Long-serving staff of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital were invited to cut the 55th anniversary cake of the Martindale’s Road institution.
CHIEF Executive Officer (Ag) of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) Louise Bobb urged members of staff to continue working towards making the Martindale’s Road institution a gem in the region, an emerald to be exact, as the hospital celebrated its 55th anniversary yesterday.
“It doesn’t matter who is the CEO, who are the board members, it only matters what we deliver as one unit,” she said.
Her comments came during a cake cutting ceremony at which time several long-serving members of staff were recognised for their contribution to the QEH.
During her comments, the CEO urged members of staff to stay the course in spite of naysayers. She used the analogy of the need to shake up a bottle of medicine in order for the medicine to be effective to describe the shake-up at the hospital.
“There are things going on in our environment. It is not to conqueror us, it is to make us better but we can’t do it in silos. We have to do it together. From the very top to the very bottom. When I say the bottom I don’t mean the bottom in terms of pay scale I mean those who work in the rank and file that without you we can’t continue as a hospital.”
“I would like us to press through, grow through whatever phase we are going through we are going on right now and remember we are here for one purpose only and that is to serve. We have a constituent that are exposed, that are vulnerable and they depend on us to do our jobs, 100 per cent. Many of you give more than that, and I thank you... for working through the grind, through the criticisms, through the constructive and non-constructive criticism and keeping focused on why we are here and who we are here to serve.”
She stressed that the staff of the QEH are there to serve the country. “We serve our neighbour, we serve our community and at some point in time it could be one of your family, because there is one QEH. So I want you to work with the Board and Management in making this the best place to receive care and the best place to work.”
Bobb told the staff that their concerns have been heard. “And I am here to promise that we are working assiduously to get that addressed. From system issues that need to be fixed, from the engage the staff, the way our staff engages with the patients and clients. All of those things are going to be addressed and it is not going to happen overnight.
“Give us the opportunity to work with us so that we reach the destination we are aiming, which is to make this place continue to be the emerald at 55 years, of health care delivery in this country and in this region,” she said. (JH)