Message from our Chief Executive
Our hospital is now into its fourth week of treating patients and I would like to begin by thanking the whole team for everything you are doing to provide the best possible care. We have now treated 24 patients and I am really pleased that we have supported many of these patients to return home or to their usual place of residence. Where those patients haven’t been able to return home, we have provided end of life care with empathy and respect. We could not do this without the outstanding team we have built; from doctors and nurses, to health care support workers, admin staff, porters and caterers and many more. Thank you.
As I mentioned last week, we now have the capacity to open 72 beds and are currently working closely with acute trusts across the North West to support referrals to the Nightingale North West. When the hospital opened on 13 April our priority was to do so safely and gradually while systems and processes were fully tested. As the NHS now enters the second phase of the pandemic response, our priority is to support the North West region as hospitals begin to increase the volume of their non-COVID 19 related services. Nightingale North West is very much a vital part of our region’s phase two response; to provide additional capacity to the North West health system. You will have noticed more staff on-site from this week as we have increased recruitment to prepare for this and expect to see an increase in referrals to the hospital over the coming weeks.
This week we introduced our Team Brief; to support conversations and keep our team as informed as possible. Team Brief will be issued every Monday following Hospital Management Board and will include key hospital updates, plans and challenges, as well as workforce updates. The pack will be cascaded through our leadership team, throughout our hospital. If you haven’t seen it, please raise this with your line manager. We are still working through our communications channels and appreciate your support with this.
Residents from the Great Northern Tower, just down the road from our hospital, have also shared messages of thank you for all that you are doing with us this week. One resident shared the above photo of the amazing rainbow which shone over top of Manchester and indeed our fantastic hospital.
Lastly, I just wanted to reassure you that your wellbeing is a top priority for us – to care for you as you care for our patients. We have a dedicated wellbeing team on site who are doing a great job in working with you to build a really comprehensive wellbeing offer. It is being updated all the time to make sure it provides what you need. Please do make sure to visit the staff hub for the latest information.
Best wishes,
Professor Michael McCourt
Chief Executive
