In this issue

• Welcome message
• K&C recruit global patient for cancer study
• Newly named Thanet Community Health Hub
• Great reasons to become a member of our Trust

Welcome message from Bernie Mayall

Dear Trust members and supporters,   It has been a busy time for the governors with our annual members meeting held last month. It was great to see so many Trust members in person at the event which was held this year at Kent and Canterbury Hospital.   It was chaired by Dr Annette Doherty. It has been great to welcome Annette as our Trust Chair and we also thanked Stewart Baird, our Interim Chair for his significant leadership last year.   It was good to look back over last year and see the progress that the Trust is making. For example, our maternity services being rated as Good by the CQC, a significant upgrade from the previous inspection.

There have been big improvements in reducing waiting lists for the longest waiting patients and, in Endoscopy, the backlog of patients waiting has been eliminated completely.

We also heard about some exciting research and development work, you can read Terry’s story below.

The Trust’s progress has been recognised nationally as the Trust has successfully exited NHS England’s Recovery Support Programme, previously known as special measures.

We have also been chosen to take part in the national investigation of maternity and newborn baby care across England led by Baroness Valerie Amos. We are one of three Trusts where learning from previous investigations is being incorporated. The outcome of the investigation will be one clear set of national recommendations to achieve consistently high-quality, safe maternity and neonatal care.

While we have seen progress, governors are keen to stress that there is still more work to do, especially in improving the experience for patients in our emergency departments. This is a whole health and social care “system” responsibility, ensuring that patients can leave hospital when they are well enough. Please help by using alternatives to A&E wherever possible, the StopThinkChoose.co.uk website lists a range of treatment options, including a map of pharmacies and details of urgent care services in Kent and Medway. It also includes information on self-care, mental health and how NHS 111 can help.

Last week we were able to recognise and thank staff in person at the annual staff celebration awards. Paul Schofield, public governor for Thanet, attended on behalf of the Council of Governors and remarked that is was a great event.

Finally, I would like to encourage everyone who is eligible to have their flu vaccine as soon as possible. Last year, flu killed around 8,000 people in England, but vaccination prevented between 96,000 and 120,000 hospitalisations. In our hospitals during the last flu season, almost 1,000 of our patients were diagnosed with flu so please keep yourselves and your family safe by having the vaccine.

We hope you enjoy reading our newsletter.

Bernie Mayall
Lead Governor and Public Governor for Dover

K&C recruit global patient for cancer study

It’s very exciting when we are involved in research “firsts”. A grandfather from Folkestone is the first in the world to be recruited to a study trialling a new treatment for patients who have suffered a relapse of lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. Terry Barraclough received his first dose of the trial drug at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital, and he is being closely monitored by his consultant Dr Moya Young and the team from the East Kent Cancer Research Centre. You can read more about Terry’s story here.

New Thanet Community Health Hub opens this autumn

The newly named Thanet Community Health Hub will be opening this autumn (add pic)

The hub in Broadstairs, is led by the East Kent Health and Care Partnership (EKHCP), including East Kent Hospitals Trust, and brings together a wide range of NHS community services, a new community diagnostics centre and the new home for St Peter’s GP practice. Read more about what the Thanet Community Health Hub will offer.

Have you read the NHS 10 year plan?

I have been asked by some constituents if we can produce an easy read version of the NHS’s blueprint for the future, The NHS 10 year plan. I’m pleased to say that this has been done already, you can access the easy read version of the NHS 10 year plan here. And you can read the full document here.

Great reasons to become a member of our Trust

Everyone’s motivation for joining their local NHS Trust is different. You or a relative may have had hospital treatment or might simply be passionate about the NHS.

We want more people to sign up as a member of our Trust. Already a member? Why not share this newsletter with friends and family and encourage them to join too.

East Kent Hospitals is your local Foundation Trust providing acute hospital care in east Kent. Foundation Trusts have a wide membership of local people, patients and staff, aged 16 and over. Members vote to elect local Governors to represent them.

We want to listen and use your feedback to help us improve services. Trust members can be involved as much or as little as you want, from just receiving updates or asking your governor to represent your views, to helping us redesign services or even standing as a Governor yourself.

There are lots of other reasons to sign up:

• Have your say on NHS services
• Get the latest news straight into your inbox
• Vote for your local governor to represent your views
• It’s free and you get high street discounts normally only available to NHS staff
• Get an invite to our events and annual meeting.

For more information on how to get involved, you can visit our members information, email foundationtrust@nhs.net or phone us on 01233 616806.

I hope you have enjoyed our newsletter.

With best wishes
Bernie Mayall

Find out more about the Council of Governors at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust

Visit our Council of Governors page to learn more about what we do, and how to get in touch.

Not yet a member of the Trust? You can join now by heading to our members page.

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