Hello all,

We’re very nearly at the end of the industrial action by doctors in training, which ends tomorrow at 7am, and I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for the incredible work you are doing to keep our patients, wards and hospital moving - ensuring everyone receives safe care.

We planned extensively last week to ensure we were in the best place possible and I am delighted to see how well these plans have worked on the ground, and how teams have come together to deliver for patients and each other. It’s been really impressive, particularly coming out of a four-day bank holiday weekend. We did have to unfortunately cancel some appointments but have tried to ensure we have kept people informed.

I am also very grateful to the consultants and other senior medical staff who have worked hard to ensure they were available to cover rotas and help our plans work so well. Thank you.

Elsewhere this week I know that colleagues have been working on our new Let’s Get You Home policy, which launches next week. Focussing on best practice and looking at new innovative ways to work better together to get patients home or to onward care is an absolute priority. I know many of us are keen to see this get off to a strong start so we can ensure our hospital beds are only occupied by people who need to be there, and I look forward to seeing how this new policy can help us deliver on those efforts.

Next week we are also beginning our staff and public engagement on our new five-year Trust strategy which will outline the key overarching priorities we will be working to when we set our operational goals each year.

As a Trust our priorities and the way people can and want to receive care has changed and we need to ensure our plans over the next few years meet those demands, as well as our wider NHS goals as we recover from the pandemic. Staff and patients are all at the heart of what we do at SASH and that’s why we want your feedback on our plans so far. So please look out for further information on how you can do this next week.

Finally, it would be remiss not to mention that we have (on Thursday) filled in the potholes in the main entrance road to East Surrey Hospital. I hope by the time you read this that the repair is holding.

Best wishes,

Paul Simpson
Deputy chief executive, chief finance officer and director of estates and facilities

(Angela is on annual leave)