I am going to start this week by sharing some feedback from our Trust Board meeting that took place on Tuesday. We always begin each meeting with a patient journey as it really helps to ground us and it is so important for us to remember why we are all here. This month our patient journey was from Leila, who uses our Redbridge Refugee Service. Please be aware that Leila’s story is upsetting. Her story was shared on her behalf by Dr Laura Gilkinson as Leila’s past has been so traumatic for her that speaking in public at a meeting felt very daunting for her.

Leila was sadly trafficked from Africa to the UK at the age of 12 and has experienced a huge number of traumatic incidents since then. She is now a 38-year-old mum of three who was referred to our Redbridge Refugee Service in 2018. Since this referral, the team has been working with Leila who now says she feels she is making progress for the first time in her life. She is very grateful for the support and is happy to say she is no longer having panic attacks. I struggled to comprehend the trauma Leila has experienced but was so pleased to hear that working with our service has had such a positive impact and I wish Leila every success as she moves forward. It was a very humbling reminder of why we are here, to deliver the best care for our patients and make a difference for individuals.

At our Board meeting we also discussed progress with our Just and Compassionate Culture Programme and I am really pleased that our series of short films focused on what just and compassion means at NELFT is launching this week. There will be a new film coming out each week over the next two months and these will be complemented by our #CompassionAtNELFT social media campaign (launching on 8 June). Thank you to everyone who has taken part so far and to all colleagues who have been engaging in our leadership development work as part of the programme that has been facilitated by The King’s Fund. You can watch the first short film here (it happens to feature me this week!).

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate one of our student nurses, Simran Rand, who has been shortlisted for Student Nurse of the Year by The Nursing Times. Huge congratulations Simran, I am wishing you lots of luck for the awards ceremony which is taking place on Friday.

Finally, I would like to end this week by thanking all of you for your hard work and dedication. I know people have been working flat out to support our CQC core service inspections and upcoming well-led review and I really appreciate this. Please make sure that you prioritise your own health and wellbeing, looking after yourself is crucial. You can access all of our wellbeing support offers here.

Take care and stay safe. 

Jacqui

Jacqui Van Rossum
Chief Executive (Acting)