The months between December and March are typically the busiest for the NHS and, so far, this winter period has proved no exception. Seasonal `flu and Norovirus have combined with the severe weather conditions to put the NHS across the country under intense pressure. I am proud of the way in which our staffhave risen to the challenges of winter sickness, bed shortages, severe snowfall and high levels of emergency ac tivity. The likelihood is that these pressures will continue for the next few weeks and it is important that we remain resolute. I thank you for your continued support and commitment. The pressures currently being felt by the NHS are not just as a result of the winter weather. The government has set out its plans to reform the NHS in the Health andSocial Care Billwhich was published on 19th January. GPs in England will be given more responsibility for spending the NHS budget while hospitals are to be set free from central control with an independent board overseeing services. These reforms are some of the most radical in the history of the NHS and, have provided fuel for lively debate and comment. For St George’s Healthcare our aim ofbecoming a foundation trust (FT) is absolutely crucial in terms of securing our long-term future. Attached to November pay slips was a letter outlining the progress made during 2010 and our plans to recruit staff as FT members during February 2011. If you missed the letter it can still be viewed via the intranet. Managing cost, driving quality Becoming a FT means meeting our cost reduction programme (CRP) for 2010/11 while continuing to drive up quality. FT status will also be crucial as we look to fund our building programme. As things stand we have fallen behind schedule against our CRPs and our collective focus must be on the final two months of this financial year. For the trust our New Year’ s resolution for 2011 must be: Deliver our CRPs, become a FT and provide improv ed facilities for patients . I appreciat e that there are still some staff who question the value of FT status but the fact is that by 2013 all NHS trusts in England must become FTs. If St George’ s Healthcare does not become a FT then our ability to remain in control of our own affairs will be in doubt. Such a scenario will have a significant impact on the range of specialist ser vices we provide to patients and could result in the trust being taken over by an existing FT. The planning for the 2011/12 CRP ’ s is well underway and will be overseen by a monitorin g group which I will chair. Eight workstreams will be lead by directors who are accountable to the trust board for the effective delivery of these projects. Each ofthe workstreams is made up of many costs reduction projects. Workstream Lead(Director) 1. Managing clinical variance Mike Bailey, medical director 2. Community inte- gration Di Caulfield-Stoker, divisional chair ofcommunity services Wandsworth 3. Corporate se rvic es Pe ter Jen kins on, tru st secretary 4. Partnerships and Alliances Trudi Kemp, director of strategy 5. iClip Patrick Mitchell, chief operating officer 6. Procurement Neal Deans, director of estates and facili- ties 7. Directorates Patrick Mitchell, chief operating officer 8. Workforce Annette Gately , interim director of hu- man resources Committed to change and improvement from the chief executive January 2011 Dear colleague, One Message Our values
