|
Membership Matters
York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
October 2024
A message from our Chair
At the time of writing this article I have read the first half of the 163 page report written by Lord Darzi that was published a few days ago. You may recall that the new government asked him to investigate and report back on the current state of the NHS.
His analysis is not a surprise and chimes with what we all know. The cumulative underfunding since 2010 in all but two of the last 14 years, along with an actual cut of some 18% in social care spending, is the root cause of why the NHS is on its knees. He further comments that the NHS was under significant strain before covid struck which is why the NHS was the most impacted health system in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. This shows itself now with huge numbers of people waiting for treatment, and a deterioration in the health of the population.
I have been reading the free text comments that colleagues wrote when completing last years Annual Staff Survey, and one of the many that stood out for me was “I feel there has been a rebound after the pandemic with poor morale and feeling of failure for which we are all feeling responsible and powerless to change. Pressure is being put on to do more in less time for less. I feel exhausted.” I am sure that this comment will be shared by many colleagues.
The root causes of why we are where we are in the NHS rests largely with the previous governments since 2010 and some of the solutions now rest with the new government we have. But there are still many things that are in our control, that are in our power to change for the better, and it is these things that we have to focus on because they will make a big difference. We need to be the best we can be irrespective of national constraints.
On 18 September the Trust Board, along with 30 senior clinical staff and managers, spent the day developing the basis for the Trust’s comprehensive 2025/26 Annual Plan. The priorities that we end up agreeing will be about the most important things to do that we do have the power and responsibility to improve.
I also expect the Board to approve a draft new five year Trust Strategy at its meeting at the end of September, to share with colleagues, Council of Governors and partner organisations for comment and suggestions for improvement with a closing date at the end of December, with the aim of the final version of the Strategy being approved by the Board at its meeting at the end of January 2025. To date two sessions have taken place with the Council of Governors on the development of the strategy. In next month’s edition of Membership Matters I will include a digital link to the new draft strategy for you to access to comment upon if you would like to. Again, this will focus on those things that we do have the power to improve.
A date for your diary is Thursday 17 October 2024 for our Annual General Meeting. It will be on-line again this year starting at 6.30pm. I hope you will be able to join us for the AGM – you’ll find more details in this edition of Membership Matters.
Martin Barkley
Trust Chair
Event of the year - Celebration of Achievement 2024
In September, we celebrated our annual Celebration of Achievement Awards with a dazzling ceremony at York Racecourse. The event was made possible by the generosity of our sponsors, including headline sponsor, PPL Training.
You can now read all about the wonderful winners and finalists in this Celebration of Achievement 2024 round-up.
Annual general meeting
As mentioned in the Chair’s update, our Annual General Meeting takes place on Thursday 17 October at 6.30pm.
This is an opportunity for Trust members and the general public to find out more about the work of our Trust, including our challenges and achievements, annual reports and accounts, and priorities for the year ahead. There will also be an opportunity to present questions to the Trust’s leadership team.
To attend this year’s AGM, please use the online link: Click here to virtually attend our AGM.
Get involved
Public Council of Governors meetings
These meetings are held throughout the year and give you the chance to see first-hand the workings of the Council of Governors speaking up and representing the views of their constituents.
The Council of Governors acts as the voice of the community, ensuring local people have a say in the running of their hospital. Governors are either elected by member of the Trust or appointed by appropriate stakeholder partners, which includes nominated representatives from the Local Authority, University, and other partner organisations.
You can read all about your local governors on our website. If you would like to contact any of the governors, email [email protected], including the name of the governor you wish to contact.
The next meeting takes place on Wednesday 11 December.
Public Board of Directors meetings
These are held every other month and give you the opportunity to observe the Board of Directors on how decisions are made and what the challenges are of managing a NHS Trust.
Upcoming dates:
- Wednesday 23 October, 9.30am
- Wednesday 27 November, 10am
More details on Board of Directors Meetings can be found here.
Star Award finalists
All our staff and volunteers deserve recognition - but there are many that go above and beyond the call of duty to make the Trust a better service - with hard work, exciting new ideas and simply by putting patients first. Click here to read why they were nominated and learn how they made a difference. If you would like to nominate someone for a Star Award complete the online form.
Social Media
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on LinkedIn
|
