Improving Together – CEO Caroline Donovan’s Blog – 11 November 2024
I want to begin with a massive thank you to everyone who was involved in our Listening into Action (LiA) event in Great Yarmouth on Thursday last week. I was so pleased to see so many amazing achievements from our teams. The event began with Trevor Stevens telling his story of the tragic loss of his beloved daughter Tobi. The circumstances surrounding Tobi’s death were heartrending and there were many tears in the room. Tobi had come to live in Norwich from Oxford as a student and had died by suicide. Her parents were not aware of the extent of her mental health struggles which meant her death was even more of a loss to bear. Whilst Trevor’s story made for very difficult listening, it was a framing for why we have our improvement plan. We want to make our Trust a much better place to work, and in turn, enable much safer, kinder and better care to be delivered.
I was completely blown away by the achievements of so many of our teams. We heard from many staff and service users about the progress they were so proud to share. We had such creativity and innovation shared, with teams showcasing their outstanding achievements in a variety of ways. Examples included a live presentation of artificial intelligence (AI) in action, role plays highlighting improvements in care planning and support for our admin colleagues, plus a video news report showcasing a more efficient way to recruit Healthcare Support Workers to name just a few! I was particularly impressed by the hip-hop track created by a service user with our Care Delivery teams. You can see a poster pack celebrating all of fantastic teams here.
It is simply amazing what can be achieved when you ask teams to come together to lead and improve areas they feel passionate about. It was so positive seeing our services and service users coming together and working proactively to share good practice and supporting improvement – well done everyone.
I was so delighted to welcome the Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Norfolk, Michael Gurney, to look around our impressive new £55 million Rivers Centre development at Hellesdon Hospital. Dr Faisil Sethi, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Medical Officer and Robyn Ward, Head of Chair and Chief Executive’s Office, alongside Mark Kittle, our Associate Director of Capital Projects, Matthew Milne, Capital Project Manager and some of our great Estates team joined us for a tour of the Rivers Centre, which is very close to completion, It features wonderful wards all with en-suite bedrooms, landscaped with light and airy courtyards, communal and therapeutic areas, and dedicated staff areas.
Work is progressing at pace and we hope to open our new centre in January 2025. I’d like to think that the centre will transform care for service users - you can find out more about the project on the Hellesdon Rivers Centre webpage.
Very sadly, I recently met with a bereaved mother whose experiences with our Trust following the tragic death of her son had a detrimental impact on her during an already incredibly difficult time. This meeting was a poignant reminder that there is still much work to be done in improving how we deliver care and services, and how we engage with families and carers. We are committed to learning from these experiences and making the necessary changes to ensure that we provide compassionate and effective support to all those who rely on our services.
We met with the CQC last week as part of our regular meetings and were able to share the improvements we are making. However, we also acknowledged that there is still much work to be done, particularly in enhancing our 111 and crisis services. The open dialogue with the CQC was instrumental in identifying areas that require further attention and development. We are committed to continuing our efforts to improve and provide the best possible care for our community.
I would like to extend a big thank you to Peter Henson for recently enabling me to visit many services at Wedgwood House. I was so pleased to be able to meet our Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team, the 111 service, our place of safety suite, the Mental Health Liaison Service, our acute adult and in-patient wards, Northgate and Southgate Wards, and our older peoples ward, Abbeygate Ward. It was a wonderful opportunity to speak with such incredible staff in each of these teams. Hearing first-hand about the challenges they face, as well as the areas of good practice, was very insightful. Their dedication and hard work are truly commendable.
With Executive colleagues, I was really pleased to meet with Care Group leaders last week to talk through their local EVI programmes (efficiency, value and improvement). Whilst it continues to be really challenging for us, it was reassuring to hear of the work going on across all our services to focus on ensuring efficiency and value whilst maintaining service quality. It will be the first of many as we work to achieve a break-even position for 2024/ 25. We do have a lot more to do in the last five months of the year.
Now on to an area of achievement that I am keen that we celebrate. Improving patient experience is a key priority in our improvement plan and there are many ways for service users and their carers to tell us how we are doing. The Friends and Family Test (FFT) is a really important feedback tool that supports the fundamental principle that people who use NHS services should have the opportunity to provide feedback on their experience. Listening to the views of service users, families, carers and staff helps identify what is working well, what can be improved and how.
Our Friends and family Test feedback has improved from 68% reporting very good/good care in 2022 - to over 80% in October 2024Response rates have improved too with a 35.9% uplift in responses in one year (3,685 vs 4,174). Whilst of course we have much more to achieve, improvement in service user feedback is great news. Well done and thank you to all those involved.
We had such a fantastic number of entries for our Safer, Kinder, Better Annual Staff Awards and I am so pleased to today announce the opening of one new special category - the Rising Star Award. This award is designed to recognise an individual who has demonstrated exceptional promise, leadership potential, and unwavering dedication in their role within our Trust. The Rising Star Award celebrates an individual who lives the values and behaviours of the Trust and has made a significant impact within their area of practice.
I encourage you to take the time to nominate your colleagues who embody these qualities. Your nominations will help us shine a spotlight on the remarkable talent within our organisation and inspire others to strive for greatness. To nominate someone, please complete this form by 10am this Friday (15 November).
We are looking forward to a glittering night of celebration on Thursday 12 December. It is so important and such a lovely opportunity to celebrate the brilliant work and create positive action and focus on you, our people, who are our most important asset.
On a more sombre note, today is Remembrance Day. Many of our teams took time on Remembrance Sunday and during the two minutes’ silence to remember. It is a poignant and timely reminder of the importance of reflecting and remembering the sacrifice that was made by so many as well as those lost in more recent conflicts. The red poppy is a symbol of both remembrance and hope for a peaceful future. For further information, please visit Remembrance | Get Involved | Royal British Legion
Thank you for everything you continue to do.
Until the next time
Caroline