Outgoing Western Health Trust chairman Gerard McGuckian
“WHEN I started in the shadow Western Trust on 1 August 2006, I remember anticipating some of the significant challenges we would face but reflected in our very first board meeting that we should have courage in facing them because we were being carried on the shoulders of more than 12,500 staff who were totally committed to the delivery of high quality care.
“Now I’m not sure I imagined then quite the extent of the challenges we would face together – they were many and sometimes seemed insurmountable; but at each stage I knew I could rely on the values and determination of those staff to keep the patient and client at the centre of all we did and forge ahead.
“As we addressed each challenge, we drew strength and became more united as an organisation, ever more committed to a culture of improving the quality of the care we provide. For it is improvements, often not celebrated enough, that ultimately sustain us.
“Starting with Acute Services, in 2007 the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) was still a pipe dream – and look at it now! In Altnagelvin we were planning a new South Wing and just look at the quality of facility that has brought to Derry. And the services within these great new facilities have been transformed too. I’m not going to single out any in particular because, while there are some that receive a higher profile than others, in my view all our clinicians are wholly committed to improvement in their services and better outcomes for patients. The current focus on building and opening the new cross border Radiotherapy Centre (and thanks to the Director of Strategic Capital Development for his relentless commitment to delivering high quality estate on time and within budget) provides further evidence of this.
“In Mental Health, we have not only built a tremendous new facility at Grangewood, we have also moved to a recovery model of care which is as inspirational as it is innovative and we have leapt to the forefront of suicide prevention.
“In Children’s services we have not just provided enhanced buildings like Avalon House in Omagh, we have rolled out an entirely new child protection regime, a new model of attachment practice, an infant mental health strategy and overarching children’s emotional health and well-being strategy. All of this against a backdrop of ever increasing demand for these services. In Older People’s services, we brought more and more care to people’s homes, introduced an innovative OPAL service, provided top-class stroke services and we’re leading the way with award winning dementia services.
“And what is the common denominator in all these improvements? It’s not the buildings, the technology or even the additional investment; it is the people. All of these step changes in local health and social care have been driven forward by dedicated individuals and teams right across the Trust who are so strongly supported by our Performance and Service Improvement, HR, Finance and Medical Directorates.
“All of these achievements have been secured by people who feel they are merely carrying out their daily jobs but in every respect they, you, have been inspirational. And I know you won’t stop at where we are here and now. The improvements in care and the commitment to learning just keep on going, because we have created a culture of improvement, a culture of learning, a culture of supporting our staff in a meaningful way to do the remarkable things that you do daily.
“As we look to the future the challenges remain, and some days it seems there is no end in sight to the pressures faced every day. Financial resources continue to shrink in real terms whilst it becomes harder to recruit and retain the necessary numbers of doctors, nurses, AHPs and social workers. But just as in 2007, I know that despite the hurdles we face, the Western Trust will continue to succeed and improve.
“It will do so because not a single one of our 12,500 staff is prepared to give up on a single patient or client. Each and every person employed by the Trust is completely dedicated to enhancing the quality of care provided by us – no matter what level they are employed at.
“I have had the privilege of getting to know so many people at every level within this organisation and as I leave I have had the opportunity to say goodbye and thank you to many more.
“As I have done so I have been overwhelmed by the resilience and absolute commitment of all those individuals and teams who are determined to make a real difference in people’s lives, and this includes the team of Directors I have worked with at board level.
“Sometimes the pace of change is too slow to notice; sometimes the required additional staff take too long to arrive on the ground; sometimes the days are too busy to remember the good parts, the successes; sometimes additional investment only helps us to stand still and not move forward as we might like; but through it all what I can see is indisputable evidence that the quality of care provided to more and more people here in the West is getting better and better.
“It is getting better through the ideas and effort of staff, doing things differently, making small improvements all adding up to transformational change. So no matter what challenges lie ahead, I leave a group of people who will not just get through them, but thrive.
“I want to thank you for everything you have done to make the care we provide better – and I wish you all well, including my successor as Chairman, Niall Birthistle, as the Western Trust improvement journey continues into the future. I will be cheering you on from the sidelines!”
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