Hospital boss gives heartfelt appreciation to staff

The letter sent to all 5,000 colleagues at Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is clear and concise:

Dear colleagues,

I’m writing this prior to the Christmas break for many, amid industrial action across the NHS and with fluctuating winter pressures, so I recognise that the festive period may not be restful and relaxing for some.

I wanted to acknowledge the hard work that has gone into all aspects of Trust-life – across our performance, quality, financial and workforce metrics. My thanks to you all - colleagues, patients, visitors, Governors and our Trust Members: Together our job is to be here for people when they need us the most, to truly care and I know we are working tirelessly to this achieve this. You all make the difference.

I’m sure you’ll agree, we have made some memorable moments throughout 2023, with Royal visits, the opening of our new Emergency Department, our Paediatric Assessment Unit and our colleagues’ Health and Wellbeing Hub; the 75th year of the NHS has certainly been a busy one for us – with lots to celebrate and be proud of. I’d urge everybody to reflect on the year and your achievements.

One of my proudest moments of the year, which I believe epitomises what #TeamCRH is about, was as part of our recent Chair recruitment process. Mahmud Nawaz has now been appointed and will succeed Dr Helen Phillips in February, but when he visited prior to his formal interview, I met with Mahmud and together we walked through the hospital. As we were greeted along our corridors, it was a privilege to see that despite being at OPEL 4 – our highest escalation level due to the operational pressures – colleagues were universally friendly, cheerful and professional. They truly lived our values. I was, and remain, very proud. It is always about the small acts, the kindness and the caring, that make the biggest difference. Thank you. To those celebrating, I wish you a very merry Christmas.

Best wishes,

Hal

Hal did acknowledge that Christmas and New Year is not always a happy time for some people and reminded colleagues of the extensive wellbeing offer for staff who feel they need support this festive period, and all year round.