Published on: 13 July 2018

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Hello everyone - can you believe it's Friday again already? It's the end of another exciting week for me, and the Trust.

It began with HSJ Patient Safety Congress in Manchester. Patient safety is, of course, our most important duty. We are committed to patient safety and are clear about that commitment. It is at the very heart of our vision and values. So I was very proud that ELHT was featured in both the programme for the event, and the shortlist for the Patient Safety Awards. In a segment called 'How did they do it?' I had the honour of sharing our experience of significant improvement in safety so that others can apply our learning to their own organisations, and thereby benefit even more people. Our consultant physician Dr John Dean, in his capacity as Clinical Director for Quality Improvement at the Royal College of Physicians, discussed 'improving quality improvement' - an interesting and important concept. I was delighted that three of our patient safety programmes were shortlisted in the awards – Dedicated Ward Pharmacy; the Placenta Clinic; and the new Respiratory Assessment Unit, - were all recognised for their effectiveness. Sadly, there was no silverware on this occasion, but this is still very impressive. Well done to Alistair Gray, Mr Martin Maher and Christopher Nicholson and all the staff involved in these successful programmes. Thank you - and every one of our staff who is committed to patient safety - for your essential work.

I am looking forward to the Trust's 'Sustainability Day', being planned for September by our Estates and Facilities team. This will focus on managing waste, conserving energy and reducing our carbon footprint. We are making really good progress in this area, but we have to do much more. As individuals, we can all make a difference. I am personally committed to this, and am managing being 'paperless' - something we should all be trying to do, and something which will be greatly supported when we move to our managed print arrangements. I have also noticed the re-usable plastic cutlery in the restaurant, reducing the impact of disposable plastic. Improving our 'green' credentials in these ways is absolutely the right thing to do and is cheaper as well as better. So I hope the Sustainability Day is a great success and you all support it. Watch this space for more information.

Finally, I said last week that our celebrations around NHS70 would continue for some time yet. Well, next week, starting Wednesday and lasting until the end of July, we will be running a 'coin hunt'. ELHT is one of just ten Trusts nationally and only two in the North region, to be selected to receive 2000 of the special edition 'N for NHS' 10p coins recently issued by the Royal Mint. They will be released through the tills of our food outlets in our five hospital sites with a limited number each day. They have no monetary value over their 10p worth, but they are very nice. They are brand new and a fitting acknowledgment of just how important the NHS is. If you are lucky enough to get one, please take a selfie with it and send it to our Communications Department. Good luck!