ONE of Herefordshire's top health executives has issued an emotional open letter of thanks to the people of the county.

She hails the "huge encouragement" they have given to doctors, nurses and other staff on the NHS front line during the coronavirus crisis.

She also pays tribute to the businesses who have rallied to provide provisions and equipment to health workers.

Jane Ives – who is managing director of Wye Valley NHS Trust – which runs Herefordshire County Hospital – expresses her gratitude via a letter to the Hereford Times for the weekly clapping of care and key workers.

And she thanks those who have heeded guidance to stay at home the help combat the spread of Covid-19.

This is her letter in full:

Dear Sir

I want to write to thank the local communities throughout Herefordshire for the overwhelming support they have shown our hard-working staff at Wye Valley NHS Trust.

The weekly clapping for care and key workers have captured the heart of the nation and to see this translated into the towns, villages, streets and highways of Herefordshire has been a huge encouragement to nurses and doctors and all the other staff working so hard at the moment.

We, of course, also thank our partners and all those who are working to keep the country going at this time – our colleagues in the emergency services as well as all those teachers, delivery drivers, shopkeepers, refuse collectors, farmers and so many more that are working really hard to keep some kind of normality during these unprecedented times.

I also want to give a massive thank-you to the many local companies which have rallied to provide so many provisions for our staff. We’ve had everything from flowers to fruitcake, from tea bags to tea cakes. And we can’t forget all those who have dusted down their sewing machines and fired up their 3D printers to bolster our supply of personal protective equipment (PPE).

It’s been overwhelming to see such a warm and enthusiastic response from communities across the county and it means a great deal to every member of staff at the trust.

Over and above all this, I want to thank every individual and family across the county who has acted on the social isolation advice and stayed at home.

We know this is not easy, particularly if you have relatives and friends who may need support themselves, but the good news is that your sacrifice is making a real difference and keeping the number of people attending the hospital down to manageable levels.

We don’t know how long this lockdown will last, but I’d encourage everyone to stick with it. It’s really important we manage the spread of the virus and don’t end up with a second wave of cases.

Although the NHS is rarely out of the headlines even without a pandemic, coronavirus has put the organisation centre stage.

I can honestly say that I’ve never seen the NHS respond in such a dramatic way and am very proud of my colleagues at the trust who have transformed the way we work to ensure we can continue to manage urgent care and cope with the pandemic.

We are already beginning to consider how services will look when we come out of the outbreak. There are likely to be many changes to the way we do things – most notably will be the way we use technology to help patients; where possible many patients are seeing their consultant, nurse or therapist via phone and video, thus avoiding a trip into hospital.

There are a lot of good things which are coming out of this difficult time and we aim to learn from all of the innovations these new ways of working are giving us.

I’m proud of every member of staff and on their behalf I want to say a massive thank-you to the way everyone across Herefordshire has responded.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Jane Ives
Managing Director
Wye Valley NHS Trust