What a proper NHS manager looks like

People working in the NHS can be pretty cynical and bitter and I certainly have some major gripes about how I've been treated by management but in a spirit of fairness I think it's only right to post the email we got at the end of the year from our service director. It's practically a model for the kind of communication a manager should be sending to staff. It's about providing a high quality, compassionate and efficient service and you'll see buried in the middle there that they've been making economies in management and not in frontline services.

So if you're working in the NHS and you didn't get a thank you email from your manager please feel free to show them this.

Anyway, here is the email in full. It went round to everybody in the Tower Hamlets Adult Mental Health Directorate from the service director, Paul James.

Dear colleagues

Can I take this opportunity of thanking everyone who has worked for the Tower Hamlets Adult Directorate over the last year.

Despite the very difficult financial context and the huge pressures on our service we really have had a very good year witnessed by, amongst other things, :

·         The feedback our Community services received from the National Patient survey. The Trust was the highest performer in London and THs was the highest performer in the Trust – albeit we’ve got to do more to make service users aware of out of hours services!

·         Our In patient bed occupancy has been around 70% since March. This is a remarkable achievement given the well documented problems many other London Trusts are facing and is a tribute to the way in which the whole system – Home Treatment, EMHALs, the DSNs, the Community Teams, the DSNs, the Consultants, the Ward teams, Rehab and Resettlement, Housing Link, everyone – works together for the common good.

·         We have reduced the number of violent incidents on the Acute Wards by around 40% in the last year, again by everyone working together and tackling issues proactively when they occur.

·         We have managed a major capital project at THCFMH over the last year which has involved all of our Wards being relocated at some point   remarkably smoothly and with very little discernible impact on patient care or Andy Cruickshanks calm and unflustered persona!

·         Our number of Serious Incidents has, touch wood, been significantly lower than previous years and significantly lower also than for the other Adult Directorates.

·         Our number of disciplinary investigations remains low. Obviously on occasions we do have to resort to formal action but hopefully our staff understand we only do that when there has been no alternative and that we conduct such investigations and hearings as fairly, but firmly, as possible. But for the most part we want to  encourage staff to fulfil their potential by providing good quality, attentive supervision and support.

·         Despite the difficult financial situation we have managed our budgets very well . We have had to make difficult CRES (Cash Releasing Efficiency Savings) decisions. A number of our Managers now covering more than one area as we attempt to make economies on our management and overhead costs rather than front line services. I would especially like to thank all those staff who have had changes to their jobs due to such changes over the last year for their forbearance and professionalism.

·         And I could go on and on. We receive excellent feedback about the range of activities we provide on our Wards. The feedback about the quality of all our Psychological Treatment services remains good. The CQC visited have visited five of our six Wards with largely positive results. Our Commissioners think highly of us. We have excellent relations with our Local Authority partners,  etc etc etc.

We will continue to face financial difficulties over the next few years and further change is inevitable but we are in as good a position as we can possibly be to meet those challenges.   

One of the changes we will have is a new Clinical Director. I am sure we will appoint someone of very high calibre to that post. I know though that it will be impossible to find anyone who shows as much drive and commitment as Karl Marlowe, our outgoing CD. We have so much to thank Karl for and I am very pleased that he will continue to be part of our Directorate.

We have had a 53% response rate to the Staff Survey this year, our first year where we have had an above 50% turnout, which is brilliant. Thank you to everyone who participated. We will get the results in March and we will do our best to give you feedback and to respond to your concerns once we have done so.

Can I end by thanking everyone again for their kindness and compassion. Can I thank especially all your colleagues who are working over the Christmas and Bank Holidays, either on the Unit, at EMHALs, in HTT and AOS and on call. We are truly a 24/7 service and we owe our out of hours services an especial debt of gratitude.

Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas and New Year.

Best wishes

Paul