Staff at Torbay Hospital welcomed Councillor Terry Manning, The Worshipful the Mayor of Torbay and his consort for a visit last week (Tuesday 31 August).
The Mayor was shown around the Torbay Hospital site by Sir Richard Ibbotson, Chairman of Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, and heard from staff who have worked throughout the pandemic. They were also able to see first-hand some of the latest building developments taking place onsite.
Due to the current restrictions in place the visit was limited to outdoor spaces and areas outside of hospital wards, but staff were on hand to speak to Cllr Manning about their experiences of working throughout the pandemic and share just some of the issues that are important to them.
Cllr Manning heard from the Emergency Department team, who talked about how they have had to adapt to the unique challenges presented by COVID-19 and how the current high levels of demand experienced nationally are affecting staff and services across Torbay and South Devon.
Staff involved in developments such as the new expanded Acute Medicine Unit (AMU) and a secure mental health unit outlined the benefits that these will bring and the positive impact this will have for local residents.
Teams from the Intensive Care Unit and Ricky Grant Unit for cancer services spoke about the changes they have made due to the past 18 months and some of the challenges that they face on a day-to-day basis.
Finally, due to the nature of not being able to meet as many staff as a normal visit would involve, Cllr Manning recorded a video message for staff across the organisation, in both hospital and community settings, which thanked them for their hard work and highlighted how grateful the local community are for the role they play in keeping everyone as safe as possible.
Sir Richard Ibbotson, Chairman of Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I would like to thank the Mayor and his consort for visiting Torbay Hospital. It was an absolute pleasure to be able to show them around and introduce some of our fantastic staff.
“All teams from across our organisation, in hospital and community settings, have been affected by the pandemic. Our people were able to provide a fascinating insight into the challenges of working throughout this period, and I hope that the current developments taking place on site were able to provide a glimpse into the future of health and care services in our area and the benefits these will bring to the local community.”
Cllr Terry Manning, The Worshipful the Mayor of Torbay said: “I was very impressed with the work of the NHS staff and volunteers and their huge amount of energy and positivity. Every team across the trust has been affected by the recent challenges including Brixham Community Hospital of which I have close connections. Staff are under a lot of emotional pressure but always had a smile on their face and were clearly very compassionate. I would like thank Sir Richard Ibbotson and everyone I met for taking their time to meet with me.”
