It is always hectic coming back into work after a few days holiday. Most of my first day back was spent in Manchester as the Chief Executive voice on a new NHS North Forum focussing on enhancing care and compassion in NHS staff following the recent report into failings at Mid Staffordshire hospital.
Tuesday morning was one of my regular walkabouts with our Director of Nursing and Midwifery. We spent time on our Delivery Suite talking to staff and looking at the new facilities recently opened and the work now underway to modernise and refurbish our existing Delivery Suite.
We also spent time on our Maternity Base talking to Beckie one of our senior midwives who is doing an amazing job. When I first came to Liverpool Women's the first Midwife I shadowed was Beckie. She was inspirational then and it is great to see how her passion for delivering good care and her strong leadership skills have seen her progress to take on a leadership role on maternity base. We are lucky to have her working here.
I also took the opportunity to meet with a mum and dad who came to discuss some issues with me a couple of weeks ago. Their baby boy was delivered on Monday evening weighing a tiny 545 grammes. He is being cared for on our neonatal unit. After visiting mum we went on to the Neonatal Unit to say hello to the proud new father and have a peek at the little one. At such a tiny weight he will no doubt face some challenges, however if the way his little arms and legs were waving about is anything to go by, he is going to be a little fighter. We wish them and their little boy all the luck in the world. I know he could not be in safer hands.
The visibility of our Consultants on the Neonatal Unit is amazing, in the time I was there this morning I saw and spoke to 5 consultants. Healthcare is always a team effort but I am always impressed by the clear and visible leadership of our Neonatologists.
It has been an exciting afternoon, we invited Dr Tony Falconer, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and Cathy Warwick, Chief Executive of the Royal College Of Midwives to visit the hospital to see our fantastic services and to meet our amazing staff. Myself and the Chairman also spent time with them discussing how we could work more closely to influence and lobby nationally on Women's healthcare issues.
Our main reception area is very noisy at the moment with the refurbishment works. Apologies for the noise and disruption but it will be worth it.
My day is ending with a Board meeting of Liverpool Health Partners which is a collaboration between the teaching Hospitals in Liverpool and Liverpool University to strengthen collectively the Research opportunities within the local health system to ensure we are competing on research at a national and international level.
I wonder what the rest of the week will bring.