NELFT was delighted to welcome Dr Chris Streather, Chief Medical Officer for NHS England’s London Region.

Dr Streather was joined by Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Hélène Brown, alongside Integrated Care Director Jamie Stafford and Zaynah Dinah, and Director of Nursing and Patient Experience Debbie Smith, who led the visit around the Jane Atkinson Centre (JAC) in Walthamstow.

During the visit, Dr Streather met with several of our frontline teams, including the Rapid Response Team and the Mental Health and Wellbeing Team South, where we were invited to join the end of their zoning meeting. The welcome from staff( including students, social workers, care co-ordinators, psychiatrists, nurses, OT, psychologists) was warm and open, and there was a clear sense of purpose and pride across every interaction.

The group also joined the Integrated Patient & Carer Engagement Partnership (IPCEP) meeting, who were incredibly generous with their time, offering thoughtful reflections and helpful insights. They gave Dr Brown a clear task to take forward – one she’s committed to picking up with the Communications Team shortly!

Reflecting on the visit, Dr Chris Streather said:

“It was a privilege to visit the Jane Atkinson Centre in Walthamstow yesterday. It is one of the best features of my job to have the opportunity to visit hardworking professionals where they are delivering care to the public. I always learn something and take something away I would love to spread to the rest of London. It was great to see initiatives to improve physical and mental health out in the communities where Londoners live, to see the commitment to equity, and not for the first time, I looked with envy about how embedded the principles of user involvement and co-creation are in your service.”

Teams spoke openly about both the challenges they face and the many successes they are achieving together. Their energy, compassion, and deep commitment to patient-centred care were evident throughout. It was particularly inspiring to hear how they are already making a difference and thinking creatively about how to do things even better.

The visit also highlighted the strength of community-based care and integrated working across primary and secondary care, as well as with voluntary sector partners like Mind and our local authorities. These partnerships are essential to delivering holistic, equitable care.

Dr Hélène Brown added:

“I felt very proud to work with such skilled, thoughtful, and dedicated colleagues. The visit was a powerful reminder of how our values are lived every day through compassionate teamwork and commitment to improvement.”

One service user told us:

“It’s good to see the big boss coming to see the good work – and giving time to local people.” 

Jamie Stafford said:

“It was fantastic to welcome Dr Chris Streather to Jane Atkinson Centre for such a supportive and encouraging visit. We really appreciated his commendation of the areas that we’re really proud of, and he also helped contextualise and validate some of the challenges we are facing in our attempts to provide the best care we can for our communities in Waltham Forest. It was also great to have his valuable insights and perspectives, as he was able to share ideas and innovation from best practise elsewhere in London.”

Debbie Smith said:

"It was excellent to be able to join Dr Chris Streather on his visit to Waltham Forest Services. Chris was approachable and open and it was great to see the teams sharing with him the innovative work they are proud of alongside their challenges."

Thanks to all staff and service users involved in the visit – and to all colleagues across the Trust who continue to deliver excellent care with kindness and integrity.