Weekly community update from our CEO - 13 November 2020

Posted Friday, November 13, 2020 4:01 PM

13 November 2020 – update three
An update to patients, communities and partners of Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS FT

Hello,

We have been in national restrictions now for over a week and I know many of us will be worried. At Sherwood Forest Hospitals, we are working with partner organisations across Mid Nottinghamshire to take additional practical steps to help the many people who are struggling. One of the feelings that most saddens me is knowing that people in our communities will be experiencing extreme isolation and I believe there is more we can do to offer support during and beyond these national restrictions. I hope everyone knows that we are thinking about them at the moment.

The number of patients in Sherwood Hospitals with COVID-19 has grown over the last week and we are beyond the peak we saw in wave one. Comparisons are imprecise though because we are testing more patients now and we have more services running, compared to wave one.

Our hospitals feel busy and I am grateful to the vast majority of people who are abiding by our measures, which are designed to keep all of us safe. You can help Newark Hospital, Mansfield Community Hospital and King’s Mill Hospital by following the Government advice. Please practice social distancing, clean your hands and wear a surgical face mask in our hospitals. It is important you do not attend our hospitals if you have any symptoms of COVID-19 or have been asked to isolate. This reduces the risk of someone unwittingly bringing the infection into our hospitals and putting colleagues and vulnerable patients at risk. This week we have been taking the temperature of all visitors as they enter King’s Mill Hospital. We have not made any changes to our access policy to our sites this week.

You will have probably seen earlier in the week information in the national media about a COVID-19 vaccine. This looks promising at the moment but we need to remain cautious. When available, it will be our best defence against the virus used alongside effective social distancing, wearing a mask and washing your hands. I will share further information about this when it is available.

My family and I will be appropriately celebrating Diwali this weekend and I would like to wish everyone else celebrating it, a very happy and safe Diwali.

Please stay safe, look after each other and follow the guidelines. Thank you for your support.

Richard Mitchell, Chief Executive
Richard.Mitchell2@nhs.net