficult nine or ten months since we went into special measures, but as I have said on many occasions, this role has been only possible on a personal level because of the passion, the enthusiasm and the dedication of our staff and volunteers across the organisation.

So, I am really looking forward to a new challenge in a slightly different role from next week, but absolutely grateful on a personal level for all the support everyone has given me, but actually on an organisation level, very proud that the organisation has achieved no only progression through the challenges that the CQC laid out in their report and the special measures, but also that we have maintained, through the dedication and focus of our staff across the organisation, and the support of our volunteers, a safe service to our patients despite a pandemic, despite winter, and now despite the, as I said at the beginning, unprecedented increase in demand in the urgent and emergency care sector.

So, in the absence of any more questions, just to say that I will I’m sure be speaking to people both virtually and physically in the months to come but look forward to supporting Tom Abell when he starts on Monday. I know that he plans, and will be publishing an all-staff message, and he’s very keen to engage with staff across the organisation. I know that he is working very closely with the Chief Executive office at the moment to plan a number of engagement events each week in the first months of his tenure.

Part of that will include a number of ‘Meet the CEO’ Q&As in the similar style to these, but I also know that he’s visiting places in the flesh, as the rest of the executive team will be doing as we’re able to reduce the Covid secure measures that we’re taking as the country unlocks and the risks change.

So, please do take time to read more about Tom and his thoughts on Need to Know, but from me it’s been a challenging but very, personally, beneficial time, if that’s the right word to use. There are a number of people that I will personally thank, but as I say, organisationally I have been very proud that we have been able to continue to deliver safe and effective care to patients, but also that we have started to change culture. Whilst it will be a longer-term project, I’m confident that many of us are feeling safer when we come to work, and as we continue that work, which will be one of my focuses in my Deputy Chief Executive role, I hope and aspire to creating a culture where we all feel valued, respected and safe when we come to work.

So, from me, thank you very much, keep safe, and I will see you soon, take care.