Fabulous work being done all over the Trust

It is that time of year when as a Board of Directors we are closing down last years operational and financial performance and importantly reviewing progress against our Quality Account.  We are also finalising our priorities for this year.
 
I am pleased to say that we have delivered strong performance against our operational targets and achieved our financial plan.  Last week I attended our Clinical Governance Committee which is chaired by Jonathan Herod our Medical Director. This is attended by the Clinical Governance Leads in each clinical area and Director of Infection Control and our Clinical Audit lead all of whom are doctors. Our Scientific Director, Head of Nursing and Head of Midwifery, and some Executive Directors are also members of this committee. It was reassuring to see how we monitor progress against our Quality targets and how we challenge on issues affecting safety, outcomes and quality of care. A big thank you to all involved in this committee including Richard Sachs our Head of Governance and his team.
 
Some of the highlights of our year have been opening up our newly refurbished, remodelled and extended maternity facilities. Our website is under review and you will soon be able to take a virtual tour of our new triage and assessment facilities, our new delivery rooms and our fabulous maternity ward, which has been remodelled and refurbished to ensure midwives have a work station that enables them to stay in the room with women .
 
We have opened a remodelled and refurbished Colposcopy Suite which is a much improved environment for our patients and staff.
 
One of the highlights of our year was the opening of our new research facility, Centre for Women's Health and Centre for Better Births.  As a teaching hospital it is absolutely a priority for Liverpool Women's to be at the forefront of research and innovation to understand and better improve women's healthcare locally and across the globe. It was touching to hear Professor Jim Neilson talk about how this has been his dream to bring these facilities under one roof for the past 20 years. Having Professor Susan Wray and her team now on site, will I am sure be a catalyst in our research activities. This has been a great example of partnership working between Liverpool Women's Hospital and the University of Liverpool.
 
We are all delighted with our new main entrance and reception area. It is much brighter and modern and incorporates a children's play area.
 
During the course of this year we have invested in our Hewitt Fertility Services, we have been the first clinic in the world to invest in some new technologies, said to be the biggest breakthrough in IVF for 10 years. We have opened up new facilities in Knutsford and intend to expand further afield during the course of this year.  Undoubtedly my proudest moment in the year was when Professor Charles Kingsland, Clinical Director and Dr Steve Troup our Scientific Director informed me that we had achieved the best success rates in the United Kingdom and were comparable with the best in the world. Well done to all the team. I am not ashamed to say that this achievement makes me smile everyday. No pressure Hewitt Fertility but we fully intend to be not just comparable to the best in the world, but to be the best!!! I am sure John Hewitt would be very proud of what has been achieved.
 
We are very proud of Dr David Richmond, Consultant Urogynaecologist and former Medical Director at Liverpool Women's who has been appointed President elect at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologist.  David takes up this prestigious position in September.
 
There have been many achievements over the past year and some things we wish we had done better. These will be captured in our Annual Report which will be made public once it has been laid before Parliament. A massive thank you to all of the people who make up Liverpool Women's, our staff, our volunteers and our partners.
 
It has been another busy week. Michelle Turner, Director of HR and OD and I made a number of visits to our gynaecology  outpatient department, ante natal clinics, urogynaecology clinics, fetal medicine unit, Hewitt Fertility Services, gynaecology wards and maternity wards.  Gail Naylor, Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Operations and I  spent a couple of hours visiting our Maternity Theatres.  A great opportunity to speak to our staff and  a great opportunity to speak to patients about the care they had received. Every patient I spoke to felt they had been treated with dignity, respect and compassion by our staff.
 
I spent a little bit of time on our Neonatal Unit observing the great work that our doctors and nurses do on that unit. Most of the babies  cared for on the unit have an array of complications and conditions that could not be prevented. It is always upsetting to see the tiny babies fighting to survive and to witness the  anxiety of the parents.  I spoke to a number of parents on the Unit and they all praised the care and compassion of our staff.However we really do as a society need to work harder to get us all understanding the consequences of drug addiction during pregnancy. From a personal perspective there is nothing quite so harrowing as the cries of a baby that is being supported off drug addiction, this is preventable.
 
Thursday evening was our annual service of remembrance.  This is an opportunity for anybody who has lost a child to come together in a service of remembrance. In a hospital sad things happen every day.  The emotion at this service always brings home to us that the loss of a child is something that is never forgotten. They say time is a healer but a parent never forgets, never stops wanting to hold their child and never stops loving.
 
I hope this blog has given you an insight into the many aspects that make up Liverpool Women's Hospital. We do some amazing things here.  We see and hear different things  everyday, some make us smile, some irritate us, some make us cry and some make us laugh. One thing I never fail to be is proud of the people who make Liverpool Women's Hospital such a great place to receive care.
 
I hope you have a good weekend, I am looking forward to saying a tearful goodbye at Anfield to the legendary Jamie Carragher.