Message from our Chairman

CHAIRMAN’S

MESSAGE

The last year has seen many anniversaries and landmarks that illustrate the length, severity and impact of the pandemic. Two years since first lockdown (March 2022), one year since first vaccination (December 2021) and removal of social distancing restrictions (July 2021). Although the headlines indicate significant progress, times have remained extremely challenging.

Lord Hemphill

Chairman

UCLH was a surge centre for the region’s sickest

patients and has been instrumental in recovery, as the local COVID 19 vaccination hub. Now, demand for services is at an all-time high and waiting lists are at record levels. This intensity and volume of work has taken its toll on staff. They are extremely tired and emotionally exhausted. In recognition of the enormous commitment that UCLH staff have made over the last two years, we were delighted to provide £1m to the Be Well campaign in 2021. This initiative brings together and adds to the staff wellbeing offering at UCLH, to ensure that staff have access to the practical, emotional and physical support whenever they need it. The campaign will evolve and will be constantly evaluated, so that staff well-being remains an integral part of UCLH.

As trustees it is very pleasing for us to see that our support is having a demonstrable impact as it has done during the pandemic. The Charity-funded EMAP technology platform supported patient care and safety, and allocation of resources in an extremely volatile clinical environment at the height of the pandemic. Now, as part of the recovery drive, our £5m funding of robotic surgery equipment has helped teams to reduce record waiting lists and double the number of hip and knee procedures performed in the last year. Despite the pandemic, the culture of can-do and innovation continues to thrive, which shows just how remarkable UCLH is. The opening of the Grafton Way Building, mid-pandemic, was a significant achievement and a testament to the expertise and teamwork at UCLH. We were also very pleased to see the opening of the Brandon Centre, a UCLH-led community outreach centre for young vulnerable people, which builds on the work of the Redthread project. We were delighted to welcome David Probert as UCLH chief executive and look forward to working with him as UCLH continues to go from strength-to-strength. The Charity is truly a team effort. I would like to thank everyone who has worked with us, supported us or raised money for us in the last year. Everything you do makes a difference.

I would also like to thank my fellow trustees for their guidance and wisdom, in this my first full year as chairman. I wanted to end on the situation in Ukraine. The UCLH value of kindness is evident every day, on every ward, but it was extremely humbling to see how staff raised funds, donated their time and expertise to support the Ukrainian people in their hour of desperate need. UCLH staff have commitment and compassion without boundaries. We are proud to support them. Finally, as I write this, we are in a period of National Mourning and share in the nation’s sorrow following the passing of Her Majesty, The Queen. Thank you ma’am for all your support for UCLH.