Looking to the future: update from CEO Robert Morton (8th October)

Robert Morton CEO visits 140915

It is fitting that I start this message by paying tribute to all those whom have worked tirelessly to progress our recovery and support the community through a very difficult time in the organisation’s lifetime. Needless to say our recovery continues and will do so for some considerable time to come; we must continue to strive to deliver a better service for patients both in terms of the quality of care we give and how quickly we get to them.

Despite working through a recovery plan, it is also important that we think beyond recovery and into the future. In essence, what do we want our ambulance service to look like in five to ten years’ time? What services do we want to be providing, and how do we want to provide them, to patients? And what does success look like?

2015 will continue to be a challenging year as we face increasing pressure on public sector budgets, rising demand and a realisation that our existing models of care and service delivery are not sustainable to meet these ever increasing demands on us – there simply is not the money in the NHS or public sector for us to continue recruiting hundreds and hundreds of new staff to keep up with demand in the future. So we are going to have to look at the challenges a different way and come up with more innovative and creative solutions. And of course, in all of that we will have to keep improving the quality of our service and patient care whilst providing greater value for money.

The last few years has presented not only a financial but a cultural challenge to EEAST. Some of you may have never experienced the impact and continuous cycle of change that such a reality has brought to you.  

2016 and beyond will be a time where we must continue our current journey and prepare for a new direction, driven by the need to improve efficiency and patient safety while working to develop new models of care to meet the future needs of the population – and within that maximising the use of our clinical skills to treat patients closer to home. The future will certainly bring new challenges but it will also bring exciting opportunities and change. Above all, we must be ready to positively evolve to meet the needs of our patients and create opportunities for our people.

The Trust has recently started working on developing a new strategic plan that will map our journey through the three to five year period beyond our recovery. The final strategy will be influenced by many of you and will ultimately be owned by everyone within and connected to the organisation. By way of introduction to some of the issues we need to address and think about in our plan, I shall, through a series of fortnightly messages over the coming weeks, provide some food for thought and some insight into what we need to do to move forward together.

As part of this work, I am also keen to review the culture within EEAST and the most pressing challenges you face in the workplace. We are holding our first staff event on Wednesday, 21st October at Quendon Hall, Essex – an opportunity, in an informal setting, for the executive team and myself to listen to your feedback and to talk about those issues which matter to you. In short this is an opportunity for you to tell me in your own words what you think and feel about the culture of EEAST and what we can do to continue to improve. Places are limited, so to reserve your place email learningunit@eastamb.nhs.uk with your job role, the area you work in and any dietary requirements.

I look forward to gathering more of your views and ideas as I continue to travel around the region and meet with you. 

With best wishes,

Robert

Published 8th October, 2015

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