National Clinical Director, Professor Jason Leitch, visited the Queen Margaret and Victoria Hospitals earlier today (05/08) to meet healthcare staff and thank them for their ongoing to efforts to provide high quality care for people in Fife.
Professor Leitch, who was accompanied by Board Chief Executive, Carol Potter, began his visit at Queen Margaret Hospital where he attended the whole system huddle, which brings representatives from Fife’s community hospitals, acute services, primary care, urgent care and social care. Professor Leitch also visited Ward 5, which cares for older adults, as well as by the hospital’s dermatology and endoscopy units.
This afternoon Professor Leitch visited the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, where he met with catering staff, doctors-in-training, staff in health records and those operating the hospital switchboard. Professor Leitch also visited the busy admissions units as well the hospitals high dependency units and critical care areas, which were at the centre of local response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following his visit, Professor Leitch, said:
“I was really delighted to be able to visit the Queen Margaret and Victoria Hospitals today and speak to the incredible staff working here in Fife about their experiences over recent months and years, and indeed the challenges they continue to face.
“To those staff working today who we weren’t able to hear from, I want to extend my thanks and pass on my heartfelt gratitude for the excellent work you do.”
NHS Fife Chief Executive, Carol Potter, added:
“We were really pleased to welcome Professor Leitch to our hospitals today.
“There are significant and well-documented pressures on hospitals at present, with the demand for very many healthcare services unlike anything we have ever seen. What is often lost is that, even in spite of these pressures, there is a huge amount of excellent care being delivered by our staff across Fife, and we welcomed the opportunity to be able demonstrate that today.
“The clinical staff in our hospitals and those caring for patients in Fife’s towns and villages, continue to show incredible care, compassion and dedication, and do so seven days a week, 365 days a year. I was delighted that Professor Leitch was able to hear from so many of our frontline staff today, and just as importantly, was able to speak with many of those working within behind the scenes in our supporting services, who play an equally vital role in helping us to provide patients with the highest possible standard of care.”
