Governors come together for the latest Forum meeting

from Countess Matters Winter 2022/23

Improvement Plan makes significant progress

News from your Governors

From Peter Folwell, Lead Governor Monthly Governor Forums up and running

I am really pleased to report that our monthly face-to-face Governor meetings (Governor Forum and Council of Governors) have been back up and running since October. After the restrictions of the pandemic, it has been extremely positive to be able to come together to discuss and debate how we can contribute to the smooth and effective running of the Trust’s services. At the November Forum, we received updates from a number of staff including Hilda Gwilliams, Director of Nursing and Quality who told us about current pressures on hospital services. It was reassuring to hear how quickly the Trust mobilised and how the staff have pulled together to respond. Hilda also told us about the Autumn vaccination programme and how many staff have stepped forward to receive their flu vaccination and Covid-19 booster ahead of winter. She also updated us on the plans to improve the way complaints are dealt with. Recruitment to increase the size of the nursing team is already underway and it is clear good progress has been made although Hilda acknowledged there remained more to do.

We also heard about the Trust’s ambitious and wide-ranging Improvement Plan which you can read more about on pages 5-8. It was very positive to hear how much work is being done to improve patient care and the urgency with which the Trust is approaching it.

Governor walkabouts

Governor walkabouts are also now back in full swing and have been scheduled every month for the coming year with clinical and non-clinical areas included. Reports from these will be included in future editions of Countess Matters.

Paula Edwards, Quality Matron said: “It is always good to have a critical eye – staff can get very used to their surroundings and so it’s always useful to have someone with fresh eyes to visit our areas and give their feedback and support. I have always found the conversations and the reports from Governors about their visits very useful.”

Governors attending November’s Governor Forum

Ian Haythornthwaite, Chair said: “It is really important that patients and the public see governors out and about and to know that they can speak to them and raise issues or ask questions.”

Welcome to our new Governors!

Following elections over summer, I was very pleased to welcome three new Governors to the Trust. Angela Black, Lucy Liang and Tim Wheeler (pictured top to bottom) are a welcome addition to the team.

There remains three vacancies – two in the Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency and one in Flintshire - so if you’re interested in getting involved and supporting the Countess then please do contact the Membership Team (see bottom of page) to find out more about the role.

Join us: become a member

Anyone can join the Trust as a member and help develop services by giving feedback and supporting the Trust in its work. Members can expect:

• Free copies of Countess Matters delivered by email (or post if required). • Invitations to take part in discussions or surveys about services • A vote in the annual governor elections • A personal invitation to the Annual

Members’ Meeting Sign up today by contacting our Membership team – details below. You can find out more, including who our Governors are on the Trust’s website: www.coch.nhs.uk.

We offer a wide range of programmes across our Chester, Birkenhead, Warrington and Shrewsbury sites, from apprenticeships and foundation studies to bachelors, masters and doctorates.

Courses include Nurse Associate, Assistant Practitioner, Return to Practice Nursing, Art Therapy, Advanced Practice, Non Medical Prescribing and many more.

To find out more about our programmes, please visit

www.chester.ac.uk/health

For admissions enquiries please contact

hscadmissions@chester.ac.uk

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