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.

Firstly, I would like to thank our Executive Medical Director, Dr Caroline Allum, for deputising for me last week while I was on leave. It was great to have a break (even if I was poorly for some of it) and switch off from work. As always, I will remind colleagues of how important it is to take time off and I hope you are all making plans to ensure you take some of your annual leave over the coming months.

Anna works as a Paramedic for NELFT with our Waltham Forest Rapid Response Team. No two days are the same for this busy team and the work is exhausting, but so rewarding. 

So that we can understand the role in more detail, Anna kindly agreed to put pen to paper and write about just one of her days as a busy Paramedic at NELFT. 

Read on...

What is it about the term “borderline personality disorder”? Glenn Close in the film Fatal Attraction, Winona Ryder in the film Girl Interrupted and Princess Diana. I’ve read that the two actresses portrayed a female with this diagnosis and I have read also that princess Diana was thought to have it because they were all highly emotional, unstable, manipulative and needy-not qualities we think to post about ourselves or advertise. But why? 

I would like to start this week by saying a huge thank you to colleagues who worked over the Bank Holiday weekend, whether that was working your usual shift or as part of our on call, out of hours response. I really appreciate the efforts you all make to ensure our patients and their loved ones are supported when they most need our care. I hope those of you who didn’t have to work over the weekend enjoyed the extra day off on Monday.