CEO’s Blog

Firstly, to start with a big ‘thank you’ for all my colleagues working in or supporting our frontline emergency and acute services at QHB and RDH particularly. We’ve had a very challenging few weeks with high demand for urgent care as well as coping with the continued presence of Covid-19. I’m conscious that #TeamUHDB are working flat out now, whether that’s in our maternity services, paediatrics and cancer services which have all seen increasing demand or indeed those helping to clear back logs of planned treatments and appointments. Whether you’re in a patient facing role or a supporting one like me – you’re all doing incredible things for our communities. Thank you.

What a week, it feels like so much has happened across our hospitals over the last seven days. Regular blog readers will know that I’m a big believer in system working and in openness, one of our values, so my thanks to BBC Radio Derby for letting the NHS and Social Care system demonstrate both!

Dear all,

I know how hard you are all working at the moment; serving our patients right across the Trust. Be it in diagnostics, planned care, urgent and emergency care, maternity, paediatrics and everywhere else, teams are pulling out all the stops to meet high levels of demand, restore our services and help treat those who are waiting. And I know that you’re all doing this at a time when we are still affected by Covid-19, whether you have it yourself or you or your colleagues are isolating at home with someone who does.

One of the things I often do in the blog is to ask colleagues from all parts of UHDB to get in touch and invite me along to visit them where they work and to meet their team.  This is one of the best parts of my job and I like nothing more than to get out of the office and off MS Teams and have a proper conversation with some actual people.

Dear all,

Normally for me, Friday is one of the busiest days of the week as there are often a lot fixed meetings and plenty to do before a busy NHS weekend, and to be honest, today is no different. But what is different today is that I feel more energised than normal about the work ahead of us, and for those of you who know me, I’m a glass half full kind of guy anyway.