Annual Members' Meeting 2024

Our thanks to all members and stakeholders who attended the Trust’s Annual Members’ Meeting on Wednesday (11 September 2024).

We welcomed around 80 people in the hospital’s restaurant, Below Deck Dining, to reflect on the achievements and challenges of the past year and to outline our plans for the year ahead.

Chaired by Trust Chair John Goulston, the meeting included a presentation from Chief Executive Jayne Black; the annual Quality Report delivered by Interim Chief Nursing Officer Sarah Vaux and agreement of the Annual Accounts for 2023/24.

Speakers Howard Cottam, Medical Director, Surgery and Anaesthetics, and Claire Leaney, Matron, Sunderland Day Case Centre, focused on improvements made in surgery over the past year. More patients are now being treated as day cases for hip and knee replacements, reducing waiting times, and we are increasing our use of robotic surgery to assist with procedures in gynaecology and urology.

Visitors were also able to visit a number of stands promoting services within the hospital, such as our new patient portal Patients Know Best, and we took another opportunity to share our exhibition marking 25 years of maternity services at Medway Maritime Hospital from All Saints Hospital. There was also a chance to find out more about how our improvement programme Patient First helps us focus on the right priorities to make the biggest difference.

Our thanks also go to our partners at NHS Kent and Medway who joined us to share information with attendees about the Safe Havens and also to answer any questions on plans to reshape urgent care services in Medway and Swale; and to Healthwatch who also promoted their services.