Sailsbury NHS Foundation Trust is currently running a programme titled ‘Executive Back to the Floor’, where senior leaders spend time with colleagues to experience their roles.
CEO, Stacey Hunter, spent a Monday afternoon last month with the Gynaecology department, talking to staff as well as observing their Hysteroscopy treatment service.
Stacey commented: “The clinic environment is bright, airy and despite being busy had a calm, quiet atmosphere which patients appeared to really appreciate. It is always useful to remind myself of how important this is given that for the people who are coming into our services many of them will feel understandably apprehensive. Every single member of the team I met was professional and I was struck by their obvious commitment and passion for the patients, with examples all afternoon of genuine patient centred care that oozed kindness and compassion.”
In a blog post on the trust’s website, Stacey expressed her thanks for those attending the service on the day of the visit: “I watched two women undergoing treatment and was really impressed by the skills and experience of the team whose delivery was a very well-oiled machine matched in equal measure by their focus on making sure that the procedure was as comfortable as possible.”
She then praised the approach of the team; reassuring patients, providing light distractions in conversation, and efforts around supporting patient’s privacy.
Stacey said: “The team worked hard to maintain individual privacy and dignity within the context of personal and intimate care which was incredibly humbling to witness. Hannah did a brilliant job of explaining the procedure and all the relevant parts of the treatment as it progressed. Nothing was too much trouble for the team, which was really appreciated by the women and left me feeling really confident about the team doing everything they could to live our trust values. If we looked back only a few years this type of treatment would have needed a hospital admission, would have been done in a theatre and probably required a general anaesthetic. It is great to reflect on the improvements and transformation the team has delivered.”
The blog post also highlighted the team’s spirit, staff experience, and attitude to remaining positive. She said: “It sounds very simple, but it is always worth reminding ourselves of the positive difference this makes to individuals – there is a strong evidence base that demonstrates those teams that can facilitate a sense of belonging for individuals are generally higher performing and find it easier to attract and retain staff, so it was lovely to be able to get a sense of this in the department.”
To read the article on the Sailsbury NHS FT website, please click here.
