I wanted to start this week by acknowledging the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, and the aftermath of this event. My thoughts are with those who have been impacted by the tragedy. If you have family or loved ones who you are concerned about please do reach out and seek support. And if this event has triggered anything for our colleagues in health and care, you can access wellbeing support services through KeepingWell NEL. When things like this happens it reminds us all how precious life is, so please do take care of yourselves.

This week is another busy week of awareness events as it is National Apprenticeships Week. Apprentices are really valued members of Team NELFT and support us to develop our workforce for the future. It’s been great to learn more about the different types of apprentice roles we support at NELFT, both clinical and non-clinical. Follow along on our socials to find out more and engage in the conversation. I loved reading about the experiences of some of our apprentices, Jake, Olola and Atifa, as well as their advice for anyone who is considering an apprenticeship, you can view the article here.

It’s also Children’s Mental Health Week and as a provider of NHS mental health services for children and young people, it’s a great opportunity to raise awareness of the brilliant work we do to support young people as well as the opportunities we have to improve. On Tuesday the Trust also hosted our Mental Health In Schools Teams event celebrating the journey so far for teams across our London boroughs. The support, interventions and innovations delivered to children and young people and their families were showcased throughout the event and it was a also a chance to share learning. As one of the largest NHS providers of Mental Health in Schools Teams I am really proud of everyone who works alongside our colleagues in education across NELFT to make a difference for young people.

I was really pleased that our LGBT+ staff network hosted a Queer Takeover on our all staff weekly webinar this week, and I am looking forward to more of this throughout the month to mark LGBT History Month.

 

 

Jacqui

Jacqui Van Rossum Chief Executive (Acting)