As part of Black History Month this year, NELFT Knowledge & Library Service worked with the EMN and allies to host a discussion around the book Black, Listed by Jeffrey Boakye. The book is a thought-provoking glossary of terms linked to black British identity, ranging from terms of endearment (‘Queen’) to official terms (police codes). Boakye discusses painful topics with insight and welcome bursts of humour (his section on Quentin Tarantino’s films is well worth a read!). Contributors to the discussion did not need to have read the whole book – as it was non-fiction, there was no danger of spoilers and it’s the sort of book that you can dip in and out of.

I couldn’t start my weekly message without sharing and reflecting on the tragic news about Sir David Amess. I know many colleagues live in Essex and others may have met Sir David through your roles within the NHS. I would like to offer my condolences to his loved ones and all who knew him, and the comments made by his peers and colleagues about his kindness, compassion and tolerance have really resonated with me, particularly in light of the work we are doing across NELFT to embed a just and compassionate culture.  

As Sunday 10 October marked World Mental Health Day I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all our colleagues working across our mental health services for all you do to support our service users and their loved ones. I also wanted to use this as another reminder about the importance of looking after your own mental health and wellbeing, as well as supporting your colleagues. Please do take a look at the wellbeing services available to all staff working across NELFT and the north east London patch via Keeping Well NEL.

I will start this week's blog with a thank you to everyone at NELFT for everything they do for our Trust. I was delighted to be able to join our first event of Thank You Fest 21 with The Lowes last week. The music was great and if you didn’t get the chance to join us they recorded a track just for us. There are still plenty of events throughout the month and we have tried to spread them throughout the week and over weekends, at different times, to accommodate as many colleagues as possible. Colleagues can find out more on our intranet.

Well, what better time to start my weekly blog than during our Thank You Fest 21. Thank You Week has really got our NELFT Thank You Fest off to a great start. I have loved seeing all the photos and posts on social media, especially the ones where colleagues have included family members and even pets! Our Thank You Fest is an opportunity for us to thank our colleagues for all they do for NELFT and the wider NHS and through our month of virtual events we hope that colleagues will join with their loved ones in order to have a few moments of fun away from the pressures of working life.