Leadership message from Dr Tom Davis

Dear colleague

I will begin this week by highlighting some of the positive feedback we get from those we serve - our patients and their families. It is often said that people are more likely to find the time to raise a complaint than to say thank you. I am delighted to say that our latest statistics show that EEAST continues to buck this trend, and in fact we are receiving more compliments than normal.

We generally receive around ten compliments to every complaint, but this ratio has improved even further over the past couple of weeks. In fact, from 28 January to 4th February, 76 patients and families got in touch to pass on their heartfelt thanks.  I know many of you are thanked for your care and compassion on scene, but these figures show how much your work is appreciated, and the quality of care is maintained, especially during these challenging times. 

Speaking of quality, can I remind you that we publish a quarterly clinical magazine called Clinical Quality Matters, and the latest version can be found here.

The NHS’s performance was recognised by The Duke of Cambridge who joined a call with  NHS leaders from our region to thank staff for their continued efforts in dealing with the COVID-19 virus. The Duke’s attendance at the meeting was part of a series of personal ‘thank yous’ from him to the NHS for its “herculean” work over the past months.

Finally, I just want to talk about progress with our Care Quality Commission action plan. The Trust has made strong progress since we were placed into special measures in October, and you can read our latest update here which covers action taken on bullying and harassment, governance and our Covid 19 response.

We recognise that issues with policies and governance can be addressed quickly, and we have moved rapidly on these during the first phase of the plan. We know the next stages will ask more of us as individuals and teams, as leaders and managers. To reach our objective of a positive and supportive culture here at EEAST is a much longer term commitment, and will require a lot of challenge and change. We are definitely moving in the right direction and I believe the whole service is as committed to our cultural change as we are to patient care.

Thank you and stay safe

Tom

 Published 18th February 2021