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After three years of virtual events, members of the public, as well as staff and patients, were invited to the Royal Free Hospital for the annual event which discusses our trust’s performance and its priorities for the future.
Attendees heard from our lead governor, Sneha Bedi, who chaired the event, as well as Royal Free London (RFL) group chair, Mark Lam, and group chief executive, Peter Landstrom.
Sneha spoke about how the council of governors have continued to carry out their statutory duties. She mentioned their highlights of the year, including welcoming Dame Donna Kinnair and Pawan Dhir to the RFL board and formally approving Peter Landstrom as the new group chief executive.
Mark reflected on the challenges faced by the trust and commended staff’s perseverance during another unprecedented year.
He said: “We are receiving record numbers of cancer referrals, which is putting pressure on our services, and our emergency departments and urgent treatment centres are busier than ever. Continued industrial action has also been incredibly difficult for all our staff.
“I would like to say a massive thank you to them for their incredible work and continued dedication. We are hugely grateful.”
Discussing the trust’s mission and journey ahead, Peter said: “Our tripartite mission of clinical excellence, education and training, and research, would be impossible to deliver in isolation.
"We are increasingly working with organisations across health and social care, and it is those partnerships that give us the strength and ability to take our agenda forward.”
Multiple speakers shared why collaborations with others including University College London, North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust and the Royal Free Charity, are so important and the difference they are making to the communities we serve.
Catharine Sykes, deputy director of public fundraising at the Royal Free Charity, said: “We collaborate really closely with the Royal Free London to fund some fantastic projects. Everything we do as a charity aims to help the trust go further and faster.”
Catharine also encouraged attendees to take part in their new fundraising appeal, the A&E shift challenge.
Attendees were also able to ask executive directors questions and share their views.
The final message from speakers and board members was gratitude for our staff. Peter said: “Our staff are incredible. The work that they do does not go unnoticed. I promise you it is never taken for granted and I am incredibly proud to work alongside them.”
Watch the recording of the event below.
