Happy Friday folks and welcome to my blog.
Well, it was Valentine’s Day yesterday and we’ve certainly been ‘feelin the love’ here at ELHT this week. It began with confirmation that the CQC still love us as we retained – even improved – our solid ‘Good’ rating. This is really impressive and a great reflection of some really hard work by a whole army of people. I just love the fact that the vast improvements made here over the years have not only been sustained, but they’ve been built upon, and they’ve been recognised. The CQC identified some outstanding services – ELCAS and our Community End of Life Care – and a number of outstanding practices – including Refer to Pharmacy, the appointment of a Domestic Violence Advisor in our Safeguarding Team, and the Hip and Knee School, to name just a few. I’ve been delighted to see the lovely comments on social media following our rating and I’m sending big thanks to everyone involved in this fantastic achievement. That’s pretty much all of you! So proud.
It’s not just me who loves our staff. Our patients do too. This Valentine’s week has been just like any other with lots of positive feedback, thanks and appreciation.
It’s always hugely rewarding to hear about how much our staff love their jobs, and love working for the Trust. We often associate this particularly with patient facing staff. However, I’m delighted that our ‘backroom staff’ are also happy in their work. One said to me this week ‘I can’t tell you how much I enjoy my job, and how much satisfaction I get from it. The job itself is demanding, but I know I make a difference. And it’s not just the job, it’s my colleagues…I love them!’. How good is that? I will never tire of hearing feedback like that.
Have you tried the fabulous improved Costa Coffee facility in the main entrance and Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital. How much do you love it?? It’s brilliant. It’s a huge improvement right at our front door and provides a comfortable environment for staff, patients and visitors alike to sit down and have a cuppa. And if that is not enough, we’ve now also got an M&S Food to Go outlet down there. Big thanks to everyone involved in bringing these additional choices for us all.
Take a look at the photo below – isn’t it lovely ? It shows a student from Nelson and Colne College, one of a small cohort who volunteered to give hand massages on Ward 19 at Burnley General Teaching Hospital. There is nothing quite like the feeling you get when you see young people doing something that is really appreciated by older people. I love this picture and I think it captures the essence of everything we try and do here at ELHT – safe, personal and effective – and a great example of how work experience inspires young people into careers in the NHS.
Well that’s it for this week and thank you, one and all!