NHS Cheshire and Merseyside October 2022 Blog
Wednesday, 5 October 2022
It was impossible not to be moved by the death of HM The Queen and the national outpouring of grief mixed with gratitude which followed. I’m really proud of how health and care organisations across Cheshire and Merseyside marked her passing and the respectful way in which the national mourning period was observed.
Of course, at Windsor Castle in July HM The Queen had presented the NHS with the George Cross in recognition of more than 74 years of service – including the exceptional efforts of NHS staff in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, we’re marking this achievement with all of our staff and I was delighted to present certificates to a number of our staff members with the longest NHS service at our Board meeting last week.
Among them was Pauline Owens (pictured) – a Designated Nurse for Safeguarding Children – who has worked for the NHS for an incredible 47 years.
Other highlights at last week’s Board meeting included a presentation from Sefton Place Director Deborah Butcher and a fantastic resident story about the positive impact of Crosby’s Crisis Café. A webcast recording of the meeting can be accessed here.
Looking ahead, as the temperature starts to drop and the nights start to draw in, we edge ever closer to enacting our detailed planning for winter 2022-23.
This winter the ongoing threat of Coronavirus (COVID-19) combined with a potentially tough flu season will place services which are already close to capacity under even greater strain, at a time when work to continue to reduce waiting times for surgery continues apace.
For advice and guidance about how you can stay well this winter, please refer to our regularly-updated Winter Wellbeing webpage.
Raj Jain - Chair