| Tuesday 17 August 2021
Dear colleagues
We are continuing to face immense pressure across our hospital and community services, as we have for a number of weeks.
It has been a very long and difficult year and a half for all of us since the start of the pandemic. This continued pressure and the current level of intensity we are working at is overwhelming at times and I fully recognise how tired some of you are and the impact this is having on us all.
We have a sizable number of Covid-19 positive patients within our bed base. The number of people attending the UECC is high, as it is across the regional footprint in neighbouring hospitals and our bed occupancy is higher than we would like. Lately the number of ambulances waiting to offload at EDs throughout the region has caused delays in getting to people in our communities.
The level of Covid-19 patients and the number of people attending our UECC is unlikely to change dramatically in the coming months and so as an organisation, we need to reset and review how we do things to manage the situation.
We are refocussing our operational efforts on patient flow, discharges and reducing the waiting time in UECC. Our Tactical (Silver) Command calls will provide the opportunity for a review of the day ahead to identify all actions that are required to address delays in discharges, long wait times and other operational matters that arise. The afternoon site meeting will focus on preparing us for the evening ahead and ensuring patients are moved before the night.
Our Leadership teams across the Trust will provide daily support to you. I know how difficult it has felt in recent days and I really do appreciate the outstanding work you are all doing.
The Executive team are working with regional colleagues as well as local primary and partners to prepare for the coming months, making sure they understand our current position and what needs to be done to improve the care of patients and wellbeing of staff.
I also know that some of you have been experiencing challenging behaviours from patients and relatives, this is something we will not accept. There is a lot of work being done to address this but if you do experience any form of unacceptable behaviour please raise this immediately so that we can support you.
The coming weeks and even months will remain a challenge for us all but I know that we will work together to support each other and our patients.
Richard Dr Richard Jenkins Interim Chief Executive
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