Chief Executive Fortnightly Blog to NHS Orkney Staff – 19 February 2024

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Message for All NHS Orkney Staff 

Dear Team Orkney

Happy Monday everyone – I hope you had a good weekend and to those who have been working/on-call – thank you.

I’m really mindful that Quarter 4 (January to March), as we come to the end of winter and the dark nights continue, can be tough. I know from a number of people this is a hard time of year. I also want to recognise that I know many staff are feeling weary and are looking forward to Spring when we can spend more time outdoors and in brighter weather which we should all look forward to.

I know we’re good at focusing on what we’re not doing so well and sometimes focusing more on the negatives than getting balance (I include myself in this), so I want to start the week with some positives and on a more uplifting note – because there’s lots of progress we should pause to recognise and celebrate.

  1. Sickness absence – we’ve gone from being in the bottom 5 Boards in Scotland to in the top 5 performing Boards in Scotland for sickness absence rates (NHSO 5.35% in December versus the 6.52% national average). This is testament to your focus, and to the support from managers and our HR team. To achieve this over the winter months is even more impressive and most importantly it means more staff are back at work and being supported which is what we want to see. Thank you
  2. Appraisals – our rates are improving month on month (January – 27% completion rate). As I’ve said previously, everyone deserves to have anannual appraisal with their line manager and this is my expectation. It is in these meetings where personal successes should be recognised and celebrated, objectives for the coming year set and personal development plans agreed, along with any support you may need. This will remain a big focus for all line managers going into 24/25
  3. Team Orkney Awards – 106 nominations were received for colleagues/teams across the organisation, which is simply fantastic. Well done to all of our 2024 nominees. The shortlist panel met last week and our shortlist will be announced in the weeks to come
  4. A lot of people have had their say so far on our new Corporate Strategy (and values) and shared with us what matters to them – patients, community, partners and staff. Thank you. Our questionnaire closed on Friday. In the weeks to come we look forward to holding some final listening sessions with our partners and community, ahead of drafting our new strategy so we can remain on track for our April launch
  5. Inpatient 1 Ward have not had a formal complaint since August 2023 – this is an excellent achievement and another signal of progress. Thank you to each and every member of the team for their focus on delivering safe and compassionate care to our patients, and also to speaking to patients and families in the moment when concerns arise, recognising that early conversations can quite often prevent things from becoming formal complaints
  6. Information Governance Training – our rates for this training continue to improve (80% November 2023 versus 56% January 2022) – well done to our Information Governance Team – this is another significant improvement
  7. Freedom of Information (FOI) requests – despite FOIs almost doubling between 21/22 and 23/24 (435 FOI requests versus on track for 800 requests), our team are doing a fabulous job and we are on or around 100% compliance rate over the last quarter for the 20 day deadline. Another amazing achievement to recognise. Thank you.
  8. This week at our Board meeting, I look forward to some of our Physiotherapy Team joining us to update on the improvement work they have been leading to improve patient and staff experience and waiting times. This is a great example of Team Orkney leading change at local level and making a positive difference to our community and experience of working here in doing so

This is just a snapshot of the many improvements we’re making. Thank you, Team Orkney.

Midst our challenges – there are many positives I would like us to hold on to and signs of progress we need to notice.

Before I sign off this week, I want to recognise a valued and hugely respected member of Team Orkney for her 43 years of service to the NHS and NHS Orkney. Thank you so much Michelle Mackie, our Lead Midwife and Interim Deputy Director of Nursing, for your four plus decades of NHS service which you marked in this last few weeks. NHS Orkney is very lucky to have you. Thank you for your long service and for your dedication and commitment to the NHS and NHS Orkney – you have made a positive difference to countless many patients, their families and staff over this time and continue to do so.

As we start a new week, I leave you with these thoughts/reflections:

“Victory is won not in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later, win a little more.”

― Louis L’Amour

And

“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.”

— Benjamin Franklin

Have a great week everyone.

Take care.

Laura Skaife-Knight

Chief Executive