This week I have the pleasure of deputising for Jacqui, while she takes some well-deserved leave. I am just back from annual leave myself and it has been lovely to come back to the buzz across the organisation about our CQC rating of Good. I would like to take this chance to thank you all for the work you do each day to support the delivery of the best care by the best people. I am looking forward to working on our improvement areas as we continue our journey towards outstanding.

This year our AGM will be an opportunity to celebrate our CQC Good rating, review the past year and look ahead. It is online again this year to enable more people to join so please do sign up if you would like to attend. 

I had the pleasure of supporting a visit to our Acute and Rehabilitation Directorate (ARD) from  Dr Chris Streather, Interim Regional Medical Director & Chief Clinical Information Officer - NHS England (London Region). Chris visited Picasso Ward, Morris Ward garden and our Integrated Crisis and Assessment Hub, and it was great to be able to share the feedback from our CQC inspection alongside the progress we have been making across the services. Thank you to Joseph Lindo Integrated Care Director, Dr Emmanuel Okoro Associate Medical Director and Mog Heraghty Associate Director of Nursing Mental Health Inpatients for supporting the visit and of course to all colleagues and patients who met Chris as part of the visit.

I’d like to take the opportunity to welcome Mirek Skrypak, our new Director of Quality Improvement, to NELFT and I know you will all join me in giving Mirek a warm welcome. Mirek joins us with a wealth of experience and I am excited to work with him, our QI team and colleagues across the Trust to further embed our approach to Quality Improvement across NELFT. One of our core values at NELFT is to be progressive, innovative and continually improving so I know that Mirek joining will help us deliver on this as well as ensure that our quality improvement work and transformation work is fully aligned. Again, another step towards our goal to become outstanding.

Every year we mark World Suicide Prevention Day (10 September) and this year are hosting an event on Friday 9 September from 10.30am-1.30pm for all staff to join together to do what we can for suicide prevention. We are looking forward to welcoming Jon Salmon to the online event, who will be sharing first hand his story of being bereaved by suicide, his own experience of mental health and his road to recovery.

Finally I would like to remind you all to look after your own health and wellbeing. I know it is easier said than done but if we don’t look after ourselves, it will be much harder to support others. Remember you can access support from the KeepingWell NEL service.

Many thanks

Caroline