Sarah Elliot, Regional Chief Nurse for the South of England, recently visited a number of departments and wards at Kent & Canterbury Hospital (K&C) and William Harvey Hospital, Ashford (WHH) with Julie Pearce, Chief Nurse and Director of Quality, and Sally Smith, Deputy Chief Nurse and Deputy Director of Quality.
Sarah visited the Emergency Care Centre at K&C where she met Elisa Steele, Senior Matron for Urgent Care and Long Term Conditions. Elisa has worked in the Trust for almost 31 years and has made a significant contribution to nursing during this time.
Sarah met a number of nursing staff at the William Harvey Hospital over lunch and heard about our We Care Champions, Schwartz Rounds, Emotional touchpoints and Housekeeper roles. After lunch Joy Marshall, Matron for Dementia, talked with Sarah about some of the improvements we've made for dementia care whilst visiting Cambridge L and Kings C1 wards.
Finally, Judy Elliot, Tissue Viability Nurse, talked with Sarah about our initiatives to reduce pressure ulcers for patients.
Sarah Elliot, commenting on her trip, said: “It was really heartening to see the passion and energy from everyone I met for providing the best care possible- often in difficult circumstances. As I fed back on the day, all the patients I spoke with mentioned how kind staff were which given the current pressures is commendable.
“I felt there was a real sense of team working between ward managers/matrons and specialist nurses which is so important to jointly solve problems and further drive up standards of care. This also gives you a great foundation for discussing new ideas and I could see lots of innovation in finding new ways to meet patient needs”.
