Liam Nevin board secretary, reflects on his first few months
This is my first blog since joining the Trust in August and it’s caused me to reflect on my career path that has led me here.
I started working in public services in 1987 and often reflect how much things have changed in that time. In the mid-80s technology was in its very early stages, emails were still a distant prospect, cross-organisational partnerships were rare and demand for public services, whilst always greater than resources, was nothing like it is now.
However, what drew me to a career in public service was the responsibility and sense of fulfilment in contributing to making the lives of others better whether through local government, health, education or housing, all of which have been steps on my journey. During my career I have been fortunate to work with many people, who have inspired me in their dedication to their job and their determination to provide the best possible service to the public often in very difficult circumstances.
Never has this been more true than what I have witnessed here in my initial months with the Trust. I have seen so many examples of staff who are striving to provide the very best service in the most difficult of conditions. In late November I spent half a day in the Therapy Department. I was grateful to Vicky Hawke and other members of the team who patiently explained their work and allowed me to sit in on patient sessions. The professionalism and sense of humour within the team and the gratitude of the patients for the standard of care they received were a real credit to all of the staff.
Last week I went into ED in the early evening to speak to people and observe the very difficult conditions for patients and staff. I was humbled by the dedication of the team as they described the daily pressures that they confront.
I still have a lot to learn about the operations of the Trust and the roles that different teams fulfil but I have been heartened to see the values of public service on display in my time here to date. It serves as a reminder that although the environment that we work in will always be subject to change, those values remain fundamental to what we do.
On the subject of new faces, our Board has been strengthened and expanded over the last few months with the recruitment of additional Non-Executive Directors. The most recent recruitment has resulted in Liz Hughes, Vij Randeniya and Lowell Williams joining and each bring to the Trust a wealth of experience that will be invaluable in helping guide it through its many challenges.
I am always keen to chat to staff when I am round and about so please do say hello if you see me in the building.