NHS Cheshire and Merseyside October 2024 Blog
Friday, 18 October 2024
As the nights start to draw in and the temperature drops, I would urge all those who are eligible to take up the offer of the seasonal flu and COVID-19 vaccinations as soon as you are invited. Doing our best to prevent ill-health is crucial as we approach the winter months and will help keep NHS services available for those who need them most.
October is Black History Month, and the NHS is using this as an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the invaluable contributions of black people to our institution and wider society. NHS Cheshire and Merseyside’s Race Equality Network ran an eye-opening session on white privilege this week, which was well received by staff. I would encourage everyone to have a look at what’s happening in their organisation to mark the occasion and get involved.
This month is also Freedom to Speak Up Month, which raises awareness of the right of everyone working within the NHS to feel safe and confident to speak up about concerns. I reiterated our organisation’s commitment to speaking up in a recent all-staff meeting, and NHS leaders across our region will be doing the same. Ensuring our staff have a voice is crucial to improving services for patients.
Our 2024 Annual General Meeting was held at the Mornflake Stadium in Crewe on 26 September. Thank you to all who were in attendance to hear about our performance from the past year. The presentation from the meeting and a summary of our 2023-24 Annual Report are linked below.
On 9 October NHS Cheshire and Merseyside’s Board met in Liverpool to consider a case for change for hospital-based gynaecology and maternity services in the city. The case for change was approved by the Board, and a six-week period of public engagement is now underway. See below for details on how you can get involved.
We are delighted that NHS Cheshire and Merseyside has received the Navajo LGBTQ+ Charter Mark at a ceremony in Liverpool earlier this month, recognising our support for the LGBTQ+ community. You can read more about the Charter Mark and our commitment to LGBTQ+ causes below.
Finally, we are pleased to announce the appointments of Mike Gibney as our new substantive Chief People Officer, and Mark Bakewell – our current Place Director for Liverpool – as our Interim Executive Director of Finance. I look forward to welcoming Mike and working with Mark in his new role.
Graham Urwin - Chief Executive