Hello all
It’s been half term this week, I hope those of you that have been on leave have had a great time with your children. I overhead a colleague recently bemoaning the headache that comes with trying to deal with school holidays when you are a working parent. I know all about this struggle but now that my children are all grown up, I have to say I miss half terms. Enjoy them because they’re over in a flash!
Staff wellbeing remains a priority for the Trust and I am delighted to share the recent appointment a principal clinical psychologist thanks to SASH Charity and a generous grant from NHS Charities Together. They will be based at East Surrey Hospital within our occupational health department. As part of our wellbeing effort, we wanted to make sure we took steps to invest in your psychological health and wellbeing. The clinical psychologist is offering up to six sessions of individual therapy along with a host of other offers including reflective practice and staff training around mental health and wellbeing.
On Thursday I had the pleasure of sitting down with Nigel Gray, Radio Redhill’s chairman, to look back at the year and reflect on our achievements, and there were so many, I fear I may have talked too much! They include eSASH go-live, green car leasing, phasing out desflurane, awards for procurement and research, the Armed Forces Covenant, celebrating World’s Parkinson’s Day, the Vicky Daley Memorial Scholarship, and midwifery silver awards, all of this whilst also dealing with COVID, flu, and providing care for thousands of patients.
We also spoke about what we want to accomplish in the year ahead, opening our new wards, our new car park and gearing up to treat as many patients waiting for their operation as we possibly can. Thank you to Nigel for having me and to the Radio Redhill team along with the many volunteers who provide this valuable service to our patients. The piece is due to air Sunday afternoon, so you can tune in then. It will also be available on the ‘listen again’ feature on the Radio Redhill website for four weeks.
I’d like to give a shout out to Dr Shrilla Banerjee who today presented at the Coronary Complications During PCI programme alongside her peers. This weekend she will be attending #RISE2023 as part of the Women as One organisation. As many of you will know, Dr Banerjee has always advocated for women in science, medicine, and healthcare, she’s an inspiration. I look forward to hearing all about it.
I’m pleased to share that Jayne Phoenix, previously associate non-executive director is now a full member of the board. Congratulations to you, Jayne, and I look forward to working with you going forward.
Finally, on Monday 20 February, the nominations for this year’s Star Awards officially open! If you know someone that demonstrates SASH values or you would like to recognise a member of staff, a team or a volunteer who has gone above and beyond for our patients and our colleagues, be sure to nominate them so they can get the recognition they deserve. Please keep an eye on our website to find out how to nominate someone.
Best wishes
Angela Stevenson
Chief executive