Caroline's Blog

We have received more than 600 responses from members, patients, the public and staff since our 20:20 Vision engagement exercise was launched in September. Thanks so much to everyone who's taken part so far. It's a fantastic response, but we are really keen to hear from more of you.

There are a number of themes to have emerged so far. These include the fact that The Christie is seen as friendly, positive and giving the best possible patient care.  Our holistic services are very much valued too. People have told us that they prefer to receive clinical information face to face initially, but also want it in writing. Continuity of cancer care is also important to our patients. There has also been support for The Christie to treat people closer to their homes, as well as undertaking cancer screening, early detection and prevention programmes.

Treating patients closer to their homes - which is an important part of our vision - will also help us to become more environmentally friendly.

To this end, we are really pleased to have won the Green Apple Award, a prestigious accolade for environmental best practice.

We work hard to ensure we are as green as possible because as a large organisation we have a responsibility to our community, as well as ourselves, to make the place we live and work in better for everyone.

The sorts of things we have been doing to improve our green credentials include reducing clinical waste, encouraging staff to take greener transport to work, buying local where possible, and reducing food wastage.

But we are not complacent, and we have plans to become even more environmentally friendly in the years to come. All of this helps us to make sure we provide a safe environment for our patients. And it is our patients who are at the heart of everything we do.

With this in mind I would like to say a huge thank you to the Manchester United Foundation who supported us this week through their glamorous ladies' lunch event. It was poignant to see six of our young patients taking to the catwalk to model fashions from Harvey Nichols - it was a great boost for them and a real motivation.  Our emotional DVD featuring brave young patient Alice Clarkson was also shown and once again there was not a dry eye in the room.  The lunch, hosted by Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford, raised money for Francis House, the Manchester United Foundation and ourselves. Thanks again on behalf of The Christie for your support.

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It was uplifting to see so many people at our event on Friday evening which was held to say a huge thank you to supporters who have taken part in cycling events over the last year.

Between them they have raised an incredible £481,000 to further improve care for our patients and their families! This is thanks to more than 4,000 people who have taken part in events such as the Manchester to BlackpoolBike Ride and cycling from Lands End to John O'Groats. Many of our cyclists also take part in international events such as the London to Paris Bike Ride.

Around 80 cyclists were able to come to the reception on Friday, each one of which was thanked personally. We also learned about their reasons for raising money for The Christie, which was often extremely moving.

At the end a woman came to talk to me to say that she had been treated by The Christie for 11 years, and that in the last seven years she had seen so much growth and development, which was amazing. I am hoping to be able to see her in outpatients next week.  

Thanks again to all of those who work so tirelessly to raise money for The Christie. Your support and dedication ensures our patients get the very best possible care.

20:20 Vision - update

As you know we are now well into our all important 20:20 Vision consultation which will help determine The Christie's future. I'm delighted to say that we have so far had over 500 responses. Our members are being fantastically supportive and their responses to our membership magazine article continue to trickle in. It's really heartwarming to see the effort that some have made in giving their feed back with some incredibly personal insights being given by those who have experienced our care.

Over the next couple of weeks our governors will be holding open meetings to get even more feedback - and I for one will be really excited to hear how they go. We'd be delighted if you could come along to one of our events - there's more information about them on our website here.

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Last night I attended a fantastic reception to celebrate the life of a truly wonderful fundraiser called Elise Roberts. Sadly Elise passed away last year after being diagnosed with malignant melanoma but before she died, Elise was determined to raise money for The Christie to thank staff for the care she received.

Following her death, Elise's family and friends vowed to continue her incredible fundraising and last night was a great opportunity for me to personally thank the Elise for Life team for raising a fantastic sum of money for us.

It was great to see so many inspirational people together in one room last night, sharing memories of Elise and also stories about their fundraising. In October a huge team of them trekked across the Great Wall of China, which I hear was an unforgettable experience.

Sadly, I'm not always able to meet Christie supporters who make such a difference to the lives of our patients. Over the years we have had thousands of fantastic supporters who have gone above and beyond to raise vital funds for our cancer centre and I always wish I could shake their hands to thank them for the support they give us. So I absolutely love getting involved with receptions like the Elise for Life event so I can show my appreciation.

Hearing the stories last night really showed me just how much people can put the fun into fundraising, while supporting a good cause. From climbing mountains to holding cake sales, no matter what people do, as long as they enjoy it, then I always welcome anyone who wants to support our charity in whatever way they can.

So this isn't just a thank you to the Elise for Life team - it's a thank you to everyone who has raised a single penny for The Christie. Your dedication to supporting our patients is something I'll always be grateful for.

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We are now in week 6 of our 20:20 Vision consultation and I'm thrilled with the responses received so far. We've had some fantastic ideas of new services we should be providing in the year 2020 - from diagnosing patients to performing more routine surgery on-site, it's amazing to see how much the general public actively want to be part of our vision.

But although the feedback is great, we've realised there are still many more suggestions just waiting to be put forward - if only we knew how to get them. So, after much thought, we've decided to revise the questions we are asking our stakeholders to make sure they are more user-friendly to a wider range of audiences. We've also extended the consultation period to the end of March 2012 to give us more time to get feedback from as many people as possible.

It's no secret that the NHS changes may have an adverse effect on services that hospitals can offer in the future, but we are turning this challenge into an opportunity for the benefit of our patients. That's why I urge everyone who has ever had a link to The Christie to have your say on what services you would like us to provide in the future.

It's an incredibly exciting time for The Christie. I can't wait to review all the feedback and launch the 20:20 Vision, hopefully at our annual members' meeting next September - exactly one year after I launched the consultation.

This is your vision so please complete our feedback form and help shape the future of our hospital - we are Europe's biggest cancer centre and with your support, that's exactly how we will remain.

Visit www.christie.nhs.uk  to give us your views.

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Every year it seems winter comes around quicker than ever before. The nights draw in, the big, unflattering winter coats come out, and, worst of all, the dreaded flu season kicks in. 

Roll up for the flu vaccine! Me  administering the vaccine to our chief operating officer Roger Spencer. I love revisiting my old nursing days

To alleviate at least one of these 'winter woes', we work with the Department of Health to run a vaccination programme for our staff during the autumn and winter months. It's always been something that I feel strongly about - a tiny pin prick means thousands of patients and staff are protected from a potentially deadly illness and also ensures we maintain adequate staffing levels for our patients. It really is a no brainer.

I was really pleased hear that our fantastic 'flufighters' in the occupational health department vaccinated our 1000nth member of staff today. I appreciate that it's not the most comfortable of experiences, so thanks to all those who have helped us so far to maintain a healthy environment for fellow colleagues and patients.

Unfortunately, there's not a lot we can do about the big, unflattering coats!

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