Martin Hodgson, chief executive of East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trusts, runs a weekly blog that discusses his thoughts on what has been happening within the Trust and how national or world events could affect patients and staff.
In his blog he said: “To meet the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge was an honour and a privilege and I was so proud to be able to introduce them to colleagues and patients who work in and around the hospital. I want to thank them for taking the time to call in on us and also every single person who was involved in the meticulous planning and preparation an engagement of this magnitude requires.
“I know the team were (of course) excited to meet the Royal couple themselves, but the number one objective, from the start, was to put colleague across ELHT front and centre and make sure it was about them. I was part of the initial discussion and it was clear this event would provide a really big morale boost across all settings and services - and we really weren’t wrong.
“Between those that organised, to the brave colleagues who sat around the table with the Duke and Duchess to talk about the impact the pandemic has had on their health and wellbeing, to the team supporting the fabulous patient Bill Taylor – who charmed the Royal couple with stories about his life and care – the visit was a perfect reflection of the Trust, everyone in it and everything we do around here.
“Thank you to everyone involved, including the team at Clitheroe Community Hospital for the way you represented the Trust yesterday. The visit was a firmly guarded secret at the request of Kensington Palace and I know took some by surprise – but every single person was an absolute star.”
Tim Radcliffe from East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust won the Hospital Catering Award at the 2021 Public Sector Catering Awards. Under Tim, the team has fostered an ‘enthusiastic’ attitude towards a ‘food as medicine’ approach to hospital catering and action-research projects have seen ward-waste reduced by an average of 10% per ward.
The Public Sector Catering Awards are open to individuals, teams, companies and organisations including contract caterers operating in a public sector environment. To find out more visit: www.pscawards.co.uk.